So Long, Farewell Singapore

July 13th, 2011

We arrived back in Singapore in the late afternoon via Ferry from Bintan, and I have to admit that it really set in  that this trip would be over. You could tell everyone else was in a similar mindset, Linda in particular was more cranky. It was understandable these were the last couple of days that she would be spending with her daughter and son (Jen and Alex) and it would be back to the reality of life in Canada. In the end, we tried to make the best of the situation at hand.

We had big ideas- the Night Safari and I was hoping we might get to the bird sanctuary as well. When fatigue set in, we scaled our plans back. Alex and Kate were still in Bintan and would not be back for a few hours, so we decided to head to Holland Village for dinner. This area is sort of trendy, with bars, restaurants, and shops. The closest analogue I can think of in Toronto would be The Annex or High Park perhaps.

Doug and Anne decided to split off from us and go to a pub down the street while the rest of us headed into the hawker stalls (the open air food courts I've previously talked about). I was very reassured when I saw that each of the stalls were graded by the health authority. I chose one rated with an A but the worst grade I saw was a B. I picked up some beef ho fun for 4.50 Singapore dollars, that's maybe $3 Canadian in the usually more expensive Singapore. Everyone else got similarly good deals and we added some Tiger beer for good measure- we are really starting to sound like boozers aren't we? Two large beers between 4 people, and minimal public embarrassment- nothing to apologize for.

July 14th, 2011

The last day. It has come to this. The dread of returning to daily life ramps up but we remind ourselves we have a long travel day ahead of us the next day. We all headed out to the Botanical Gardens, a 20 minute walk from Jen's place. The highlight of a short but sweet visit was The Orchid Garden which contains a large number of orchid varieties including some that were developed in Singapore to celebrate the visits of world leaders including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and one named after Canada's wisecracking former PM, Jean Chretien. Another bonus was the mossy forest/highlands- which simulated a climate much like Cameron Highlands, a nice place to cool off in another unforgiving summer day.

Andrea and I along with her parents went up Orchard Rd for some last minute shopping. This trek eventually took us into the massive Ion Orchard shopping centre, one of the many shopping spots along the strip. Andrea grabbed a shirt at Zara for our night on the town, and I was tempted to buy something but restrained myself. Pressed for time, we hopped on the subway to Sommerset- as I wanted to grab a souvenir for someone at the Charlie Brown Cafe.

After a quick dinner, we headed back for a quick swim in the pool. Another opportunity to get some relief from the heat. Then we all regrouped, freshened up, and headed pit to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Jen's partner Rennie met us there and we headed up to the top of the hotel for the chocolate buffet.

This was a crazy indulgent experience, chocolate of every imaginable variety- jams, mousse, fondue, breads, cookies, tarts, among other things. After one plate full, I could barely bring myself to eat more. It was $40, so I was not about to waste that money, so I went up for another round, this time mostly fruit. Still I probably gained pounds from this sitting alone.

Stuffed and feeling kind of gross, some of us got up to check out the view, on one side the harbor, on the other the infinity pool which looked to flow over the side of the building. Also, another great view of downtown Singapore, if only it didn't get dark so early, I would have been able to take less blurry pictures. Nonetheless, it was worth the money for the view.

July 15, 2011

After a restless sleep, the chocolate buffet hangover kicks in and then I look at our itinerary and the flight is leaving almost an hour earlier than we thought. We say hurried goodbyes to Jen and Rennie- emotional for some more than others. We still made it to the airport with enough time to check-in.

After saying our goodbyes to Alex and Kate who were going to another terminal for their flight to Winnipeg. We get inside the terminal building, and can't find our airplane counter. Turns out I read the itinerary wrong, and we are in terminal 1 instead of 2 where we should be. Hop on the tram to the right terminal, and we are on our way.

It all comes down to this, our vacation would be over after two marathon flights across the Pacific. What an incredible journey this was with all the ups and downs. I wouldn't go as far as saying it was a life changing experience or anything so obvious, but it was fun, crazy, and I would definitely return to that part of the world.

Next blog... "Cooperstown Bound"...