Orangutans and Orchids

We dined at Stone House Restaurant (rated #18 of 11,421 restaurants in Istanbul on Trip Advisor) on our last night in Turkey’s largest city. Serving Kurdish cuisine, and having had our fill of Turkish food, we welcomed a change. We only wished we’d ordered one of the clay pots filled with a stew, brought tableside flaming, then shattered and served. We observed the spectacle when others ordered the clay pot, but our meals were delicious nonetheless, and entertainment was provided by a very talented guitarist/singer.

The following day was cold and wet, so we opted for an ‘indoor’ activity – a short Bosphorus (the strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia) ferry trip, then returned to our hotel to dry off and pack. Our flight was scheduled to leave Ataturk Airport at 12.40am, so we didn’t check-out until 9pm, with a taxi picking us up at 9.30pm.

Once on-board our flight, passengers were advised of a 15 minute delay – awaiting transit passengers. One and a half hours later our flight finally took off.

We touched down in Singapore at about 5.30pm local time – and were completely unprepared for the heat that accosted us once we stepped outside the airport – felt like 40 degrees (and 100 per cent relative humidity!).

We settled in the Tropical Wing of the Furama Riverfront Hotel, then took a short walk to pick up some curry puffs and cold drinks for a late dinner, feeling like limp dishrags on our return to our beautifully air-conditioned room.

The following morning we walked to China Town for breakfast, got hot-and-bothered-lost … and realised the most comfortable way to see the city sights, without tempers fraying, was to shell out for guided tours.

That afternoon we took a city tour to explore the history and culture of multi-racial Singapore. Our tour took us to vibrant and colourful Little India, then driving past Raffles to the Merlion, a national icon representing Singapore’s humble beginning as a fishing village, located at the mouth of Singapore River. There were photo ops galore at the statue, with a backdrop of the incredible Marina Bay Sands Resort and Art Science Museum (its shape reminiscent of a lotus flower), and the Singapore Flyer.

Although I’m not sure what criteria must be met, the Singapore government provides apartment housing – 110 square metre 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom homes for S$300,000 (with repayments over 10 or 15 years).

Next stop on the City Tour was Chinatown, where we visited the Sri Mariamman Temple – Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. The temple features a gopuram, a richly embellished tower that rises above the main entrance.

The final stop on the tour was at the 52 hectare botanic gardens, the ‘green lung’ of the city. We visited the National Orchid Garden, located within the grounds, and wandered through the wide and colourful varieties (over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids) of orchids on display.

We ended our day in the hotel bar. Obviously (when in Rome …) I had to sample a Singapore Sling, but at S$23 a pop it was a one-off only. My drinks of choice here are guava juice and iced lemon tea.

The following morning we were picked up for our Singapore Zoo visit, including breakfast with the Orangutans. The buffet breakfast spread was varied and delicious, but we didn’t get as up-close and personal as we thought we would with the great apes. At the Frozen Tundra (the newest exhibit at the zoo), locally-born polar bear Inuka captivated with playful antics and we watched the fun ‘Elephants at Work and Play Show’.

Instead of returning to our hotel, the tour coach driver dropped us at Gardens by the Bay, arguably one of the nation’s most beautiful masterpieces. The gardens feature the best of architectural, horticultural and sustainability design, with free entry to outdoor gardens with various themes. Our ticket price allowed us entry into both spectacular cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. One of the key outdoor attractions at Gardens by the Bay is the Supertree Grove – a collection of dramatic vertical plant displays, which come to life when night falls, with a spectacular light and sound show (twice nightly).

Late afternoon brought with it light rain and thunder, not helping to reduce the humidity. We waited until night fell to venture out to Smith Street (aka Food Street) in Chinatown for dinner. We started with satay sticks from one street vendor, and dishes from two other vendors, along with Tiger beer and iced lemon tea.

This afternoon we took the Sentosa Island Look-Out Tour. We were driven to Faber Peak, perched atop Mount Faber, from where we travelled across to Sentosa Island on the Singapore Cable Car, enjoying panoramic views of the world’s busiest harbour. Once on the island we rose 131m above sea level in the Tiger Sky Tower. Next stop on the tour was Sentosa 4D AdventureLand, where we watched the 4D movie Journey 2, starring ‘The Rock’ – Dwight Johnson. The ‘bugs’ that crawled over our feet during the movie freaked me out.

The tour continued on to Underwater World, where we left them for a short time – to have a fish foot spa. Totally weird experience but a definite must-do! (at least once). The fish had a feeding frenzy on our manky feet – but our trotters felt amazing afterwards. As we had tickets for Underwater World we paid just S$10 for 10 minutes with the wee critters.

We rejoined our tour group in Underwater World and enjoyed the ‘touch pools’, where we could feel stingrays, small sharks and puffer fish. We watched a hilarious show featuring pink dolphins (yup … PINK dolphins – sceptical me thought this must be a gimmick – but it was true, with the colour not originating from a pigment but from overdeveloped blood vessels) and seals.

The grand finale of our day on Sentosa Island was the spectacular night show Wings of Time, an awe-inspiring display of water, laser and fire effects, set to music and with a backdrop of the open sea.

We had a lovely tour guide and we asked her a number of questions about life in Singapore. We were told the average wage is S$3,000 per month, GST is 7% (and individuals usually receive an annual refund of a few hundred dollars), and income tax ranged from 3% to 20%. Singapore’s underground system was the vision of the first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who held that office from 1959 to 1990, and died just last month.

At 10.15 this evening we went for a wander (it is incredibly safe here – and the weather had cooled a smidgen), scouting a venue for tomorrow night’s dinner. Singaporeans eat VERY LATE. We noticed opening/closing times of several restaurants were 6pm to 6am and 5.30pm to 4.30am.