Blog ≫ 2024 ≫ Singapore day five - Singapore proper
Back to the dictation. It's getting far from the actual holiday now, the memories are fading, so there will be less topping up text. Let's get this out before I forget everything.
Can this really be day five? Could be time is losing all meaning here now it's the heat and the change of time zone and everything being a bit weird. This morning a bit more of a lie-in, then to our regular breakfast, pack, and out of the hotel. We left our bags at the hotel, and we'll go back there later to pick them up and get a taxi to Singapore proper. First to the cable car. Now, the cable car takes us to Singapore proper as well but we didn't think we could get that with all of our bags. So we're going on it just for fun. We've upgraded to the "sky orb" cabin because Mum and Dad gave us some money and we're spending it fast. Yeah so we've got a return journey. The longest journey on the cable car over to the other side with the upgrade to "the world's first Chrome finished spherical cabin". It's a glass bottom to the cable car and it's really good. We went over to the other side and went to a cafe and we all recorded lots of video. I'm sure in all of the videos all you will hear is "did you have to start talking now?? I was making a video!". Everyone else wants their videos to be silent. I'm not sure if even T2 is recording one of these things now, or if he's taking a Mickey out of me. He keeps pretending he's recording some content for his YouTube channel. I'm not sure if he is or not. We did record him eating his Mr Beast chocolate bar which we got yesterday in the water park that might go on YouTube. I don't think he did the full "Hi guys, this is me reacting to me eating a chocolate bar". T2's just giving me our free Hello Kitty fan that we got on the cable car. It's the 50th birthday of hello Kitty. They're eating their ice creams and laughing. T2 says he's not laughing. He's not eating an ice cream. He looks like he's trying to put ice cream in his pocket. He's laughing again now 1. We went over the water park. We went right over the top of the water park, so we could look down on the whole thing and see it, and we saw things we didn't notice yesterday. We missed one huge ride, and we missed the water maze which we kind of knew was there and didn't go to. We could look down on top of that. It looks a bit like Takeshi's Castle. We could also look down and see the dolphins, but I don't think they came out in any of my videos. I'll check with the others. See if anyone else got a picture. So we're back on the other side of the cable car now. It's the same place where we started out our journey, near the entrance to skyline luge. I think we'll just use the bathrooms here, then back to the hotel, get the bags, get taxi and go.
We got taxi to the new hotel, less that 20 dollars. Fancier hotel, we don't fit here. Bit businessy.
Yes next hotel is more like a business hotel, like a Holiday Inn. There is a concierge, several concierges I suppose. We tipped the first guy who helped us with our bags, too generously I'd say, and we never saw him again. It's what you do though isn't it?
Our rooms were a pair of interconnected rooms again, but this time we knew in advance that's what we were getting, what we had paid for. And the rooms were much bigger. Clare much preferred this hotel, for the size of the rooms.
We went for an explore, starting at the top floor (7 and we're on 3). Our key didn't work in the lift, someone helped us. Then reception on 7 said "yeah it's another 50 a day to come up to the club floors, and no kids". Back to 5th where the "roof top" pool is. Simple but nice. Expensive bar.
The pool was a plain rectangle this time, not a fun pool, and I would say not as warm as in the previous place. Still quite a nice view from there, we could see the Singapore skyline. And it was quiet.
We went out to Arab St and Haji St, found craft beer. Expensive, and then you add tax and very expensive! But nice. Back to hotel for shower, then Clare back I out, leaving boys for an hour, then picking them up for dinner.
We were in Kampong Glam which is traditionally the Arabic quarter of Singapore. There was a big old Mosque right by the hotel, it's "only" from the 1920s though. The best street, "instagrammable" I think they say now, is Haji Street about two along from us. That's where we found the craft beer. It was advertised at something like $16 a pint, we ordered two and one soft drink (T1 only wanted water) and it came to over $50. I was surprised and eventually questioned it, but no it is the price, with service and taxes added on. Beer was quite good though. We sat there and played cards for a while.
Then the boys wanted a rest at the hotel, so Clare and I went out for another walk for a bit, found another bar selling Brewdog, she was pleased. I had a local beer that I did not like, think it was a bit off. Then we picked up the boys and went back to Haji Street to a huge Mexican place call Piedra Negra where we had our dinner. Yes Mexican, they don't go much for Singaporean, everywhere in Singapore seems to be themed for somewhere else, at least in the tourist hotspots we went to. We sat outside in a nice lively bit, until the storm started, then we moved inside to get out of the rain where it was a lot quieter. Just seen the receipt for dinner, and I remember now they gave us two menus, one Mexican and one Italian, there was a connected restaurant and you could order from either. Can't figure out from this what I had though (apart from the wine):
Here ends our first proper day in Singapore. Parkrun in the morning!
- This whole bit they were laughing at what I was dictating into my phone, so meta.
⬅️ Good review of the new Waterloo Wetherspoons :: Health stats 5/9/24 ➡️