Sun 24th Dec – Singapore (Christmas Eve in the city)
Declan’s plane lands at 4am Singapore, after being delayed an hour due to a major airport structural issue (ask Declan for more information). My alarm is set for 6am, which is the rough estimate of when he will be ready to party after an overnight long haul flight.
We get dumplings and Kopi for breakfast from a famous hawker centre close to the hotel and then poke around Chinatown, where old Chinese also congregate to poke around. Day activity is Singapore zoo, and our joint ticket to the zoo and also the other Singaporean wildlife parks easily costs more than my entire week in Malaysia. A lot of Malayasian people commute to Singapore each day for work. After a few hours in the sun at the zoo, Declan begins a sleepy downwards trajectory (despite claims that he is, in fact, not sleepy) and we begin to head back to the hotel.
As Declan convalesces (two hour nap) I bring a book to the pool area. But it was not the time for reading, for there are many guests on the reclining chairs keen for a yarn and beers. I sit between a family from Cairns and a retired couple from New York.
Many great thanks and $$$ to the Fullerton, who let Declan into our room at 5am.The beginning of Caitlin funded holiday treats.Wet market in Chinatown. Hundreds of fish/eels thrashing in a bucket.Don’t be fooled by the sign, these frogs are not live.Wild Colugo at Singapore Zoo. The size of a possum but the shape of a sugar glider. I was allowed to look at these for a while because it was the beginning of the zoo. The last third was a whirlwind tour where Declan walked straight past exhibits in the pursuit of completing the zoo and having a nap.Painted dogs were my favourite but were unfortunately located in our final area, Wild Africa, where the photo almost blurred with the speed in which we walked past them.Lunch after the zoo. Assorted tofus, spinach and sliced duck. A very fancy Christmas buffet at the hotel. Definitely was not included in the my room charge, which at $600 aud a night was a the cheapest package available. For dinner we walk to Satay by the Bay, a bit over half an hour through the luxe Marina Bay Sands hotel / shopping complex. It’s teaming with people eager for a Christmas Eve photo opportunity. We do indeed get satay. I also order carrot cake, which is met with light disdain from Declan until I bring it back and he realises it is the savoury radish dish fried in sweet dark soy sauce, not the western dessert.This is what Orchard Rd looks like on Christmas Eve. Chaos.And this is what Orchard Rd sounds like. Audio bytes are a Declan feature you can look forward to daily.
What has the quality of accommodation been like before the Fullerton.
Will leave airport issue to Declan to describe.
Singapore has four zoo opportunities, and we paid for all options. To pay for four versus paying for two was $90 versus $110, so they more or less force you to buy all.
Quality of on the tour group was interesting at best, budget end but functional as an average rule and mouldy and smelly at worst. There were two hotels that were pretty bad, one that was really good and the rest just average. I think Declan will have booked slightly nicer accommodation for Vietnam but it’s always difficult booking online, you never know what you’re really going to get.
Aiport issue was in Sydney. A bit of the airport ceiling broke off with the plane on one side and most of the passengers on the other. There were a few other flights affected as well and it took a while for them to come up with a solution and get everyone around.
Was the airport issue in Sydney or Singapore?
Great photos and enjoyed the inclusion of sound
Will you go back to the zoo?
What has the quality of accommodation been like before the Fullerton.
Will leave airport issue to Declan to describe.
Singapore has four zoo opportunities, and we paid for all options. To pay for four versus paying for two was $90 versus $110, so they more or less force you to buy all.
Quality of on the tour group was interesting at best, budget end but functional as an average rule and mouldy and smelly at worst. There were two hotels that were pretty bad, one that was really good and the rest just average. I think Declan will have booked slightly nicer accommodation for Vietnam but it’s always difficult booking online, you never know what you’re really going to get.
Aiport issue was in Sydney. A bit of the airport ceiling broke off with the plane on one side and most of the passengers on the other. There were a few other flights affected as well and it took a while for them to come up with a solution and get everyone around.