The Many Adventures of an Aussie Disney Honeymooner

[zanzibar138]

Sorry to hear that. How's he doing now?

Sadly he is still struggling with it. Seems to be improving but then causes issues again if he tries to do too much (dancing has been a problem, which isn't great!). He has been to the doctor about it, but they pretty much just said there's some inflammation and didn't really tell him what he could do about it, how to fix it or how to prevent it from happening again. I've asked him to get a second opinion, and I will go with him so I can ask ALL the questions

I won't quote every photo... but... Wow! I love this place, just from the photos and your descriptions!

I love it too! Such a unique and beautiful place.

Recognize that building. So unique!

It's definitely a key landmark in Singapore. On our last trip, Ben and I visited the viewing deck at the top. Super disappointing - was so expensive to get up there, long queue to get in, and then there was nothing to do up there. There were a few sparsely placed benches, but they were snapped up immediately. I knew we wouldn't be able to access the famous pool, but there's so much separation from the hotel part, you can't even see it. 5 minutes of oohing and aahing at the view and we were pretty much done lol!

Instead, I would highly recommend the Singapore Flyer. It's way cheaper, also includes entry to a fun historical display on the way in (we probably spent about half an hour exploring) and has never been busy when I've been. We've always had a whole pod to ourselves, where we can sit in comfort for the half hour as the view unfolds around us. Much more worthwhile!

Another nice option for views is the Supertree Grove - there's either the elevated walkway or the treetop viewing deck, and they're both very reasonably priced.

 

[pkondz]

Sadly he is still struggling with it. Seems to be improving but then causes issues again if he tries to do too much (dancing has been a problem, which isn't great!). He has been to the doctor about it, but they pretty much just said there's some inflammation and didn't really tell him what he could do about it, how to fix it or how to prevent it from happening again. I've asked him to get a second opinion, and I will go with him so I can ask ALL the questions

Sorry to hear that. And… you’d think it’d be healing by now. I agree… time for a second opinion!

On our last trip, Ben and I visited the viewing deck at the top. Super disappointing - was so expensive to get up there, long queue to get in, and then there was nothing to do up there.

Well… dang.

Instead, I would highly recommend the Singapore Flyer. It's way cheaper, also includes entry to a fun historical display on the way in (we probably spent about half an hour exploring) and has never been busy when I've been. We've always had a whole pod to ourselves, where we can sit in comfort for the half hour as the view unfolds around us. Much more worthwhile!

I’ll keep that in mind.

Another nice option for views is the Supertree Grove - there's either the elevated walkway or the treetop viewing deck, and they're both very reasonably priced.

I’ve seen pictures of that many times.

Thinking I need to visit!

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 8: In which zanzibar leads an expotition to find home

8.3. All the pretty flowers​

Floral Fantasy was just around the corner from where I last left you. We were cheerily greeted by a floral Steamboat Willie.



The floral displays speak for themselves really, so I’ll just do a bit of a photo dump here. There were other people around, but they were spread out enough not to be a problem.









There was a small tropical garden type section before we headed to an inside area.



The displays inside were super cute, representing quintessential Singapore scenes with classic Disney characters.





We exited into the gift shop (of course). I surprisingly didn’t get any other photos, but it was full to the brim with super cute merch. There was a free postcard souvenir with a layered stamped image. The stamps were located throughout the shop, so of course you had to check out all the merch in order to finish the postcard. There was also a free bookmark souvenir, which was kind of like crocs in bookmark form, and you could buy charms to add to it. There were some super cute t-shirt designs, but of course only in generic crew neck styles, and mostly in black or white heavy cotton. I could have quite happily bought just about one of everything, but with limited budget and space in our house, I managed to convince myself to leave empty-handed (apart from the freebies of course!).



All in all, I was pleased we’d made the effort to check it out.

Continued in next post…

 

[zanzibar138]

Since we were over that side of the gardens, we decided to head into the shopping centre at Marina Bay Sands to try to find somewhere for coffee and cake. It’s quite the fancy shopping centre, even has a small canal boat ride inside!



It was surprisingly difficult for us to find somewhere appealing. We could only find fancy looking places or the food court which didn’t really have what we were looking for. We eventually found a Starbucks. Starbucks is still very much a novelty to us in Perth, and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed their cakes and disgustingly sweet chilled beverages. There was very limited seating available, but we decided to order anyway hoping that something would open up for us. We didn’t have any luck, so we sat at one of the outer tables at the nearby food court. Even though the food court was only half full, we were promptly approached by a security guard telling us that we could only eat there if we bought something from the food court. So we bought a bottle of water from the nearby stall and that seemed to do lol!

