Singapore

We passed through Singapore on our way to Perth. An amazing city with skyscrapers that literally seem to scrape the sky. We only had a day to expore the city and spent a fair amount of that shopping for electronics which are just incredibly cheap here (well relatively speaking anyway).

Of course, the one thing that strikes you immediately about Singapore is just how clean and organised the city is. As a result, it has been labelled by some as a little "souless" - although personally, after the helter skelter of some of the wilder South American cities, it was a pleasant breather. You certainly feel very safe and carrying your camera around is no problem - though ironically, we took very few photos!

One of the reasons for Singapore's orderliness is many years of strict rules and regulations. In fact, you can be fined for practically anything... no spitting..$20 no skateboarding..$40 no cigarette butts..$50 no gum chewing...$60 no farting..$70. In tourist shops, they even sell drinking mugs with the rules on them. There are posters prominently displayed telling people what to do and not to do.

We went to a bar with an amazing view of the city by night. Beautiful.




It was great to meet up with Ally's cousin, Lianne, who is an air hostess for Quantus (London to Singapore route) and luckily was there the same time as us.



The Merlion statue is a favorite among visitors. Part-fish, part lion, the Merlion, situated at the mouth of the Singapore River is a fitting icon of Singapore since legend says it was near here that Indonesian Prince Sang Nila Utama first glimpsed the "Singa", or lion that gives Singapore its name.