August 20-21 Melbourne to Singapore

 After waiting 2 years, D-day has arrived. We're not as fit as we had hoped to be but we are as ready as we are likely to be! Up before dawn, we were finally setting out. Airports! Need I say more ….. although on this the first leg of our odyssey we were going in style, thanks to our wonderful Travel Agent, Bev Edwards. We started with a wheelchair each (what luxury and such a relief for pelvis and hip bones - you all know how far it is to any departure lounge plus all the security drudge along the way!) and we were whisked along to the Business Class lounge for a quiet civilised breakfast. The flight was as flights are - too long, but we were comfortable.

On our way!

Singapore airport was a breeze but unfortunately our pickup person wasn’t there to greet us and transport us to our hotel (someone got the days wrong obviously). After a longish, ultimately futile wait, the airport desk organised us a car and were given a mini Cook’s tour of Singapore en route to our hotel. Singapore is called the garden city and it is quite lovely. We went walking and discovered birds and a few flowers and insects. 

A shot of some futuristic buildings from the cab on our way in from the airport

A beauitcul colourful bridge across the Alexandra Canal

An Asian Honey Bee coming to share the nectar with a Great Banded Hornet. Dragon Scales - a native epiphytic fern 

Postcards from the Alexandra Canal

We had a day to ourselves in Singapore before we were due to join our group, time enough to complete some ‘entry papers’ needed for the next few countries and to have a little look around. We wandered a bit but were feeling we should save our energy for the trip ahead (and indeed we needed it!). We will return another time to explore Singapore with its stunning buildings - it is a fascinating place. It has a very deep port and ships crowd the waters. Actually I discovered that it is the Entrepot of Asia - a place where goods are brought for import and export or importantly for collection and distribution to other countries (without duty) and as such it is the largest transshipment hub in the world.

After a relaxing day and an early dinner, we headed to the hotel pool for a nightcap