February 8
Singapore
Some sleep but not as much as I would have liked. Breakfast was good. Noodles, sweet & sour pork, and some wonderful pickled vegetables, although I'm sure the latter contained more sugar than was good for me.
 |
 |
|
|
I took a couple of trains to Pasir Panjang, stopping at the open air food court for a tea - tea with condensed milk. They use the latter in most drinks over here and it was surprisingly good, albeit a little sweet.
A walk of about a mile, uphill, past some very smart houses and along a tree lined road, brought me to the "Reflections of Bukit Timah" museum, commemorating the last battle against the Japanese in 1942. Alas, with the 70th anniversary of the battle on the horizon, it is closed for refurbishment.
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
I tried to hide my anguish at a long uphill walk in the heat and all for nothing, and set off down some steps in search of the Canopy Walk.
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
At the bottom of the steps, I spotted it, passing way over my head. I retraced my steps uphill, walked along the elevated walkway for a few hundred metres of trees and views and reached the end, where I rested in an elderly shelter, surrounded by trees.
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Hort Park, down a steep hill from the shelter, is a cross between Kew Gardens and a garden centre. Lots of plants and small demonstration gardens. The green houses were used as test beds for the systems now used in the controlled environment houses at Marina Bay.
Unfortunately, the promised refreshments came from a posh restaurant which hadn't opened yet.
 |
 |
|
|
Leading over the main road is the Alexandra Bridge, a beautiful structure. This links to a metal boardwalk which I followed for a short distance before it took me onto a path through the woods. This took a sharp turn right and lead me back to the main road, almost beneath the bridge on which I had started.
I followed the road until I saw a sign to The Handlebar, supposedly a biker bar. This is in the middle of the old Gillman Barracks, now an arts complex.There were a few bikes, lots of bike facilities, no bikers but very cold Tiger. I had a much needed pint. The music, which accompanied it, was excellent - a mix of hard blues.Right: Gillman Barracks |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Back on the main road, I grabbed the first bus that passed and alighted at the Harbour Front MRT. I spotted a sign for a food court and, after going round in circles, I found it round the back of the bus station. It was busy but not full and I had an excellent spicy minced chicken with lots of Thai basil from a Thai stall, followed by an iced lemon tea. All for under £3. You can't go wrong in a food court.
 |
 |
|
|
It was after 1.30 and I felt surprisingly good. The walking must have helped clear my system. Without any real plans for the afternoon, I decided to give the Arts Science Museum a whirl. This is part of the Marina Bay complex. If nothing else, it should be architecturally entertaining.
A couple of trains took me to the hotel complex in no time but it then took me almost half an hour walking the ornate corridors beneath the hotel to find the museum, itself. This is an amazing building, based on a lotus flower, surrounded by water features and with magnificent views across the harbour.
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
There were three exhibitions to chose from - I didn't feel up to all three even if I did get in cheap for being a geriatric - so I opted for "Future World - where art meets science". This was very clever lighting producing images and I'm not sure what. The descriptive text would not have looked out of place in Private Eye's "Pseud's Corner" and it left me completely confused.
 |
 |
|
|
The biggest danger was that much of it was aimed at children so I was staggering around almost dark rooms trying not to tread on any small people. It was all technically brilliant but I really didn't understand the philosophical aspects. Nothing new there, then! It did offer some interesting photographic challenges and I hope that some of them will have worked.Right: Amazing lighting effects |
My walk back took me over the bridge, which shows off the harbour in all its glory, through some sort of fair, presumably a New Year celebration. I noticed a smell which brought back memories as soon as I entered. Once I had rounded a corner, I found the source, a stall selling durians.
 |
 |
|
|
It was after I left the area that I tried to take a photo of the Merlion and realised that I had a problem with my main lens. It wouldn't focus at distance, either manually or automatically. Not good on the third day of a fifty nine day trip. Some quick research back at the hotel suggested that a replacement would be far cheaper in the UK than here. How times have changed!
I crossed the Padang on the way home - no sport today - did more experimenting with my camera - and arrived back at the hotel at about 16.00. I was tired but far better than yesterday.
I had a brief snooze, then washed & changed and prepared for an evening out on the town.
 |
 |
|
|
This started at The Sidewalk with a large Tiger served in an ice bucket. Very posh. The waitress, not my usual one who was looking after other tables, kept topping up my glass, obviously hoping that I would order a second bottle. I was strong and didn't.
I stopped at the big mall to buy a few more expensive post cards - I had only seen expensive, arty ones, today - before arriving at Purvis Street. The Thai I had wanted to visit last night was open and I had some good Thai food. Had I arrived much later, it would have been full. It pays to eat early over here.
I walked back to the hotel, taking photos as I went. Once there, I performed my usual day's chores of organising photos and completing my diary.