Singapore - The Lion City

Singapore is apparently the worlds 4^th leading financial centre and looking at all the tall shiny buildings that have been and are still being erected across the city it’s easy to believe it. I couldn’t work out whether the Marina Bay Sands Casino building was impressive or tacky, but as you can see above it definitely makes a statement about the wealth that flows through the streets. The 2^nd most expensive casino in the world and it has an outdoor swimming pool located on its roof! At the risk of arriving in NZ broke we stayed well clear and instead spent the day doing what we do best – eating!

Lunch was at an amazingly busy Chinese restaurant in China Town called Yam Cha. It was rammed and we had to queue in a tight unconditioned corridor for half an hour just to get in. It appeared to work like a dim sum market. You sat and waiters walked past shouting out what they had on their trays. Surprisingly the quality wasn’t that different from what you can get at a good Chinese restaurant in Soho.

Thian Hock Keng Temple

We spent the rest of the day lazily walking around the immediate district.  The Thian Hock Keng Temple and Tamil temple were equally impressive. Apparently the Tamil temple holds an annual firewalking ceremony. Imagine that in the heat! The Raffles Hotel was a bit disappointing, but I suspect some of that disappointment was that we couldn't afford the £300 per night to stay in one of their rooms!

Hindu Temple

As it was Singapore’s National Day, the city centre was busy and on the metro it felt like most of the population were making their way in as we were leaving. We had a quiet meal in the evening at the hotels Chinese restaurant. It’s amazing how sitting by a swimming pool can make the food taste so much better…