Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. November 2018

[supergran]

Flew Etihad to Singapore on Friday 2nd November. My son stayed over and got me to Manchester airport at 5 a.m three hours before flight time. Took my time once through security, had breakfast in lounge then went to gate. Checking I'd got everything realised I'd left my tablet in one of the trays. Phoned Customer Services and it was suggested I go back to security. I said I couldn't as it was too far and we were ready for boarding .Advised to check with Lost property on my arrival in Manchester. I pondered on my stupidity as for the last few years I had organised many trips and holidays for both of us being responsible for everything and never mislaid or forgotten anything. :confused::confused: Quickly dismissing it from my mind boarded the plane for the 7 hour journey to Abu Dhabi. I had the row to myself, settled down and promptly fell asleep.::sleepy:

[karanga]

Hope you have a great time, supergran.

[Caro]

Hoping you feel well enough soon to continue with this blog Mo... I love a supergran blog! xx

[supergran]

Hello and happy St Andrew's Day to my Scottish friends. Apologies for the hiatus. Some darned virus hit me for a six on my return home and only now am I feeling almost back to normal. So, after two long haul flights..Manchester to Abu Dhabi then Abu Dhabi to Singapore I arrived in sunny Singapore. Cleared security and customs, thumbprints taken, collected luggage then quickly in taxi to the Bay Hotel. At reception was told by a charming young man that my accessible room had been upgraded as the single rooms were very small. I thanked him and was taken in the lift to my upgraded room. My cases were taken in and then I entered. I was absolutely astonished at what I saw. :shocked::facepalm::rolleyes:

[supergran]

On the right side of the narrow entrance was the smallest toilet I had ever seen, A partition divided it from the smallest shower stall I'd ever seen. Then I noticed on the left a sink next to the coffee making facilities. But worse was to come as in front of me was a double bed but hardly any room on either side. There was a shelf over a structure obviously providing space for things but which obstructed ny access to the left side of the bed. I could only put my large case on the right at the foot of the bed which prevented me from squeezing round the bed that way. I could only laugh, tell myself I was only there for two nights and fleetingly think longingly of The Hilton, the Marriott and other upmarket hotels that Alan and I stayed in over the years. :big grin:

[supergran]

After unpacking a few essentials for my short stay I went down to have lunch. I found the restaurant which was very nice. Large, air-conditioned, linen napkins and attentive service. I ordered a meal, fish and vegetables and then asked for a glass of wine. Well, it was almost 2 o'clock and I was on holiday.I was told the restaurant did not serve alcohol as it was Halal.:crying: I asked if there was a bar in the hotel and the waiter explained that there was a rooftop bar which opened at 5.30 and closed at 1 am. Finishing lunch I got a taxi to the Bay Gardens.

[hfwardhouse]

Yay for the blog .... :shocked: for the lack of alcohol .... we were in the Maldives (before Esther ...) a couple of times on hols and they brought in waiters from Sri Lanka to serve the drinks as the Maldives is a muslim country.

[supergran]

Outside of the air conditioned hotel it was very hot with high humidity. The Bay Gardens were spectacular with trees, plants and flowers from all corners of the globe set in a stunning ecological environment.I bought a ticket for a tour buggy which was well worth it with a fascinating and informative talk. The tour lasted an hour so I then strolled around, visited the gift shop and after another hour jumped into a taxi. The driver asked where I was going and I told him to take me to a lovely hotel where I could enjoy a glass of wine and a cigarette on a terrace. He dropped me off at the 5 star Fullerton Bay hotel. Marble floors, flowers everywhere, just the ticket. I went up to the terrace in the lift and came out onto a huge area with tables and chairs and a bar. I found somewhere to sit in the spacious smoking area and immediately a waiter appeared. I asked for a large glass of Pinot Grigio and settled down with my constant companion Jack Reacher. The wine came with a glass of iced water plus slices of lemon and two dishes of nibbles. The terrace overlooked a stretch of water and the hotel was surrounded on one side with other tall buildings. It was lovely just sitting there in the glorious sunshine even though I felt damp all over and had to keep dabbling my face.:fanning::phew:

[supergran]

Reluctantly after two hours and two large wine, the iced water and the tasty nibbles I left the beautiful terrace and made my way down in the lift. Now, I'm well known in my family for having no sense of direction and having lost he who seemed to have an inbuilt compass I became slightly disoriented. I found myself in an area surrounded by gorgeous young ladies in fabulous clothes and a camera crew. I felt distinctly underdressed. They looked at me, I looked at them, then grinned and said "I think I'm in the wrong place here." :big grin::whistle::confused: Suddenly an elegantly dressed man appeared at my side and asked where I wanted to go. Telling him I was leaving the hotel he escorted me down a corridor and around a corner into the large reception area. Then he opened the doors for me, beckoned to a taxi, opened the door and gently helped me in. :):big grin:

