Singapore 2010 - Tuesday

Got up early and hit the gym again. Cooled off in the pool afterwards, where I tried the massaging waterfall feature - very nice! Went to Orchard Road - Singapore's Champs Elysees - for an appointment with my recruitment agency. The roads in this area are not pedestrian friendly, with the crossing lights taking a very long time, and many 'underpass' diversions that take you into an underground shopping mall, and leave you there not knowing how to get out again. We got some maps and info at the tourism building, then headed off for the Botanic Gardens. It was a long, long walk, and we were starving. Tried to find another recommended Indian restaurant - this time it seemed to no longer exist - eventually settling for a food court out of desperation. We were disappointed at first, but I did find some veggie curries, and they were fantastic! Another great meal.

The gardens were picturesque, but not stunning. There were also some insects or other animal making loud noises, which we originally thought were mechanical in nature! They were like sirens, crossed with dentist drills, plus the sound that trucks make when reversing. Beastly little sods, whatever they were...

Saw a nice ginger garden, I found a turtle in a pond, and we payed the entrance fee to wander the National Orchid Garden. This was very beautiful, and would have been a big hit with my mum. Took lots of nice photos, but by then the heat was doing me in. I was desperate enough that I eve drank a can of something called 'Pocari Sweat' to see if it would restore me! We caught a bus back to the MRT station, and whipped back to our lovely pool. After recovering with the help of a poolside nap, a few salutory dips, and a frappucino, we had enough zest to go wandering again. This time I was keen to check out the mid-Autumn festival in Chinatown, where everybody was busy hanging coloured lanterns and making mooncakes. Had a spot of dinner, this time courtesy of a Tibetan vegetarian restaurant (I say restaurant, but it only cost $8), which served us a wonderful pumpkin soup and an assorted brown rice and veggie platter. Walked around some more, saw one interesting temples, plus a mesmerisingly cheesy pop music performance.