Singapore

Had a great flight to Singapore with Swiss Air. Met at airport by Yumin and Leon. Yumin was a farmstay guest 3 years ago and we have kept in touch😍.  

Had a look around one of the terminal complex, The Jewel - huge shopping area in an architecturally beautiful complex.  Enjoyed our first of many food explosions! Kiwi food so bland in comparison! 

Yumin was an amazing local guide! We enjoyed time with her family and seeing sights of Singapore! 

This is the year of the rabbit.

The year of the dragon that's me!

The year of the snake is Paul and Yumin (24 year gap)

The Tooth relic Buddhist temple -"was stunning on the inside! We visited it with Yumin and her sister Yuchun.

Singapore claims to be a city in a garden! I think they do a good job of it!

Look at all that food!!! An amazing meal with Yumin's parents and sister and brother-in-law.

Marie eating the crab claw!

We enjoyed a relaxing stretching yoga session with Yumin's friend -Lulu. Was wonderful but always alarming how unbalanced and inflexible the body is!!

Intense shopping by Singaporeans getting ready for their New Year celebrations. These were pop up stalls at base of one of the many large plaza's. So many plaza's and all have at least one whole floor if not two or three with eating outlets! Singaporean people seem obsessed with food but no obese people to be seen!!

Sights of Singapore:

Lotus flower Art and Science museum on the left, Boat on a hotel centre, and the famous Lion on the right.

Double helix foot bridge!

Art sculpture outside the Town Hall.

Random sculpture in front of Singapore's business district skyline.

Had an amazing final lunch with Yumin. Leon, Larry and Jasmine. It was a Chinese Hot Pot- called Haidilao Hot Pot. It is broths of your choice eg chicken, mushroom, tomato etc and then a mix of vegetables, meat, tofu to cook in the broths and dip in sauces you can create at the sauces bar - very cool!

Plus scrummy deep fried bread and deep fried noodles dipped into condensed milk!

The 4 hot pot sauces we had were -fish, chicken, tomato and mushroom.

Jasmine adding mushrooms to broth.

A wee cute dish and message given to us at end of Hot pot lunch by waitress.

The Hot Pot team.

We also had a barbecue dinner at Doris and Ryan's home for our final dinner in Singapore. Plus got to experience the Chinese New Year Yusheng- a simple of abundance, prosperity and vitality. It is a salad mixed and tossed by everyone altogether on a big platter and shared! Such fun!

Clarke Quay near our accommodation.

View from Fort Canning Gardens across to our accommodation at  Holiday Inn Express.

This is the essence of Singapore -a beautiful clean city with greenery to soften the buildings.

View of The Super Trees At Gardens By the Bay, with Marine Bay Sands Hotel in background.

Random sculpture in Gardens By The Bays.

Leon shouted Paul, Yumin and me to a Chinese foot massage - amazing! My masseuse could tell from my feet that I am having short sleeps at the moment and back/shoulder pain - crazy! But was wonderful and yes pain less and slept better!

We have had an amazing time in Singapore! Yumin and her family have been so generous in sharing their beautiful country with us! Singaporeans are proud people and they have every right to be! A clean and safe country!

This 6 month adventure has given us time with Jade and time to get to know Sam and his family. Time to reconnect with our Cornish Cousins, time to reconnect with friends overseas and also make new friends.