Temple Bar
The Temple Bar area is full of pubs and restaurants, and is where the locals generally steer clear of. Shrug!
Aftermath:
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Dublin 2 (2)
More of Day 2.
Temple Bar
The Temple Bar area is full of pubs and restaurants, and is where the locals generally steer clear of. Shrug!
Not a bad pub, this. They have managed to skirt the idiotic smoking laws by having a 'garden' that is entirely inside the pub. Top marks.
This pub has the same inside garden setup going but it's much smaller so 75% of the drinkers are really squashed in.
Ireland takes its 'Celtic Tiger' hi-tech economic status seriously. Here we see a government-sponsored public reading of the Microsoft Excel User Manual.
Aftermath:
An Irish coffee, Walnut Whip and Guinness tee shirt. Not a bad haul.
Temple Bar
The Temple Bar area is full of pubs and restaurants, and is where the locals generally steer clear of. Shrug!
Aftermath:
Dublin 2
On the second day, we took in some more Dublin sites:
Dublin Castle:
Australia on guard. Either that or Benny Hill's in town.
Expecting a huge imposing Norman edifice - and this is all there is to it! They don't build 'em like they used to. Nor did they then, apparently.
But there is a pretty Georgian square.
'Justice', as erected by the British, is not as one would normally expect. She is not blindfolded, she faces into the court - a symbol of authority - rather than out and, when it rains, her scales tilt. This is something the Irish consider 'ironic' with reference to British justice over the Irish. Presumably, the same ones that got ten thousand spoons, when all wanted was a knife.
And there's some wooden pictures of blokes arguing inside.
Cake Time:
Yum.
The Guinness brewery:
Can't go to Dublin without a visit to the excellent brewery. All very interesting and educational. Shame about the product. Here are some of the things we learned:
Beer is wet. You use this stuff to make it so.
Hops are yummy in beer.
You'll need some big containers...
...made out of different stuff...
...a factory to put them in...
...some bottles to put the beer in...
...and some trucks to ship it out in.
And, after all that, you find out that the stuff tastes awful...
...and you'de much rather have a VB.
More of Day 2 on the next post.
Dublin Castle:
Cake Time:
The Guinness brewery:
Can't go to Dublin without a visit to the excellent brewery. All very interesting and educational. Shame about the product. Here are some of the things we learned:
More of Day 2 on the next post.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Dublin 1
Now we both have jobs to go to, we decided to drop in on Dublin for a couple of days.
You can't do Ireland without politics - this is victim country - so let's lay a few myths to rest.
According to Irish history, they were conquered by the English a little after the Norman Conquests and were held in subjucation right up to independence in 1948.
Digging a little deeper, however, reveals a more complex picture. The battle that started it all contained no English troops at all. At the time, England, or at least those bits that were being sorted out by the invading Normans, was undergoing systematic subjucation laced with a fair bit of ethnic cleansing - something like 60% of the male population was put to the sword. This is the sort of horror an Irishman could only salivate about - or, at least, write a bloody folk song about (probably about poor Johnny growing cold in his grave put there by slavers. Or something.). The army that defeated Ireland was entirely Norman - the Eurpoean shock-troops of the time.
It seems, however, that a Norman blitzkrieg was unnecessary for this particular campaign. The two sides lined up, the Normans drove a herd of cows through the Irish ranks, and that was the end of that. The Irish were less defeated by an invading army, rather a few fresians.
The Normans went on to do what Normans do - build bloody great castles and grab whatever took their fancy. Meanwhile, in England, the Normans were assimilating themselves in and becoming English, or rather England became a fusion of the new Norman and what went before. This is the source of the 'English' invasion myth and the reason that the Norman castles are to this day called the 'English Castles'.
The English / Normans then went on to be a royal pain in the arse whenever they could and, it must be said, behaved very badly indeed.
As for those who wish to dump the whole guilt-trip on me ... I wasn't there, nobody saw me, and you can't prove anything.
One gateway to Dublin from London is the excellent:
London Stanstead airport served by a fast train from Liverpool Street station.
and thence to the North Star Hotel in the centre of town:
The North Star Hotel
And Day 1's outing was a visit to Trinity College (more politics - this is a protestant university and, according to the catholic church of Ireland, attending it was a mortal sin right up to 1970!):
Trinity College grounds.
This proddy should be safe.
A big shiney ball. Every uni needs one.
A little bit of wandering around town...