Feeling satiated, we headed for the train station (there’s one at Marina Bay Sands, so we didn’t have to go all the way back to the Gardens by the Bay station). On the way, I stopped by a chemist to get some supplies for Ben. It was a different train line to the one we’d taken in the morning, and we got off at one of the stations in the middle of Chinatown. On the short walk back to the hotel, we enjoyed strolling through the market, past the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, and along rows of shophouses framed by modern skyscrapers.









Back at the hotel, we stopped for a photo opportunity with the massive sculpture out the front.



We organised to meet up a little later for dinner and went our separate ways as we came out of the lift. As I was walking back to my room, I took in the views over the shop houses and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple from the end of the hallway. I think this is considered the premium view.



I’d just got back to the room and was catching up with Ben when there was a knock at the door. It was a surprise delivery for our honeymoon! And it was delicious



Continued in next post…

 

[zanzibar138]

Unfortunately poor Ben was still feeling pretty sore and sorry for himself, and decided to stay put and snack in the room rather than try to come out for dinner. I freshened up and headed downstairs to meet up with Mum and Dad. Our hotel deal came with free daily drinks, so we met at the restaurant to redeem our vouchers before dinner. There was a choice of beer, wine or the daily cocktail (or soft drinks of course). Mum and I chose the daily cocktail, which was a mochatini.



We all agreed that the hotel restaurant was a little too fancy and expensive for what we were after, so we hit the streets in search of something light and casual.



Unfortunately we seemed to be in the Korean BBQ part of town. Which is of course always delicious! But also expensive and A LOT of food. After probably 10 minutes of wandering, we found a little Thai place that looked appealing, and ended up ordering a platter of appetisers and a fried rice between us. It was the perfect amount.





With dinner done, we headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 8: In which zanzibar leads an expotition to find home

8.4. Cruising around Singapore​

Unfortunately there wasn’t much improvement in Ben’s ankle when we woke up. We convinced him to come down for breakfast since he hadn’t eaten much the day before and it was included with our room. He started to feel a little better as he got moving, and we decided to try to find something relatively easy to do with him. We ended up going with a river cruise.

It would have been easy enough to get to on the train, but Ben was still really struggling to walk as we left the hotel, so we decided to grab a Grab instead The guys at the hotel concierge were a great help, and also offered lots of advice for Ben.



It was only a short drive to Clarke Quay, where the traditional bum boats were lined up waiting for us.



We had some trouble figuring out where to buy tickets, but ended up discovering the main ticket booth on the other side of the river. We got our tickets for the next cruise and found a comfy-ish spot by the river to sit and wait. By the time our boat arrived and was ready for boarding, a small crowd had built up.

The boarding process was very orderly. Everyone’s ticket had a number on it that corresponded to when they bought their tickets. Because we were among the first to buy our tickets, we were among the first to board and had our choice of seats. We headed to the back deck. It was warm out, but I thought we’d get a nice breeze and didn’t want my view impeded by windows.

We took off upstream for a little ways first, then turned around and headed back downstream towards the Marina Bay area. I enjoyed the Fullerton Hotel area with the Kavanagh Bridge and sculpture of the boys jumping into the river.







Was also fun to see the Merlion from the river. This was closed on our last trip, but is always a popular photo opportunity.



Continuing around the bay, I’d decided there wasn’t nearly enough of a breeze to make sitting outside worthwhile, and thought I’d join Ben, who had moved inside pretty early on. It was much more pleasant in the shade, and I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the windows didn’t actually have any glass in them, so there was no issue for photography.



We sailed around the other side of the bay, taking in the Marina Bay Sands, the 'Lotus Flower' (ArtScience Museum), Helix Bridge and the ‘Durian’ (Theatres on the Bay). The big spherical building on the water in the photo below is the Apple Store





Then we headed upstream again back towards the dock



It was a lovely activity, manageable for Ben, and wasn’t even that expensive.

Continued in next post…

 

[zanzibar138]

On the way back, we passed some more interesting sights including the Asian Civilisations Museum, the Arts House, Parliament House, and the very colourful police station.





