Singapore - day 4

Our flight home was at 9.15 pm so we had a little time to explore some more. We took the brown line route on the Hop On bus and also spent some time around Chinatown. Just for something different, we had Japanese food for lunch!

Travellers Inc. first big overseas Event was very successful. We all learnt a huge amount about Sri Lanka and I think it would be fair to say that for most of us, our knowledge of Sri Lanka was limited pretty much to cricket.

Henry was right, "You go for the animals"  & no-one will ever forget the elephants, but we were also fascinated by the ancient history and archaeology, the World heritage sites, the Hill Country and the tea plantations and the turtles.

All the resorts / hotels were excellent and the buffet meals were sensational.

No meal was complete without a visit to the cool room!

If you are thinking of going to Sri Lanka then contact Lotus Holidays in Sydney &/or Jetwing in Sri Lanka. I can fully recommend both companies.

Singapore - day 3

Kelly and I had a very busy day today all by ourselves, but I know that many of the group did the same things yesterday or today.

Our first activity was a bumboat ride on the river, a pleasant cruise along the water to see the changes in architecture in this great city over the period of its life.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens has the UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition. Started in 1859, these gardens have been responsible for the introduction of rubber trees to Singapore and the subsequent agricultural opportunity that brought. It also fostered new techniques and breeding of orchids which has led to a world wide export business. It is the world leader in orchid research.

The National Orchid Garden is unbelievable. Here the orchids grow outdoors in garden beds and come in every size and every colour. It is said that this is the largest and best orchid collection in the world. There is a limit to the number of orchid photos one needs but it is impossible to stop taking shots.

We spent hours in the gardens, especially enjoying the Ginger Garden, the Wetlands and the Walk among the Giants. These latter new developments will be excellent when they get a few more years growth.

From there we hopped onto the Hop On bus again and went to the Singapore Flyer. This giant wheel takes 20 minutes to circle around and the views are spectacular.

We stayed on at the Flyer centre for a drink, a meal and a gelato - but mainly to see the light show on the Super Trees at Gardens by the Bay. We couldn't hear the music from that distance but the colour and lights were very pretty.

Singapore is such a clean and safe place that we walked all the way back to our hotel. Traffic is minimal, the temperature was about 27 degrees and the 45 minute walk was really enjoyable.

We are sorry that we have to go home tomorrow. Singapore is such a vibrant place, we'd like to see more.