Destination 1: the pool - not exactly miles away - in fact it's on the 3rd floor of the apartment block! Before you ask, it is outside. We've been down there 2 days running and have managed to get a bit of a tan in the space of 20 mins or so. It's pretty hot at the moment - I don't think it can be hotter than normal as the temperature is more or less the same everyday, but there is less rain. Rather than raining everyday, like it was when we arrived, the rain now comes every few days so there is a real build up of humidity.There seems to be less cloud cover too and this convinces you that you're not getting burnt! The pool is not that busy so you can always get a seat/lounger and do a few undisturbed lengths before getting on with the day.
Destination 2: more exercise, this time just as wet, as we walk very slowly in a pool of sweat towards the Botanical Gardens at the crossroads of Orchard Rd and Holland. I see people on air conditioned buses as my hair frizzes and skin stings and look forward to an Icy brain-freeze drink from the Seven-Eleven.
The Botanical Gardens are very relaxing and an oasis of calm from the concrete and chrome of Orchard Road. There are orchids and waterfalls and a huge lake, not to mention a rainforest. We ignore all that and go in search of the food-court.
It transpires that the food court has ceased to be so we make do with a hotdog smothered with a bolognaise sauce and some mini somosas. This isn't what we wanted! The Ginger Garden seems to promise all sorts of Asian culinary delights but alas, no; there is just Westernised, table-clothed, high-end cusine... or chips.
We have a bit of a wander and decide that there are too many tourists around (aint we the locals now, eh?). In a flash we are in a cab speeding down the highway towards Pulau Ubin, an Island accessed only by a 12-berth boat that leaves from Changi Point Jetty when it is full.
Changi is the village next to the airport. In London this would be Hounslow and would be fairly depressing - a place that people land in but can never leave. Here, however, there is a vibrant community with busy shops, bars and food-courts alongside a scattering of seashells on mini, white sandy beaches. I could quite easily spend the rest of the day here, but we are soon on the boat for Pulau Ubin on our 5 minute voyage to Destination 4.
The whole island looks like it's been made out of drift wood and corregated iron, but has a real presence about it. There are bars and seafood and a lot of bikes. We haggle over a clapped out bone-shaker or 2 and peddle off to see what is around. In reality all we care about is having an ice-cold beer but feel it is a little odd to just get off the boat and flop down at the nearest bar.
There are a few maps at strategic points around the island but these are identical; each one has an arrow pointing to the jetty, but not to where we are at that moment. This obviously makes finding your way around impossible. At every crossroads you follow whoever is cycling in front, in the hope that they might know where they are going. Of course, they don't.
Eventually we pass the same "Holiday Camp" twice - it looks a little deserted & eerie, like the setting for a horror movie. The rusting wheelchair at the entrance does not bode well but we soldier on and find ourselves at a rope bridge and a kiosk. Luckily the attendant is not some goolish, axe-wielding maniac and turns out to be a completely normal bloke, overseeing the water activities at the Celestial Resort. The brochure makes the place look slightly better than it is, but nonetheless it is a very pleasant spot overlooking a lagoon.
We sit at the air-conditioned bar and have what is probably the best beer of our lives. After all the exercise, the ice-cold glasses and ice-cold Tiger combine to give us a glimpse of beer heaven. We tuck into some spicy noodles while laughing at children who are laughing at other children falling out of canoes.
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| One last Tiger, please |
We make our way back to the jetty, dump the bikes and drown a last Tiger while over looking the white sands and make-shift cabins in the village. God knows what else there is to explore on the Island but we will try to find out on our next trip there. Either that or have a beer or 2.
Back in Singapore, I have a surprise dinner booked for us at Mozza, an Italian-American restaurant run by the famous Mario Batali. It is located at the Marina Bay Sands casino complex and seems a far cry from the wooden shack island we've just been to. Understandably, we've been home first to change before descending on Destination 5.
(See Review)
A picture from after our meal at Mozza:
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| View From Marina Bay Sands |
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