As we were approaching the dock, we were being closely followed by another boat.



We were all a bit warm by the time we got back, and keen for a cold drink. We headed across to Clarke Quay Central shopping centre, which was decorated for Lunar New Year.



We soon found a Starbucks (this one had plenty of seating) and enjoyed our iced beverages and cheesecakes.

Ben was starting to feel a lot better now he was out and about, and thought he could manage a little bit of walking, so we decided to cross back over the river to Fort Canning Park. I briefly visited on my last trip, but got stuck halfway around in a thunderstorm and had to get a Grab back to the hotel, so I had unfinished business.

We had great views of the Marina Bay Sands from the bridge across the river. For those who read my earlier comments about the disappointing observation deck experience, it may be worth noting that only the circled area is accessible.



The main sights of Fort Canning are on top of the hill.



Luckily Ben was able to manage the short climb before finding a bench to settle in while we did a bit of exploring.



Continued in next post…

 

[zanzibar138]

We’d come into the park at the Raffles Garden section, which I’d missed on my last visit.



I just love all these massive moss-covered trees that are scattered around the park.



We enjoyed the tranquil Sang Nila Utama Garden, which was also new to me. We passed several people meditating.



When we arrived at Fort Canning House, we headed inside for a little air-conditioned break.



There was a free museum inside, which I had seen on my previous visit but not gone into. It was a decent size, spread over 2 floors. The first floor had information about the history of Fort Canning and Singapore in general.



Upstairs had more information about the park, natural environment and ties to the arts.



Knowing that Ben was waiting for us, we didn’t go into the war tunnels (also free). I had done that on my previous visit, it’s not something Mum’s really into, and Dad was happy to give it a miss too. We continued on past the Fort Canning Hotel.



Around another corner, there were some fort remnants, including the old gates.



We eventually made our way back to Ben, and headed down towards the nearest train station. On the way we passed this path down to some fun looking bridges and slides. I’ll admit I was kind of tempted lol!



Instead, we did the adult thing and took the escalators.



The train station was just down the bottom of the hill, and soon we were on our way back to the hotel.

Continued in next post...

 

[zanzibar138]

We got off the train in Chinatown again, and admired some more of the decorations for Lunar New Year.



We marvelled at the intricacies of the Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple on the way past.



We were keen to get back to the hotel to relax with a drink at the pool. It was a great infinity edge rooftop pool with views over the city.



We all enjoyed a swim to cool off, and then enjoyed our daily complimentary drinks with some snacks.

As the afternoon wore on, it was time to think about dinner. After freshening up, we headed back out, this time in search of satay sticks.



We enjoyed the sights of Chinatown again on our way through, and eventually found a suitable looking place.





It was more BBQ than actual satay, but we all enjoyed our selection of mixed skewers with fried rice.



As we made our way back to the hotel, I started to get some feelings of discomfort in my tummy. I hoped desperately that it was just a little indigestion and would pass. By the time we were going to bed though, I had a bad feeling that I was going to be in for a rough night.

 

[pkondz]

We were cheerily greeted by a floral Steamboat Willie.

In black and white, too!

The floral displays speak for themselves really, so I’ll just do a bit of a photo dump here.

All stunning.

The displays inside were super cute, representing quintessential Singapore scenes with classic Disney characters.

Interesting.
I'm wondering if there will be a Singapore Disney some day... Or is it too close to Hong Kong.

There was a free postcard souvenir with a layered stamped image. The stamps were located throughout the shop, so of course you had to check out all the merch in order to finish the postcard.

Clever ploy.

I could have quite happily bought just about one of everything, but with limited budget and space in our house

Be honest... the number one reason for not buying everything was the space.
Right?


Right.

It’s quite the fancy shopping centre, even has a small canal boat ride inside!

Reminds me of the Venetian in Vegas.

Starbucks is still very much a novelty to us in Perth,

Wonder how long the novelty will last... or will it spread like wildfire.

I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed their cakes and disgustingly sweet chilled beverages.

Even though the food court was only half full, we were promptly approached by a security guard telling us that we could only eat there if we bought something from the food court.

I've experienced similar. There's a bulk food store near a Costco. (Think you might know what that is?)
You're not supposed to park in the former's parking lot if you're only shopping at Costco. (Who's lot is often full on weekends or evenings.)
I had purchased some candy or nuts or something and then decided to just walk over to Costco... I was stopped by a security guard who told me I couldn't park there. When I told him I'd just shopped at the bulk store, he was fine.

