Actually finding the Metro in the maze of underpasses under the junction of Scotts Rd and Orchard Rd was a nightmare, but we stumbled upon it eventually.
From Orchard Station, we caught a train to Newton then swapped to a different line for the journey to Singapore Botanical Garden Station.
Back at street level, the entrance to the gardens was right by the station entrance. I think you have to accept that Singapore is always going to be hot and humid and walking around is therefore a bit sticky. We had a very slight breeze and walked in the shade as much as was possible.
There are lots of sections of the gardens and I think in 4 hours we covered them all. Needless to say, everything is very green and faintly jungle-like. We did see a few creatures, Squirrels were everywhere and fairly large Monitor Lizards are pretty common. The most common birds we saw were Mynahs but we were lucky enough to see A Crimson Sunbird, a Crested Flameback and a Buffy Fish Owl. There are only 4 Fish Owls known to live in Singapore and we saw three of them.
We stopped fairly early on for a coffee and pain au raisin and coffee and later for a cold drink, there are several places to get food and drink dotted around the gardens. The gardens are immaculately kept and beautifully clean. They are also a no-smoking zone.
By late afternoon, we were back at the hotel to cool down in the air conditioning!
Shortly after six, we headed out for dinner. We decided to try the local bus service. The bus stops are quite comfortable as they have plenty of seats whilst you are waiting. Our journey was only two stops, and we quickly reached Newton Station where we alighted.
My wish came true as we headed into Newton Circus food market! Quite a few stalls were closed in advance of Chinese New Year which is on Saturday. Next year, by the way, will be the year of the Rooster!
After a wander around looking at all the food choices, I invested in a bottle of a Tiger beer and we found a numbered table. After that, it is just a case of going to a stall or stalls, choosing your food and returning to the table. Food appears shortly afterwards and you pay on its arrival.
Our starter was Chicken Satay, the peanut sauce was particularly tasty. Next I came across Margaret, who was extolling the virtues of her food. After a bit of negotiating, we ordered Chilli Crab and Chicken fried rice. The Chicken morphed into prawns but was delicious and a small S$5 plate was sufficient for two people. The crab was sold by weight and came to S$33, but as a treat we thought we deserved it.
Let me tell you, eating spaghetti in a restaurant doesn't begin to describe the mess you get into whilst dismembering crab which is slathered in chilli sauce. To be fair, the crab had been cut up and the claws cracked, but there is no other way than to pick up the pieces in your fingers and dismantle the crab, sucking meat out of the legs is a particularly messy feature. The only 'tools' provided were a pair of chopsticks each and a Chinese soup spoon to share!
We enjoyed the experience and it was all very tasty, but there were lots of other goodies available for a considerably less money. Bring on the next time!
After our bus trip back, we took a walk to the Lucky Plaza as I wanted a spare camera battery. Electronics, cameras, phones and their accessories are very competively priced in Singapore. I got what I wanted and haggled the price down by almost 20%.
A good day overall. It is very much a 'garden city' and the pace of life amazingly relaxed. Maybe living 1 degree north of the Equator is a good thing! The only surprise was that we had a dry day, quite unusual here.
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