All prepared for our next journey , we woke to find my throat was sore and head congested - not ideal when you're about to jump on a train , a jet , and a taxi for the best part of today . Emma dropped us at the train station and we patiently waited for the next train and 9:10am - The Pensioner Express . Every older person travelling was waiting for the clock to tick over to 9am before swiping there cards to enable free travel 😉😎 - yes we did as well 🤣. After a platform change and about an hour 20 , we arrived at the airport , checked in , luggage checked in , we were ready to go . As with all international flights , there is the required waiting time , and in my current health , I was waiting for them to say you're not boarding like that , so I took some more paracetamol and sat patiently . I grabbed some gold laced food - bacon & egg bagel and a bottle of water for $24 , so we had something before we boarded the plane . Despite the price , it was nice , and filled the hole temporarily before the meal on board in an hour or 2 .
Before long we boarded the plane , and away we go - our usual stop at Singapore . The flight was uneventful , our backsides weren't enjoying that much down time however . Arrived at Singapore and met our taxi ride out the front of the terminal 3 building at Changi airport , he wisked us away to our accomodation . The humidity and temperature was a bit overwhelming , the weather for our stay was going from a low of 28 to a max of 33 each day , and the humidity was constant between 85 and 100% !!
After a very average nights sleep - blocked head , running nose and a throaty cough - we headed for a shower then down to breakfast . A continental breakfast with a variety of asian dishes , as well as all the usual suspects , was being enjoyed by the hordes of clients staying at the Holiday Inn Express . First job , find a pharmacy to get something for this head cold . Chinatown was only about 800m away according to Dr google , so away we went . Fortunately we got to walk mostly in the shade , but it was still up there in comfort level . This is Church St Singapore , we love this building with the section of carpark and garden below the tower . Singapore has landscaped the city so well .
Okay pharmacy found , said nasal spray wouldn't interact with my assorted pills , so we headed back to the hotel - it was too humid & hot to continue wandering around - besides there was a pool on the roof to swim in . Only a metre deep and glass wall on the rhs , but it was good to remove some of the heat .
After the swim we sat & chatted to some kiwis , their luggage hadn't made it to Singapore with them , it was still in Melbourne where they changed flights yesterday , but did arrive today .
Back to our room and another go on this new nasal spray , and Lyn reads the instructions , which clearly states - Not to be used if you have high blood pressure medication - I specifically asked the pharmacist 3 times , are you sure this is okay for me , of which she said , Yes , this is specifically for that scenario . Well my Bp was 115/62 in the morning , but spiked to 157/82 in the afternoon - guess I won't use that one again!!
From our rooftop pool , I noticed a chinese temple down below , starting to be swallowed up by high rises .
Here's the view from ground level , ornately decorated roof with green terracotta tiles .
Continuing down to Riverside Point for a meal , then to Clarke Quay for a stroll around in the slightly cooler evening air . Well the meal we had wasn't the best, we went to the brewery , didn't enjoy the meal or the beer to be honest . But the walk around , without the sun turning you into a baked potato was nice . There's plenty of eateries down at Clarke Quay , maybe we should have gone there instead ! Each of the canopies have a large fan to move the air around , which it needs !!
The city does look great at night , and the Singapore River only adds to it . Bumboats take tourists for a ride up & down the river and down to Marina Bay Sands for the light show over the water - we'll do that on our return trip back home .
The weather and our health doesn't work at the moment , so small walks and a trip to the supermarket at Clarke quay was our next option , more paracetamol and a nasal spray of salt water purchased . The walk took us past the Chinese temple again , so got some better photos of some it .
Over to Clarke Quay and a look at some of the old warehouse buildings , all colourful and busting with life in the evenings . There's a variety of bars & restaurants using the space these days , whereas they were used as warehouses for all the goods that came up & down the river on the bumboats .
Clarke Quay is covered in large umbrella like structures , each of the stands has a large stainless steel section , that works as a fan to blow air around , also to humidify it if required ???? , hence keeping you dry and slightly cooler than the outside areas .
What Singapore makes up for in its minimal size , is the amount of skyscrapers , housing people & business's . This is the business area .
This large building attracted my attention . It's a colonial style building , 6 stories high and colourful shuttered windows everywhere . It is Mill St Police Station and a few government departments as well .
There you have our first few days in Singapore , big day tomorrow , nearly 14 hours flying to Heathrow.