So we bought a bottle of water from the nearby stall and that seemed to do lol!

There ya go! Loophole!

On the short walk back to the hotel, we enjoyed strolling through the market, past the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, and along rows of shophouses framed by modern skyscrapers.

Loved the photos.

Actually... loved all the scenic photos of... pretty much everything. So won't quote every single one. (But could. )

I’d just got back to the room and was catching up with Ben when there was a knock at the door. It was a surprise delivery for our honeymoon! And it was delicious

Nice. More recognition from this one hotel than you got anywhere else.

Unfortunately poor Ben was still feeling pretty sore and sorry for himself,

Poor guy.

Mum and I chose the daily cocktail, which was a mochatini.

How was that? Sounds decadent.

we found a little Thai place that looked appealing, and ended up ordering a platter of appetisers and a fried rice between us.

I like doing that too. Get more variety that way, often.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much improvement in Ben’s ankle when we woke up.

It sounds pretty bad. Does he need surgery?

It was only a short drive to Clarke Quay, where the traditional bum boats were lined up waiting for us.

Funny name.
But I'm sure it's completely innocuous in Malay, Mandarin or Tamil.

We had some trouble figuring out where to buy tickets, but ended up discovering the main ticket booth on the other side of the river.

Nothing like a morning swim...

The boarding process was very orderly. Everyone’s ticket had a number on it that corresponded to when they bought their tickets. Because we were among the first to buy our tickets, we were among the first to board and had our choice of seats.

Huh!
Maybe more places should adopt that technique.

Cool sculpture. I like it.

Ben looks pained... unless it's just an unfortunate camera capture.

For those who read my earlier comments about the disappointing observation deck experience, it may be worth noting that only the circled area is accessible.

Hmmm... still not bad... but... if you were expecting the entire place, I can see why you'd be disappointed.

I note the tape on the ankle...

I just love all these massive moss-covered trees that are scattered around the park.

Me too!

There was a free museum inside, which I had seen on my previous visit but not gone into. It was a decent size, spread over 2 floors. The first floor had information about the history of Fort Canning and Singapore in general.

Interesting. I'd go see that.

And I not the wrapped knee as well.

On the way we passed this path down to some fun looking bridges and slides. I’ll admit I was kind of tempted lol!

Go for it!
(With Ben's ankle and your knee......... maybe not.)

Instead, we did the adult thing and took the escalators.

Boooring!

We marvelled at the intricacies of the Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple on the way past.

That is so cool. Such a fascinating city!

We were keen to get back to the hotel to relax with a drink at the pool. It was a great infinity edge rooftop pool with views over the city.

Nice.
And I'm sure there was an "aaaahhhh" or two there.

Looks delish!

As we made our way back to the hotel, I started to get some feelings of discomfort in my tummy. I hoped desperately that it was just a little indigestion and would pass. By the time we were going to bed though, I had a bad feeling that I was going to be in for a rough night.

Uh, oh!

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm wondering if there will be a Singapore Disney some day... Or is it too close to Hong Kong.

Singapore have a Universal Studios and now have the Disney Treasure that is based there. But they do seem to have a strong relationship with Disney. Most of the gift shops at the touristy places have a line of 'Mickey <3 Singapore' merch. I'm all for more Disney parks in closer proximity to Australia, but I suspect they've hit their limit in that area.

Be honest... the number one reason for not buying everything was the space.
Right?

Uh... right lol!

Reminds me of the Venetian in Vegas.

Minus the extravagant theming.

Wonder how long the novelty will last... or will it spread like wildfire.

Apparently they opened their first Perth store late last year. There are now 5. So yes, it is already spreading like wildfire and definitely won't be long before it is no longer a novelty!

Interestingly, in a previous attempt to saturate the market in the eastern states, they had to close 61 out of 84 stores. Australians don't generally love Starbucks coffee, and we already have a very strong coffee culture here. They may have more success now though as more people are enjoying the sugary iced variations available at Macca's etc.

There's a bulk food store near a Costco. (Think you might know what that is?)

Yes, we now have Costco in Australia too, including 2 in Perth.

I had purchased some candy or nuts or something and then decided to just walk over to Costco... I was stopped by a security guard who told me I couldn't park there. When I told him I'd just shopped at the bulk store, he was fine.

