Sunday 28 July 2013 - Singapore

Following breakfast we got a taxi to the Singapore Flyer.  Taxis are quite an inexpensive way to travel in the city.  My wheelchair dismantled to fit easily in to the boot after I had transferred to the front passenger seat.  The weather was sunny and hot and the city looked beautiful after the rain.  We arrived at the Singapore Flyer (the largest of its kind in the world) parking out the front and as Terry began putting my wheelchair together, a lady from the ticket office walked quickly towards us.  Once I was in the wheelchair, this kind lady escorted the three of us to the ticket office.  As a “wheelie” I didn’t have to pay, neither did Sharney as my “carer” and Terry got a discount for being over 65.  This lady then took us through the staff entrance, past the long queue and right to the Flyer and we were put on the next gondola that stopped. It was wonderful to get this “special” service.  The views from the Flyer were fantastic.  We went around very slowly and could see all of Singapore.  The city’s architecture and the way it is set out with many parks and gardens were good to see.  It is also a bustling port with many ships around the harbour and close out at sea.

After the flyer we caught another taxi to Tower 3 of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, part of a three tower building housing a luxury hotel and shops. The three towers are joined together at the top with a structure that looks like a ship - stunning.  Tourists can get a lift to the top of Tower 3 – no discount or “special” service this time.  It was hot at the top but the views were spectacular.  We could see the Singapore Flyer and other scenes from a different perspective.  Back at ground level, we explored the shops in the complex which had all the usual brand names e.g. Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Ralph Lauren as well as other shops.  There was something for everyone there.  They even had a large artificial ice-skating rink.  There was a great variety of food outlets.

We then got a taxi to Raffles to experience that popular historical tourist attraction, the Long Bar.  We found a good spot in the bar and enjoyed watching the people around us.  We ordered the famous cocktail, the Singapore Sling, which was a delectable thirst-quencher but we drank it slowly and enjoyed the peanuts that accompanied it.  It is traditional to open the peanuts, eat them and throw the shells on the floor.  It took a little while to get in to “throwing rubbish on the floor” but we had fun  doing it there. 

We returned to our hotel for dinner and to pack our bags.  We left the hotel for the airport about 10.00 pm.