Monday, March 9, 2015

March 5th and 6th – Cricket, Curry and Colonial Splendour in Singapore

From the chaos and traffic of Bangkok, Singapore was like a breath of fresh air – in fact, after the pollution of Bangkok, it was a literal breath of fresh air. If you're getting a cab, the traffic is light and moves quickly – but, given the amazingly organised and efficient public transport system here, you scarcely need to take to the road.

We arrived at 7.30pm, so our first evening was spent in the rarefied colonial atmosphere of the Singapore Cricket Club, occupying what must be one of the most exclusive addresses in town – overlooking the Padang, Singapore's main square. Enjoying an alfresco drink on its terrace, looking across at the colonial set-pieces of the old Parliament Building and the High Court, surrounded by the gleaming lights of the city's impressive array of skyscrapers, was a truly magical experience.

Our second day began with Tracy visiting a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner for a 10,000 mile service – he worked his magic on her, leaving her feeling simultaneously wonderful and completely zonked out. I then dragged my zombie around some of Singapore's most impressive colonial sights, before the obligatory photostop in front of the iconic architecture of the Marina Bay Sands, with its three towers topped by that distinctive boat-like platform.

The humid tropical weather wasn't doing much to shake Tracy out of her zen-like zone, so I decided on shock therapy – taking her to Little India for a curry. We found a place full of locals eating off banana leaves with their hands, and the guy in charge was very happy to talk us through its exotic menu. Amazingly enough, it worked, as with each delicious mouthful of spicy curry, she perked up a little – so much so, that she was able to drag me off to the shops for a bit of retail therapy.

Singapore's main leisure activities have always been shopping and eating, so I guess that we've covered both of them off very well today.