I love how they don't mind if you spend like 50 cents there and $500 in the other store, as long as you buy something.

Nice. More recognition from this one hotel than you got anywhere else.

Yes, we definitely got the special treatment from this hotel! Previously, I have had a pretty good run of special treatment at hotels in Asia for anniversaries etc. Including the one time I went to Langkawi on my own like 2 weeks after my ex told me he wanted a divorce, and they somehow had it in their head that it was an anniversary celebration... awkward lol!

How was that? Sounds decadent.

Delicious!

It sounds pretty bad. Does he need surgery?

He seems to be keeping it under control at the moment and I haven't been able to convince him to go for a second opinion yet. On his latest home swing he managed dancing and dog walking without too much trouble.

Funny name.
But I'm sure it's completely innocuous in Malay, Mandarin or Tamil.

Here's what Google tells me...

The name likely comes from the Dutch word 'bomboot' or 'bumboot', which itself is a combination of 'boom' (tree) and 'boot' (boat), possibly referencing the type of wood used in their construction.

Nothing like a morning swim...

Maybe more places should adopt that technique.

I loved how orderly it was!

Ben looks pained... unless it's just an unfortunate camera capture.

He wasn't really in the mood for photos at that time lol!

I note the tape on the ankle...

I'd bought the ankle brace the previous day in case it would help. Plus some anti-inflammatories and some soothing cream type stuff.

And I not the wrapped knee as well.

Yeah, we were a bit of a sorry looking lot lol! Mum was actually dealing with a residual knee injury from being knocked off her bike by a car a couple of months prior, as well as a stress fracture in her foot that had luckily mostly healed by then. She was lucky to be able to do the wedding and the trip without a moon boot.

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 8: In which zanzibar leads an expotition to find home

8.5. A very bad rumbly in my tumbly​

It had indeed turned out to be a rough night. Luckily the running to the bathroom every half hour had stopped by the morning, but it had left me completely shattered. This will be a very short update, as I pretty much slept away the entire day and night, occasionally waking up for 5 minutes and drifting off to sleep again after forcing down a few sips of water. Mum had brought up a few plainer items from breakfast (after having to work to convince the hotel staff to allow it apparently), but I was nowhere near ready to eat again. At one point someone brought back some hydralyte and I managed a few sips of that.

This was supposed to be our final day in Singapore, flying out the following morning. The flight wasn't until 11:30am, but we would still need to leave the hotel by 7:30am. By mid afternoon, I really wasn't feeling any better, and I could not imagine how I would be feeling up to travelling the following morning. At one point I woke up coherent enough to consider doing something about it, and picked up my phone to start looking at possible options for flights before having to immediately put it down again as I was not ready for looking at a screen yet. While I drifted back off to sleep, Ben managed to reschedule our flights (to the following afternoon) and add an extra night at the hotel in the same room. Unlike the staff at breakfast (which I think may have been a misunderstanding based on all my other interactions with the hotel), the staff at the reception desk were thoroughly concerned, and immediately sent someone up with more water, tissues, towels and sanitiser wipes.

Luckily everyone else was still completely fine, and they came and went throughout the day, but that was pretty much that for me. I estimate I was awake for a grand total of maybe an hour for the entire day.

 

[pkondz]

Singapore have a Universal Studios and now have the Disney Treasure that is based there.

I did not know that! Huh!

Uh... right lol!

Knew it!

Apparently they opened their first Perth store late last year. There are now 5. So yes, it is already spreading like wildfire and definitely won't be long before it is no longer a novelty!

Oy...

Interestingly, in a previous attempt to saturate the market in the eastern states, they had to close 61 out of 84 stores

Interesting. And not the first time a chain has thought they were infallible and failed.

I love how they don't mind if you spend like 50 cents there and $500 in the other store, as long as you buy something.

Including the one time I went to Langkawi on my own like 2 weeks after my ex told me he wanted a divorce, and they somehow had it in their head that it was an anniversary celebration... awkward lol!

Not awkward at all!

On his latest home swing he managed dancing and dog walking without too much trouble.

That's good!

Here's what Google tells me...

The name likely comes from the Dutch word 'bomboot' or 'bumboot', which itself is a combination of 'boom' (tree) and 'boot' (boat), possibly referencing the type of wood used in their construction.

Interesting. I love stuff like that

Mum was actually dealing with a residual knee injury from being knocked off her bike by a car a couple of months prior

She was lucky to be able to do the wedding and the trip without a moon boot.

