It is 39 years since I first arrived in
Singapore and 12 years since we were last here and there have, of
course, been lots of changes – not least that the Island is
physically larger by about 1/3rd due to land reclamation
and that the population has grown at least 3-fold.
The roads and transport systems all
work well but everywhere was extremely busy – we managed to use the
buses, the MRT and a few taxis during our stay and never seemed to be
delayed at all – even in peak times.
Thankfully some things are still
recognisable and we spent a few hours on Monday wandering through the
Botanic Gardens which was as pleasant and peaceful as I remember.
Wonderful orchid gardens although a little surprised to see some of
the people they have honoured in the VIP collection - Bertie Aherne??
As a complete contrast, we then dropped
into Chinatown. It was only 10 days before the Lunar New Year so
there was a hint of chaos about the place. Luckily the Heritage Centre was an oasis of calm – and well worth a visit.
We finished the day with Chilli Crab,
Black pepper Crayfish and Stingray Sambal in the Hawker centre at
Bukit Merah - just as good as ever – probably another of Bernie's
favourites.
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