The Tart with the Cart - a.k.a. Molly Malone of shellfish fame. A bit loose, aparently.
The River Liffey. Has a similar role to the Thames - keeps the riff-raff away from The True Ones. I'm not sure which side you're supposed to be on, though (north or south).
Having heard enough U2 for several lifetimes, this lot were a refreshing change - they were playing a number by Pink Floyd, since you ask.
Dublin has, for reasons unknown, got a great big phallic willy thing right in the middle of town. One can only speculate what they are compensating for.
And finally, back to the hotel for a couple of coldies. This was the smoking area - the piccy doesn't do it justince - that had the added excitment of being under a railway arch and everything rattles when a train goes over.
You can't do Ireland without politics - this is victim country - so let's lay a few myths to rest.
According to Irish history, they were conquered by the English a little after the Norman Conquests and were held in subjucation right up to independence in 1948.
Digging a little deeper, however, reveals a more complex picture. The battle that started it all contained no English troops at all. At the time, England, or at least those bits that were being sorted out by the invading Normans, was undergoing systematic subjucation laced with a fair bit of ethnic cleansing - something like 60% of the male population was put to the sword. This is the sort of horror an Irishman could only salivate about - or, at least, write a bloody folk song about (probably about poor Johnny growing cold in his grave put there by slavers. Or something.). The army that defeated Ireland was entirely Norman - the Eurpoean shock-troops of the time.
It seems, however, that a Norman blitzkrieg was unnecessary for this particular campaign. The two sides lined up, the Normans drove a herd of cows through the Irish ranks, and that was the end of that. The Irish were less defeated by an invading army, rather a few fresians.
The Normans went on to do what Normans do - build bloody great castles and grab whatever took their fancy. Meanwhile, in England, the Normans were assimilating themselves in and becoming English, or rather England became a fusion of the new Norman and what went before. This is the source of the 'English' invasion myth and the reason that the Norman castles are to this day called the 'English Castles'.
The English / Normans then went on to be a royal pain in the arse whenever they could and, it must be said, behaved very badly indeed.
As for those who wish to dump the whole guilt-trip on me ... I wasn't there, nobody saw me, and you can't prove anything.
One gateway to Dublin from London is the excellent:
and thence to the North Star Hotel in the centre of town:
And Day 1's outing was a visit to Trinity College (more politics - this is a protestant university and, according to the catholic church of Ireland, attending it was a mortal sin right up to 1970!):
A little bit of wandering around town...
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Hampstead Heath
In our desperate search to find all 1,873 'Notting Hill - The Movie' locations, we went over to Hampstead Heath for a look-see.
The Heath is one of the largest open spaces in London. Policically, it's complicated because bits of it are administered by different authorities but, once you're in you'd never know. In the interests of pissing off Johnny Foreigner, there are no signposts to the Heath and there are no maps in it either. Two world wars were not won by pointing swarvy foreigners at the crown jewels. Of course, you can always get round these security measures by bringing your own map.
The Heath is famous for a number of things; kite flying, open-air swimming, Kenwood House, open-air concerts, wildlife, and gay cruising. Or so I'm told. (Pauses to wonder as to how many of our readers have just clicked to their first gay cruising web site.)
So, with some trepidation, let's go forth...
Duck Pond - not a People Pond.
A great big log.
Julia Roberts on-set for Notting Hill at Hampstead Heath caught smiling to camera while leaning on Hugh Grant.
Early signs of spring.
Julia Roberts propped up by Kenwood House after a night on the sauce. (Right, that's it. No more Julia Bloody Roberts.)
It's all very nice but where's the bar?
View over the London skyline - the Glass Dildo to the left.
Home via Golders Green station - one of London's art-deco tube stations.
The Heath is one of the largest open spaces in London. Policically, it's complicated because bits of it are administered by different authorities but, once you're in you'd never know. In the interests of pissing off Johnny Foreigner, there are no signposts to the Heath and there are no maps in it either. Two world wars were not won by pointing swarvy foreigners at the crown jewels. Of course, you can always get round these security measures by bringing your own map.
The Heath is famous for a number of things; kite flying, open-air swimming, Kenwood House, open-air concerts, wildlife, and gay cruising. Or so I'm told. (Pauses to wonder as to how many of our readers have just clicked to their first gay cruising web site.)
So, with some trepidation, let's go forth...
