Singapore - day 2

We planned to go our own separate ways today but we found that many of us went to the Gardens by the Bay,  and others went to the Botanic Gardens. We approached Gardens by the Bay from the spectacular Marina Bay Sands.

Words cannot explain Gardens by the Bay adequately! It has more than one million plants and over 5,000 species. That in itself would be amazing, but add the cooled conservatories  with their architectural designs, sustainability, horticulture and artistic presentation and all you can say is WOW!

We went to the Flower Dome which replicates the cool and dry Mediterranean climates with nine different gardens from five continents. There are many art works interspersed with the plants, many of them native to the area the garden represents or made  from roots and plant matter. 

Photos don't do justice but here are a few.

We thought the Flower Dome was amazing but the Cloud Forest was even more spectacular. A huge waterfall greets you as you enter this dome which replicates the cool moist Tropical Montane region. This is an intense planting of moist climate plants and the higher you climb the more the plantings change to represent the highland regions.A regular misting cloud cover keeps these plants happy.

This display of Venus  fly traps was made from Lego

We then took an audio tour ride around the area surrounding the domes. There are gardens representing the ethnic groups that make up the Singapore  population, art works, an open space for picnics or events and more, but the stand-out feature is the Super Tree collection.These man made trees are not just works of art but have many scientific skills and properties which aid the maintenance of the domes.

Most of the group gathered for drinks in the late afternoon as two more of our group are heading home tomorrow.

Then we went to the Sidewalk food court near our hotel and again enjoyed real Singaporean food with the locals.

Singapore - day 1

Our flight from Sri Lanka departed about 1.30 am and arrived in Singapore 3.5 hours later. This meant we arrived at our hotel many hours before check-in time, but despite almost no sleep we set off to explore Singapore. Hop-on, hop- off buses are a real bonus on such occasions as we circled around the city in the big red buses without getting any more tired. 

Kel and I have not been to Singapore since 1985 and we can't believe the changes. The beautiful British colonial buildings are protected but there is a massive amount of super modern architecture too. We felt that the old areas of Bugis Street, Arab St and Chinatown have lost their old world charm in their 'glammed up' form. More investigation on foot might prove us wrong. There is lots of colour, lots of art features and lots of modern design in the city now.

The gardens and nature strips are incredibly beautiful here, artistically planned and lush.

As much as we have loved the buffet meals and the wide variety of Sri Lankan spicy foods, a change was very welcome today. Sue was excited about her Singapore meatball broth for lunch!

This evening we all went our different ways to eat. Kelly and I were thrilled with our Singapore dishes which were served with genuine kindness and advice.

Later we explored the city by night - a clean and safe experience. The locals were dining and shopping and we enjoyed the weather which surprisingly has not been humid today.

Back at the Peninsular Excelsior we went to the 22nd floor viewing deck. What a view!

As the saying goes - no-one will need rocking tonight!

Sri Lanka - to Singapore

Today was a free day with a late check-out from the hotel at 6 pm and departure for the airport at 8  pm.

Sri Lanka is a country with many things to interest visitors. We have learnt much about the history and geography, the culture and religions, the landscape and modern day life. The Sri Lankan people are very welcoming and friendly. I have been most intrigued by the animals, the spices and the food. 

Thanks to Rob for suggesting we visit Sri Lanka as a group, and to Henry and Jessica from Lotus Holidays in Sydney for all their planning and management.

Our Lotus Holidays guide Jessica with the Travellers organising team - Rob, Jenny and Eleanor.

When we arrive in Singapore we will lose four of our Travellers. They will continue on home and the other eighteen will have a three night stop-over in Singapore. Jessica will also return home so we are independent travellers for this leg.

Sri Lanka - Colombo

We didn't leave the resort at Bentota Beach until 11 am so time to enjoy a lazy breakfast on the deck. Going back to muesli after these breakfast extravaganzas is going to be difficult. I shall especially miss the gorgeous bananas.

Colombo is a city of two parts, Old Colombo and New Colombo. As a result there is an old parliament house and a new parliament house. We saw both. Old Colombo has a strong British presence in its architecture whereas New Colombo is a mass of new skyscraper building. We drove past the cricket ground where Sri Lanka was playing a 50 over match against Bangladesh.

The Independence Memorial Hall was built to celebrate the independence of Ceylon in 1948. It is a beautiful building, surrounded by lions and at the front, featuring a statue of Don Stephen Senanayake. He is known as the Father of the Nation and was the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon.

We walked around the market to get a feel for shopping in Sri Lanka. It was busy, noisy and fascinating to see the items for sale. We also had some shopping time - at a government sponsored craft and souvenir shop and at a cotton clothing shop. A few small purchases were made.

We finished the day with drinks at the Galle Face Hotel, somewhat of an equivalent to the Raffles in Singapore or the Windsor in Melbourne. There was a strong British influence and photos of famous people who had stayed  there. People were having high tea with scones and cream and little cakes but we had cool drinks. Gins and tonic went down well with Kelly and me.

For our last night in Sri Lanka we are staying at the new Jetwing Colombo Seven. Jetwing has been the local travel company associated with our Lotus Holidays booking. Their group of hotels have been perfect for us.