Singapore Pg 14

There were waterfalls and fountains everywhere. Here are 2 water features that particularly took my fancy.

And the flower photos begin…

I put my hand in two of the following shots, and got David to do so in one, so you can see the size of the flowers.

It’s so hard to stop with those few pictures but the story must go on…

David eventually managed to drag me out of there and we saw a restaurant named Villa Halia and asked to look at the menu.  They asked if we wanted afternoon tea and we said that we wanted lunch and they were a little surprised and informed us it was 4pm.  Ha har!  Time flies when you’re drooling over orchids!

The setting here was absolutely perfect.  The staff were very friendly, in fact, perfect and the meal was perfect.  We were foolish ever to leave the place.

Here’s David – thoroughly dried out now.  The restaurant had an indoor part but we chose outdoors and they seated us in a corner so we had gardens behind me and along my right side.  It rained a bit on and off but we had a roof and it was still beautifully warm.

They asked if we’d like garlic bread and David groaned as he knows my answer is always yes to garlic bread.  He ordered a carbonara and I ordered chilli crab spaghettini.  It really was excellent food and we chose really unusual herbal teas each which arrived in plungers.  We’d been offered a full tea service if we’d wished, or an English ‘high tea’, but decided on the lunch.  Eventually we had to leave and while David paid, one of the waiters sat me comfortably, they were just so considerate.

Continuing with our view of the main gardens we’d decided against going as far as the Children’s Garden as we’d first hoped.  It was at least 2 kms further on and we’d lost a lot of time with getting lost and then sheltering from the rain.  Also, we were just about walked out I think.  We just decided to take a different path back through the gardens.  They really were lovely.

On the way back past the large hospital it was still drizzling and one man stopped me, laughing and saying “That really is the cutest umbrella I’ve ever seen!”  I had another person later that day do the same thing and David loved watching as it brightened so many people’s days.

We checked the map carefully and managed to get back to Orchard Rd the short way and on along, looking at shops, and under that blasted underpass – this time faultlessly.  Couldn’t repeat it if you paid us but at least we’d done it once!

One jeweller’s window we looked in had a pair of emerald and diamond earrings which were priced at $250,000.  There was a matching necklace with about 4 times as many jewels as the earrings but no price showing.  I shudder to think!

We went all along Orchard Rd, mostly with Mr Penguin up, stopping in a few shops until we reached Singapura Plaza at the far end of the main shopping strip.  And here, we saw what we were looking for – jewellers with discounts.  I’d had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and had decided to spend it on a gold anklet which is something I’d wanted for a very long time.  Not only did this jeweller have a 50% off sale, but they gave us a small bottle of water each as we went in which was really welcome!  I tried on and bought a gorgeous white gold anklet with the birthday money from the 2 mums, plus David made up the extra as he hadn’t really bought me a gift yet.  And not only did we get it for half price but we got a tax rebate at the airport when we left as well.  Definitely a nice bargain, and a souvenir to boot.  It’s a delicate chain and has 3 tiny white gold hearts with little facets that make them sparkle and 2 tiny yellow gold stars that have dents to make them look facetted, but they’re not.  I love it anyway.

I tried to take a photo that would show the height of the shopping centre as we’re only accustomed to 2 floor shopping centres here – other than in the city and we never go there.  Even in the city the most floors you’d see with a void like this would be perhaps 4 floors.  This one has a 7 floor void!  I believe there were also 2 basement floors but we did not get the chance to look.

From Orchard Road and the Singapura Plaza we walked once more, and with heavy hearts, to Clarke Quay for our last evening meal in Singapore.  After much walking up and down and discussion we decided to eat at the Bayang Balinese again.  Our first meal at Clarke Quay had won the prize of us wanting to revisit.  We decided on the same shared entree assortment and David chose chilli beef, while I had a veggie plate and of course a Sing Sling.  It was a lovely meal and we dawdled over it, watching the activity outside the window of all the other restaurants and the many people mulling by.  It made no difference as to the day of the week down there, it was always busy.  As we paid, the waiter(?)/manager(?) remembered us from our first visit so that was really nice.

During the holiday we certainly noticed that we (as Caucasians) were very much in the minority.  It got after a few days that we were noticing when we saw any others.  And that’s never a bad thing for anyone to learn.  I would guess that the natives were perhaps 60-70% Chinese origin and the rest Indian.  It was certainly noticeable that the Indian men seemed to be the physical workers as in builders etc.  The way they were transported made our eyes pop out.  Seated in the back of small tray back trucks, presumably along benches on either side, and sometimes many more crammed in the middle.  In Perth nobody is allowed in the back of a vehicle like that and every passenger has to have a seatbelt.  We were told that the rules are changing in Singapore and that a canvas roof will be required on these vehicles.  Not a lot of protection in an accident!  I felt sorry for the men, after a hard day’s work going home like that, even in the rain.

Anyway, after our meal could be dragged out no longer, we dawdled home along the quay side for a total distance of 15 kms walked that day once more, and watched TV.  The golf was over but David managed to find some golfing highlights LOL  The last time we watched golf was on our holiday in Adelaide so it’s not as if we’re fans.

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