Saturday in Singapore

We woke early to a thunderstorm, lighting the dark morning hours. 

We had booked a sight-seeing bike ride through the city this morning, but it didn't seem like a great idea in the driving rain, so we cancelled. I had been looking forward to seeing the city from a different view point, and will re-book next visit. 

Being up early in a city that doesn't wake til 10am, we set off around the island by MRT. This is a great way to see the outer suburbs and how the locals live. The train travels above the ground for two thirds of the hour long journey. We loved seeing the imposing jungle growing unhindered across the road from towering apartment buildings. There are wide streets, local shopping complexes, big industry at work and glimpses of Johore Bahru (Malaysia) and the border gates. 

We found a great breakfast at Marché by Movenpick - something previously missing from our Asian holidays! Great coffee, too. After a little shopping we caught a taxi back through quite heavy traffic (everyone is out and about on a Saturday - shops and eateries were very busy) to Orchard Road, and walked to Newton Circus (another hawker centre) for a late lunch of Singaporean delights and Tiger beer. Many of the stalls do not open for lunch, but there's always something delicious to tempt. 

It had cleared to a beautiful blue skied, hot day and so we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. Green apples, cold water and towels all provided with a smile by Stalin, the pool boy. The staff are excellent at the Pan Pac. 

After a wander through SunTec City, which has been renovated since our last visit (I love that Singapore is constantly on the improve, but occasionally it is frustrating to be lost in places that you know 'well'), and caught a taxi to Club Street, Ann Siang Hill, to find it closed to traffic, and restaurant tables spilling out into the street. There are many fabulous bars and restaurants nestled side by side at these crossroads, and we're slowly checking them out. We had planned to eat at 'Platters', a restaurant we discovered during out last visit with our friends from Dubai, but weren't hungry enough to do it justice. Instead we opted for a table in the middle of the street at a Spanish restaurant and enjoyed delicious tapas dishes and tasty wines. 

A quick wander around the corner to Chinatown (to find our favourite food street also under renovation) and a taxi home. Taxis were easy to flag today, which is a pleasant change to weekdays. Much of the working public rely on taxis to get home during the week, making hailing one quite difficult from about 4pm til 9pm.