Day 47 Wednesday 2nd October 2019

Bright eyed and ready for a big day in the humid tropical city we headed upstairs for our complimentary breakfast with its 360 degree views on the 65th floor in the Executive lounge. The Stamford for a long time was the tallest hotel in Singapore (70 floors) and even though this is our third visit to the city, the charm of the sky scraper and clean architecture views are still very pleasing. We both could visit it again – it’s so easy to have an enjoyable time.

As we were enjoying the modest but adequate buffet an argument broke out between some Asian guests. It was so fiery I expected fists and knives to fly any minute. It took several different staff and management to settle it down, and I was concerned and somewhat surprised that they did not get security sooner and remove them. Apparently it was an extended Chinese family where one couple took great offence at another family member asking them to discipline or take charge of their very free range children – in consideration of the other guests. Quite justifiable I thought, to bring up that point, and one can only imagine what those little horrors must will grow up to be like.

After breakfast we caught the subway train down the city and changed once to go west to the closest station for the gondola to Sentosa Island. The day was typically overcast and drizzly and when it wasn’t raining which gave a nice respite, the humidity was pretty heavy and encouraged our internal precipitation (perspiration). It took a little bit of navigation with iPad help but we eventually found the ticketing place for the Gondola behind a big building, got our tickets and enjoyed the short scenic ride across the bay.

We could easily see the big Merlion statute (which is not as pretty as the one in Marina bay) and had a birds eye view over the tropcial rainforest and entertainment areas. I was a little surprised at the lack of upkeep of some of the activity areas such as pools, for such a neat and progressive city.

We had hoped to see the butterfly display but the rain was such that it would have killed off, or inhibited viewing many at all so we gave it a miss and went for a wander around to the beach on the other side.

The swimming areas were not that spectacular at all, in fact the water there seems a little grubby to me – probably paranoid because of the hundreds of big boats and industrial activity near that side of the island. They also had fenced off areas in the water with signs not to swim. I am not sure why but was not going to try my luck, so we waded a bit and then headed back up the hill and return Gondola to the city. You may have figured, but I would not rate Sentosa very highly at all.

On the other side we felt adventurous and made our way by train to old China town to view the characteristic candy colored buildings and the Sri Mariamman Temple on its fringes. Dating back to 1827 (since restored several times) it is dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, who is believed to cure a range of illnesses and diseases. Ornate inside and with a beautifully adorned exterior of colorful painted stone sculptures, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.

The temple is easy enough to find by going around the block onto Temple street. They charge you to go in and we didn’t feel quite in the mood for that so just enjoyed the outside and a peek through the beautiful wooden door with bells all over it.

When you pop up from the subway you are right in the historic area like a movie set with all the sounds, smells and activity of a colonial Chinese town. Interesting street names like Sago, Pagoda and Temple add to the ambiance.

We made a bee line through all the hawkers for the recommended eat street, however it was around 3 pm and many places were winding down for a break before the evening dining and I didn’t feel confident to buy what I did see, or want to sit down for a full meal. We were starving and faced with the difficult decision to eat then and miss out on dinner, or try and grab a snack and then go hard later on. We chose the second option and got a freshly made mixed fruit smoothy to tide us over. Perhaps on our next trip to Singapore we can enjoy the colorful street food scene at night.

We made our way back via subway to the hotel and freshened up before the complimentary happy hour and canape in the executive lounge. Whilst we could easily have eaten heartily, we restrained ourselves so we could enjoy the unique and delicious Satay which is synonymous with Singapore after our aperitif.

Last time we came to Singapore we had terrific Satay at Gardens by the Bay. Not within easy walking distance of our hotel or having a direct subway stop, we caught a taxi mouth salivating at the memory of what we would enjoy. Enjoy we did, savoring the creamy nutty, subtle smokey and spicy flavors and textures, and then made our way through the romantic night lit gardens to catch the music and light show display from the big Super trees.

Even though we visited Gardens by the Bay and saw the show last time, it was just as thrilling and deserves the many accolades it receives. We both would go back again and see the domes, walk around, and enjoy all that it has to offer by day and night yet again. For more details check out my 2015 blog.

After the light show we walked back via the over bridge and the boat shaped exclusive Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Interesting to see that it is lit up with rotating different colors at night – I thought it was just the one color.

Just because we love the pretty lights of a city, especially around water fronts we ended up walking all the way back to the hotel which took about an hour more of walking. It was around 11 pm by the time we got back in, but instead of bed straight away we made sure to use our complimentary drinks voucher in the bar downstairs before retiring. All that walking in the balmy evening was thirsty work.

And so ends another great adventure. Our flight is at 8am in the morning on a dreamliner and about 10 hrs long getting us into Auckland at midnight local time. We are booked into the Novotel again and will catch a domestic flight home the following afternoon. I start a new job and we look forward to seeing family and poodle and dreaming up the next travel experience.