[clancy]

Keep it coming! I'm enjoying this. x

[supergran]

Back at my hotel I had another very quick shower. I was conscious that I didn't want to keep banging my elbows as I had done before lunch. Yes, the shower area was that small. And sitting on the loo I could rest my head on the dividing wall to the shower. :lol: There were other people in the dining room but I was shown to a table for one and sat once again accompanied by Jack Reacher. After my meal I decided to try the rooftop bar. Coming out of the lift I was met by a hostess who asked did I want a table for one. (This question will feature heavily in these accounts) I asked where I could smoke but she told me I couldn't at a table but there was an area at the end of the terrace. This area was tiny, hidden behind a wooden structure and standing room only. I questioned as why in an open air area I was not allowed to sit down, her helpful reply was a shrug. I told her I was leaving, Went downstairs with my water and out to the smoking area where I met a lovely lady from South Africa and a young man from Canada.

[supergran]

And so to bed. I worked out that the best way to get into the bed avoiding knocks to my legs was to climb up from the foot to the pillows. I managed this not very gracefully, slid under the sheets and went to sleep........I woke up quite early and after crawling down the bed I squeezed myself in the shower with minimum damage to my limbs mainly because I employed minimum movement. When I was ready I made a cup of coffee from a sachet I'd brought with me though I had no idea then that this hotel did not have decaffeinated coffee anywhere in the place. I went for breakfast which was good and decided I would go out for the day. In the taxi I asked to be taken where I could book sightseeing trips. All the taxi drivers I had met, mainly Chinese, had been very friendly and chatty. On reflection that may have been because I'm chatty and they were just being polite. :lol: I was dropped off at a small mall and the lovely taxi driver escorted me inside, took me to the place to book and then said goodbye.(Need to charge tablet.Back soon)

[patlowe]

I'm really enjoying this Maureen. Thank you. What an experience for you! Looking forward to the rest.

PS: Glad you are feeling better.

[Genbrit]

Wonderful as usual Mo. Has brightened up my day. Thanks :)

[supergran]

In the taxi I had talked about Raffles hotel and how disappointed I was that it was closed for refurbishment. The driver explained that although the hotel was shut the Long Bar was definitely open. I decided that a short trip followed by a visit to the Long Bar was the order of the day. In the Excursion booking office I decided on the DUKW tour .Seeing the city of Singapore by an amphibian vehicle sounded interesting and different. I booked for an hour ahead and went for stroll around the mall and outside. Singapore is the cleanest place I have ever visited. The roads, the pavements are pristine as are the shopping and restaurant areas. I decided to have an early lunch and chose a restaurant quite near the meeting place for the tour. I enjoyed a Caesar salad and a glass of water. For the second time, the first was in the hotel, my request for water resulted in a glass of warm water.. Once again I had to say I wanted cold water. Interesting these differences one encounters in exotic places. Lunch over I strolled to the meeting place where we were handed little green stick on labels to identify us as a group. Strangely we were organised into two lines.....Asians and Westerners. Have no idea why but the Asian line was marched to the DUKW first and the rest of us followed. I sat at the front behind the driver having been guided there by the organiser "because I was on my own" It was a good seat with a clear view so I was quite happy.

[exislander]

I am enjoying reading your blog. I visited Singapore a couple of times in the early 2000s when a friend lived there. I remember being told that there were very heavy fines for dropping any litter and that chewing gum was banned - so the streets were very clean. As I still smoked in those days I was also warned to be very careful where I did that and definitely not drop cigarette ends on the ground. I hope you made it to the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling - it is a must do!

[supergran]

I would carry on but keep having problems. Have lost a post and don't know how to retrieve it.

[karanga]

Enjoying reading your blog. Mo. Hope you can sort out the problems.:thanks:

[goldfish]

Just catching up with this - a fun read, thanks

[Caro]

Just catching up with the blog Mo. As usual it is very entertaining. How do you make hotel rooms and taxi trips sound so interesting? :) I love the way you write, it's a real skill :worship:

[pabbers]

Brings back fond memories of Singapore! Hope you come back with the next bit soon!

[Caro]

Oh .... no more yet :sad: ... I know it's a busy time for us all but I hope you get chance to finish this Mo x

[Nessie]

Brilliant blog, Mo! I’ve really enjoyed reading and visualising it!

[Linda]

Has anyone heard from Mo? It's nearly 3 weeks since she last posted. I hope she's OK.

[themass15]

Has anyone heard from Mo? It's nearly 3 weeks since she last posted. I hope she's OK.

Hi Linda.

I saw a comment on a post Carolyn had made on Facebook, so hopefully everything is okay.

[WimbledonWestie]

Think she's having trouble saving posts on here.

[supergran]

I will try again before the Australian Open. Don't worry Linda, I'm fine. Alive and well on Facebook and Twitter. I did have problems posting.