Day 15: Last Day
We woke up late after yesterday's jam-packed schedule, around 10am, and took our time getting ready.  We took inventory and decided on what items should be left behind.

On aside, I noticed on the TV (as in Bangkok also) you get a number of local as well as international channels like BBC, CNN, etc.  But the only Canadian content we ever saw was Just For Laughs Gags.  It is Canada's major contribution to world television entertainment.

Today we weren't quite sure where to start, but it looked very warm (and this would be our last day of 30-degree weather so we decided to check our the Botanical Park and National Orchid Gardens.

First though, we stopped by our local Hawkers market to enjoy a freshly made fruit juice (Apple-Kiwi this time).  We also had some Asian fare - dumpling soup and curry bun - a delicious soft pastry with a chicken curry filling.  It was only a dollar.

I had to admit, though the hawker markets were great, what I really wanted was a bowl of Mueslix cereal.  Something clean and non-greasy.

The Botanical park was very accessible by train and huge and manicured (but free entry), similar to Queen Elizabeth Park, but perhaps double the size, with the station at the north end.

There were a number of interesting plants, bamboo thickets, tropical fruit trees (bananas), and several large ponds with fish, turtles and swans.

Simmi very nuch enjoyed the National Orchid Garden, which was very large (took well over an hour to walk through) and had every type of Orchid imaginable, including those named after famous people like Princess Diana and even our very own Jean Chretien!  Although I do admit Chretien got the least impressive looking orchid I'd ever seen, small and not even red (it was mustard yellow).  There were also some very rare ones (apparently) which we took a number of pictures of, as well as a small museum.


We then hopped aboard a double-decker bus and got seats right on the front at the top level.  I have to admit it was fun looking down and people watching as the bus drove us down Orchard Road.

We stopped off in the Muslim quarter, which had a number of shops in a neighborhood with a large, famous mosque at its centre.  We did not bother to go in as we opted to sit for lunch at a busy Biryani and Murtabak restaurant.  We ordered chicken biryani and mutton murtabak, a kind of meat prata with mutton, onions, spices and egg.  As usual, it was too much good food for cheap.  Most of the Muslims here are Malays but we did see a number of Indians as well.

Finally we made our way back around 6pm to relax for about an hour as we had done a lot of walking.  We freshened up and then went to Harbourfront, a waterfront area near Sentosa Resort Island which has a number of rides and includes Universal Studios Singapore.

We walked around the boardwalk here and took some pictures of the nive night scenery and lights.  This area was also next to Vivo City, a large mall area mixed with residential use.  It was a very well designed building.   One of the things I have noticed about both Bangkok and (moreso) Singapore is the beautiful architecture you see on almost all the major  modern buildings and hotels.  They really have a flair for style - even the train stations and the airport are well designed.


We then took transit to the Old Colonial Quarter which is now next to the Financial district, and is tucked along the Singapore river just north of  Marina Bay, but south of Clarke Quay.

This area is quite well preserved with City Hall, Museums, Cavendish bridge (the oldest bridge in Singapore and only open to foot traffic), the statue of Stamford Raffles, founder of modern Singapore in the 1800s, and of course the famous landmark Raffles Hotel - opened in 1899 and home of the Singapore Sling.  We went to the Long Bar (the original) and it was large, old, saloon type pub with dark wood tables and seats,  and a large staircase in the middle leading to the upper level where the band was playing.

Simmi ordered a Singapore Sling (only $26 here) and I got a Whisky Sour.   Sure it was a rip-off at $23 but it was honestly delicious and one of the better cocktails I'd ever had.

We savoured our drinks and munched on peanuts -there are heaps of them in large square wooden bowls on every table and the floor is covered in shells everywhere.  It's a nice touch and adds to the Colonial feel.

We also noticed the Tamil bartenders furiously making Singapore Slings for a large group of Japanese tourists, and the interesting fans that waved back and forth (rather than the usual circular ones).   All in all we decided this was a great way to cap off the trip.

The restaurant was closed (it would have been overkill anyway) so we went to an Italian bistro that was open late and enjoyed some ecxellent beer and pizza for our last vacation meal.

We got back to the hotel around midnight and packed for our trip home.  We'd honestly had an amazing time but were getting travel weary and looking forward to the comforts of home, home cooking, and of course family.

Things were uneventful at Changi International Airport (Singapore) and we boarded around 5am.

As I write this now, we had landed in Seattle (via Tokyo) and after some 16 hours in the air, it is still only 8am on the 27th.  We had been flying back in time.  We are at Sea-Tac, bleary-eyed and cold, but looking forward to home in chilly Vancouver.