Singapore in 10 Pictures by Colleen Keating

Waking up in Singapore. Out the window from our 16th floor  window the world  is alive as moving  white twin lights coming towards us and red lights moving away.

It is a world of high rise and many parks which ironically one must book for a table or for a barbecue on weekends.

Our uber driver said  Singapore people are a people of work and sleep and work again. Every body is caught in a cycle of getting somewhere. Maybe we thought we saw another side of Singapore as we were seduced by the sounds of prayer  from the Mosque near our motel, and the aromas – sweet spices – rich, fragrant with garlic, saffron,  fresh herbs , mint, and roasting lamb in the Turkish quarters with the black robed women and the biked men and families,  all smiles meeting in festive eating, laughing and enjoying each others company.  Amazing Lamb dishes, our main connection of conversation: targine, kebabs , ali nasik,  lamb with smoked aubergine, lamb shanks ,Turkish shish on skewers, spiced lamb mince in wraps.  Tables lit by Istanbul coloured glass lights and shops selling coloured lights nearly as beautiful as the one Michael gave me once now hanging catching the light each morning in Normanhurst.,   The fun we had with one man showing us through his photos of dishes proudly exclaiming with a laugh  ‘our lamb is from Australia’  

Changi airport  
friendly, shining and clean
how different 
this word from our history books
of suffering and bloodshed

lost
up-graded deluxe
king size bed

a multi-domed mosque
kaleidoscope of colours
evening walk

holding hands 
a reminder
to the uneven pathways

Back to the hotel 
lost in a king size bed
we fall asleep 
after a great adventure 
of straying from home

Singapore in 10 pictures

Our hotel

Out  first day outing finding the Crane for Peace

While we were wandering rather lost ,we found two marvellous sculptures of Salvador Dali

I really do not understand  Dali so whenever i engage with his work I i just let my imagination run away, unrestrained.

The first Dali was titled,  Nude woman  Ascending the staircase

The second Dali is titled,  Snail Queen

 

Traditional drink  The Singapore Sling  at the famous Raffles Hotel. Just sitting back at The Raffles Hotel and pondering the many famous  people who have stayed or ate or drank or wrote or filmed here on this spot. A great energy . A two hour wait to get into the Long Bar but the Garden Bar where we are is just as interesting and we got the same bowl of unshelled peanuts.

 

 

A glimpse of some of the Modern Singapore

A visit to the famous Merlion . The fish-like  body symbolises Singapores origin as a fishing village and the lion head  represents the city’s orinal name of songapura (lion  city in Sanskrit)

An iconic photo tsken of the Merlion 

Interesting photo. These artificial trees (electrified) is an iconic Singaporean scene  . . very stunning when lit up in the evenings.. Just one I took on our extensive walk  on our exploration of the Garden by the Bay. It was very hot and we are not getting any younger so we didn’t do the park justice . It was extensive and very green and well kept.

 

Our most beautiful morning was walking around the Singapore Botanical Gardens and especially the extensive and famous Nationl Orchid Garden so I popped 4 photos in to try and capture the day.  We had a two day hop on hop off bus which we used for transport  – a successful way to get around the city, when you didn’t get lost looking for the bus stop and when you didnt get on the wrong bus  ( two legs of the bus and not clear which colour route caught us out once ). However we looked at our three days in Singapore as a great adventure and very much about the journey not the destination.

Our second leg of the journey and  reason for our journy

Up at 4.30  am, down in foyer for Uber to the airport and flying at 9am for London. A 15 hour trip which gave us a chance to see lots of movies and listen to music. Arrived late for London into the loving arms of Elizabeth,, Thomas and Eleanor . William had a wonderful chicken green curry  cooking for us on arrival at Burgess Hill. A great evening with the family. Wonderful fresh flowers greeted us – gold arum lilies,  roses and wonderful  mauve tulips. Just beautiful to be with our two grandchildren. Over the next weeks picking them up from school, experiencing the swimming, karate, archery, nett-ball  gymnastics,  ballet  explorers club, doing lots of craft with them, walking around the Dragonfly Park, walking the sea front  on a sunny spring day,