Entries about marina bay sands

Day 228: Singapore 14/05/2012

Shhh, I have a dirty secret to confess to. Today, we had both a McDonald's and a Burger King. I feel sick even thinking about it. This is how this happened. We got up at seven for our taxi to the airport, where we take the opportunity to grab some breakfast, and for the sake of convenience and cost a sausage and egg McMuffin ticks all the boxes. We check out the airport and before we know it we have arrived in Singapore, the smallest state of our tour so far. Amazing how green it looks from the air.

The airport is incredible - so clean, efficient in a way Heathrow can only dream of and free wifi to go with the range of designer shops. We talk to the woman on the visitor information desk, who might be the most helpful person I have ever met. At this point we take the chance to sit down and decide where we want to go and occupy a seat in Burger King with the sole intention of having a drink and a pore over the map. I order two soft drinks and somehow a Whopper and a chicken burger present themselves in front of me. Shocking.

Anyway, find a room easily enough after a ride on the ultra efficient underground system and after a shower and a check online, we go exploring. Have a bit of a heart to heart in a park and eventually find our way onto the marina bay, seeing Singapore for the beautiful, modern city that it is. There are lots of nice green spaces and an abundance of sleek, smooth buildings. End up in a shopping mall full of stuff we will never be able to afford, before watching the daily light and water show that is shown on the waterfront. We walk back (via the most pedestrian unfriendly route ever) and have a Chinese served by the rudest person seen yet.

Day 229: Singapore 15/05/2012

Arise for our only scheduled full day in Singapore and after a quick breakfast we are back up and out. Some crazy, weird Americans staying at our place. Must avoid.

We stroll to the MRT station nearby and jump on the train to Kranji, where we will get the shuttle bus to the nearby frog farm care of the local countryside alliance. A bit of a wait for the bus so we have the cheapest lunch yet, costs about two quid, and we are soon at the frog farm, where the noise of the bull frogs is deafening.

Take the train back to Orchard Road, a very upmarket part of town, with all the designer shops you could ever want. A McDonalds hot fudge ice cream sundae and I manage to get some shorts that actually fit me! We then proceed to walk and walk and walk around Singapore, stopping only get changed back at the room. We pass thousands of people queuing for a video game release and head back to the bay to watch the light show again and get some photos of the incredible cityscape. An incredible city with so much going on - a huge arts festival due to open the day after we leave, which we see people rehearsing for, and after a very late dinner we get back to the room after midnight after what seems like twelve hours plus of walking. Both would like to spend a bit longer here.