No kidding! Whoa!!

It had indeed turned out to be a rough night. Luckily the running to the bathroom every half hour had stopped by the morning, but it had left me completely shattered.

Oh, no...

Mum had brought up a few plainer items from breakfast (after having to work to convince the hotel staff to allow it apparently)

I would've loved that.

"Oh, no problem. I'll make sure she comes down for breakfast. Could you arrange to have a bowl at the table? Or is it okay if she just vomits on the carpet?"

This was supposed to be our final day in Singapore, flying out the following morning. The flight wasn't until 11:30am, but we would still need to leave the hotel by 7:30am. By mid afternoon, I really wasn't feeling any better, and I could not imagine how I would be feeling up to travelling the following morning.

You poor thing.

At one point I woke up coherent enough to consider doing something about it, and picked up my phone to start looking at possible options for flights before having to immediately put it down again as I was not ready for looking at a screen yet.

You were really sick.

the staff at the reception desk were thoroughly concerned, and immediately sent someone up with more water, tissues, towels and sanitiser wipes.

Now that's better.

I estimate I was awake for a grand total of maybe an hour for the entire day.

 

[zanzibar138]

I did not know that! Huh!

For what it's worth, it's gotta be the worst Universal park in the world. It has a couple of good rollercoasters (namely The Mummy and Battlestar Galactica), but nothing like the amazing new areas of the other parks, and no HP or Nintendo on the cards. The latest new addition of Minions Land is basically just a minions themed carnival.

Not awkward at all!

The trip also happened to coincide with my birthday, so I was able to pretend that all the special treatment (room upgrade, fruit platter, 'happy anniversary birthday' cake, spa treatment, romantic dinner at the overwater restaurant) was for my birthday lol! The constant questions about where my husband was did get very old very fast though.

"Oh, no problem. I'll make sure she comes down for breakfast. Could you arrange to have a bowl at the table? Or is it okay if she just vomits on the carpet?"

You were really sick.

It was up there with the sickest I've ever been. Luckily it was short-lived though!

 

[pkondz]

For what it's worth, it's gotta be the worst Universal park in the world.

Oh dear...

It has a couple of good rollercoasters (namely The Mummy and Battlestar Galactica), but nothing like the amazing new areas of the other parks, and no HP or Nintendo on the cards. The latest new addition of Minions Land is basically just a minions themed carnival.

Sounds... yeah, sounds not so great.

The trip also happened to coincide with my birthday, so I was able to pretend that all the special treatment (room upgrade, fruit platter, 'happy anniversary birthday' cake, spa treatment, romantic dinner at the overwater restaurant) was for my birthday lol!

There ya go! Best birthday ever!

The constant questions about where my husband was did get very old very fast though.

You could've told so many wonderful lies about him!

It was up there with the sickest I've ever been. Luckily it was short-lived though!

Glad for that at least. Yikes!

 

[zanzibar138]

You could've told so many wonderful lies about him!

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 8: In which zanzibar leads an expotition to find home

8.6. An ‘active recovery’ day​

We hadn’t made any plans for our final day, having no idea how I would be feeling. After having continued to sleep through the night, I finally woke up in the morning feeling like I could actually stay awake and was keen to try going down for breakfast. Mum and Dad had just gone down, so we went down to join them, and found them at a window table overlooking the nice courtyard. I never did find out what that area was for, but figured it may have been a spa.



Everyone else was still feeling perfectly fine, so I have no idea what my problem was. We all ate the same thing, so it couldn’t have been food poisoning, and if it had been gastro or some other nasty tummy bug, I would have expected at least Ben to get sick too, if not all of us. Mum thought maybe something in the dinner didn’t agree with me specifically, and hit me hard being a bit run down. Let’s go with that.

I started with some plain toast, and when that went down ok, followed up with a few pieces of cut fruit. The food went down well and I was starting to feel better again, so we decided to head out. We thought heading to Sentosa Island on the cable car should be doable for me, with grand plans of taking it fairly easy and taking lots of breaks. The cable car leaves from VivoCity shopping centre, so we headed there first and followed the signs seemingly forever to find the cable car station.

Like at Gardens by the Bay, there were a huge variety of ticket types available, with combinations of transport and attractions on Sentosa. We weren’t really planning to go to any specific attractions, so we just went with the unlimited cable car ticket. And with tickets in hand, we headed up to the departure point.

