An early start was needed as we had decided to walk part of the Southern Ridges which is a walkway going through parts of rain forest on the southern fringes of Singapore Island. We used the MRT to get to Harbour Front and then took the cable car to Mount Faber. As we walked from the MRT station to the cable car we were surprised to see a real estate agent with a window display promoting apartments in the development around Battersea Power Station; a sign of the times! The walk from the top of the cable car headed north east through the forest with one section, called the Henderson Waves being a wooden section some 36 metres above the ground!
All very interesting and at times we were walking just under the canopy of the tropical forest. After a few kilometres we really were beginning to feel the heat and it was time to head down to the valley and catch a bus back to Harbour Front where we picked up the cable car again. This time for the fairly short and horizontal journey across the sea to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is one big resort and theme park, Universal Studios, and we had not planned to spend much time there but just to enjoy the view. A brief stop for a Frappuccino at, would you believe, Starbucks and we headed back to Singapore Island.
Back to the hotel for a swim and a short rest in the air conditioning and then we were off for a boat trip along the Singapore River followed by a walk to Chinatown. The boat ride was excellent and as often when on the water you get a different perspective of the city and since we went out into Marina Bay we saw some parts that we had not already walked around. The 3 tower blocks (Marina Bay Sands) with a boat shaped level built across all 3 towers is quite extraordinary as is the Arts Science building.
After the boat ride it was time for a brief walk to Chinatown and as we walked west from Clarke Quay it was as if we were entering a different world; the cosmopolitan area of the quays and the CND was left behind and replaced by Chinese medicine shops, hawkers stalls, large markets and food halls. Very colourful and teeming with life
Our time in Singapore is now coming to an end and tomorrow we leave for Changi Airport (recently and quite rightly voted the best airport in the world) for our flight to Heathrow and back to (we hope) early spring in the UK. Singapore has been fascinating and as we said last time about Hong Kong, you can just feel the thirst for knowledge and self improvement. Singapore already has the third highest GDP per head in the world and it still feels that the city state is on the way up!
The attitude towards learning was epitomised by the headline article in The Straits Times "record numbers of children enter spelling exam" which had a photo of row upon row of children taking the exam having voluntarily entered.
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