Singapore

Singapore was a shock, not because of the location but because suddenly we were all carrying our bags on our backs (including a guitar, ukulele and trumpet) all of which weighed more than was possible to carry without experiencing pain.

We had our first experience of five is a crowd when hiring a taxi. We had considered this but it’s a different story when you arrive at the airport after a long flight.

So we hopped onto the Singapore underground which was amazing, or would have been if we’d hadn’t had to stand with all of our luggage. Three line changes and a considerable amount of walking between stations later and we were out onto the street in Little India, the area where our hostel was located. By this stage we were all dripping in sweat. I’d figured out that when I did up the front strap on my chest my boobs were squashed into unsightly shapes and I refused to use it to alleviate the pain in my shoulders. Louie is so tiny that his waist strap when tightened fully, also takes no weight.

We had to walk about 500 metres to the hostel which would have felt a bit shorter had we not walked straight past it. There were some pretty amazing Hindu temples along the way and it felt more like India than Singapore.

Our room was tiny and became even more claustrophobic when Roger decided to do some washing and string a line between the bunks. Apparently it’s one of his old travelling tricks, to wash as he goes. He’s full of these little pieces of advice it seems!

The next day we visited the bird park, thinking that the night safari might be a little late for us considering the time difference. We caught the underground into the centre of town later that day and visited the Gardens on the Bay which are a collection of huge human-made tree like structures with vines growing up the trunks. There was a light display but I think we just caught the end of it. This is obviously the flash end of town with the feats of human engineering, perhaps a bit like Dubai I suppose.

I was 15 the first and only time I visited Singapore so things are a little different. Stella has been more recently on her Alzheimer’s guide to the galaxy but I think she might have been slightly traumatized by the idea of travelling with her Nana to take much notice of the surroundings.

Friday the 12^th and we are off to Bali. We’re getting pretty expert at the underground now and I’m getting better at hiding the extreme physical discomfort caused by a too heavy pack.

There is quite a bit of walking underground between the different lines and some pretty steep and scary escalators. I’ve had a recurring dream throughout my life that I’m trying to hop on to an escalator that is way too steep and going way too fast, so this is pretty scary for me at first, especially when we first came out of the airport.

Now I’m a pro. I might try it backwards.