There are 2 directions for the cable car. On one side, it goes across the water over to the island, and on the other side it goes over to the lookout at Mount Faber. We decided to visit the lookout first. It was pretty quiet and we basically walked straight on.



We all enjoyed the views on the short trip.





You may have noticed the Hello Kitty wrap on the cable cars. Last time we were there it was Pokemon. Apparently it was the 50th anniversary of the cable car, and there was a small display at Mount Faber station with some information on the history of the cable car and a couple of historical designs with the Hello Kitty wrap.



There were some great views from the station, but despite being the original cable car stop, there wasn’t really much else other than an overpriced café and gift shop. I guess they expect people to explore a bit more around Mount Faber.



We decided to take the short walk to Faber Point. It was an uphill walk, but generally not that steep.





There were amazing views from the point in all directions, and we spent quite a while up there exploring all the different angles and sitting for a while just taking it all in.



I really loved this cool building (and love that I managed to capture a dragonfly too!).



Continued in next post…

 

[zanzibar138]

Singapore’s national symbol is the Merlion, with the fish body and lion head. Here’s what Mr Google says about it.

It represents the nation's origins as a fishing village (fish body) and its original name, Singapura, meaning "Lion City" (lion head). The Merlion is a key part of Singapore's identity and is widely recognized as a symbol of the country, both domestically and internationally.

There are 6 Merlion statues across Singapore, including the original that we saw from the river cruise and a smaller version here at Faber Point.



Underneath the lookout were a bunch of 3D artworks depicting various moments in Singapore’s history.



We headed back down the hill to continue the cable car trip across to Sentosa, taking in more views as we went.



I’ve done the cable car to Sentosa a few times, and it’s always a fun trip with great views. It’s fun to see the cruise ships and resorts below, finishing with quite the drop into Sentosa station.





I always find Sentosa a bit of an odd place. It has a varied history, from pirates to WWII to its current use to a tourist and entertainment district (including Universal Studios, a water park, shopping and dining district not unlike Disney Springs, and a number of expensive resorts). We got off at Sentosa station and wandered for a bit. We weren’t really interested in any of the attractions in the area – a panoramic sky ride (not unlike Dumbo but a little higher), Madame Tussauds, a downhill luge track, 4D movie, a couple of small museums and some steep hiking trails.



We headed across the road to the Imbiah Lookout station to take another cable car down to Siloso Beach.



What we were really looking for was a nice little beachside café where we could sit comfortably with a cold drink and maybe some snacks. Unfortunately all we could find were convenience stores and this weird warehouse-like restaurant that was insanely massive and completely empty. We decided it wasn’t really what we were after.



As we wandered back towards the beach, we passed the entrance to the Fort Siloso Skywalk. It was free entry, so we decided to head up to check it out. There were more great views from up there.





That big shed and open green area was actually the warehouse-type restaurant.

Continued in next post…

 

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We continued over the bridge to the actual fort.



We happened to be there on some kind of anniversary, and all the cannons were stuffed with flowers as a symbol of peace.



It’s a very extensive fort, and were told when we entered that it’s about a 2.5km walk around the whole complex (and provided with a map). Given Ben’s ankle, Mum’s knee and my recent illness, plus the weather intensity, we had planned to really just check out the few things in the entrance area and leave it there. We were all still keen for a break with a cold drink. In the meantime, we found a picnic table in this little area and a vending machine with cold drinks to tide us over!



At this point we realised we’d already gone about halfway around the trail We decided we may as well take the little detour to the fire tower at the beach.







Then we figured we may as well finish the circuit rather than just going back the same way we came.



We reached the road entrance (where I enjoyed the murals on the wall) and realised that finishing the circuit would require us to climb a load of stairs.



We decided to walk back along the road instead, which would take us to the bottom of the bridge where we came in. Mum and I did a slight detour when we saw a path along the water instead, but soon turned back when we realised it wasn’t leading us to the same place! I really enjoyed all the painted rocks along the road.



We eventually made it back to the starting point, where Ben and Dad were waiting for us (they had just kept going while we’d done our little detour). We'd walked further and taken far longer than we'd first expected, and we were all getting a little hangry, and poor Ben was suffering a bit with his ankle.



We were all well and truly overdue for a rest break by then, so we continued our quest to find somewhere suitable.