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Arrival
Long haul flights are the pits. There cannot be any worse way to travel. And just to cap it off, some idiot thought that a 6 month-old baby is just what is needed on a 15 hour flight.
What is wrong with these people? The aircraft cabin pressure is about 0.55 bar at cruising altitude. That is a little over half what it is on the ground. During ascent, the volume of air in your body has to roughly half. Not a problem in your lungs - you just breathe it in. Not a problem in your sinuses if you don't have a cold - it adjusts itself. Also not a problem in your middle ear - you can clear your ears by swallowing or chewing gum. This is something that babies can't do, however. When the pressure changes, a trauma is applied to the eardrum and this is very painful if you don't clear it. The opposite happens during descent when the volume has to roughly double.
Result; a baby in extreme pain. And these people think they are caring parents!
That was the end of our peacful flight. So, we got into Heathrow absolutely wrecked. Cleared immigration and customs in double quick time and headed outside for a much-needed ciggie. That was weird. You can only smoke in a little glass hut! I have no idea why this is. It is not fully enclosed so the smoke leaks out anyway. There is no extraction / filtration unit. All it has are a couple of ashtrays and they could go anywhere. Looks like the problem was given to a manager.
Jumped on the excellent Heathrow - Paddington express and got a taxi to our new home:
Google Earth points the way.
While just one street away from Portobello Road, first impressions are a little shabby - we have the basement flat down these stairs:
But inside is a different story:
The kitchen - something we need, apparently.
Bathroom - there's soap in here somewhere and the money's underneath it.
You don't need to know what goes on in here.
The Telly - where the BBC comes from.
And the new laptop finds a home.
Right, now were here, it's time to check the place out.
What is wrong with these people? The aircraft cabin pressure is about 0.55 bar at cruising altitude. That is a little over half what it is on the ground. During ascent, the volume of air in your body has to roughly half. Not a problem in your lungs - you just breathe it in. Not a problem in your sinuses if you don't have a cold - it adjusts itself. Also not a problem in your middle ear - you can clear your ears by swallowing or chewing gum. This is something that babies can't do, however. When the pressure changes, a trauma is applied to the eardrum and this is very painful if you don't clear it. The opposite happens during descent when the volume has to roughly double.
Result; a baby in extreme pain. And these people think they are caring parents!
That was the end of our peacful flight. So, we got into Heathrow absolutely wrecked. Cleared immigration and customs in double quick time and headed outside for a much-needed ciggie. That was weird. You can only smoke in a little glass hut! I have no idea why this is. It is not fully enclosed so the smoke leaks out anyway. There is no extraction / filtration unit. All it has are a couple of ashtrays and they could go anywhere. Looks like the problem was given to a manager.
Jumped on the excellent Heathrow - Paddington express and got a taxi to our new home:
While just one street away from Portobello Road, first impressions are a little shabby - we have the basement flat down these stairs:
But inside is a different story:
Right, now were here, it's time to check the place out.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Two Days in Singapore - Day 2
Day 2 was a lot less hectic than Day 1.
As I didn't take my passport when buying the laptop, we went back to the Funan Digitalife Mall to get our GST refund.
Kim then decided that she MUST have a two-faced watch. (?)
OK, a watch with the time where you are on one face and the time somewhere else on the other. Yes, I know you can only be in one place at a time - must be a chick thing.
More advice was needed so we wandered over to a tourist information booth and ran into a real night area. Bars, cafes, clubs, etc. right on the water:
Most of the places were closed but this place looks like it rocks when the sun goes down. Pity we won't be here to find out.
Got directed to Chinatown. (Strange label, that, for a country that is dominated by the Chinese.)
No cigar in the People's Park Centre but struck gold in the People's Park Complex.
A bit of haggling later and here it is!
We just hung around for the rest of the day - courtesy of a very late checkout by the nice people at Hotel Asia - hit the Newton Circus Hawker Center again and buggered off to the airport for another awful long-haul flight.
Impressions of Singapore...
Hot & wet. As the man said; good, if you're with a woman - not so good if you're in the jungle.
Very hospitable place. Almost everyone speaks English (not that that is a pre-requisite for hospitality but it makes my life easier), everyone is friendly and people go out of there way to welcome you.
Clean - a little over clean, if you ask me. Yes it's sterile but at least you're not picking your way through garbage. As for the chewing-gum thing; you can buy gum and you can chew gum, but you can't sell gum. Just like a 'war-on-drugs' apologist, they are going for the dealers, not the users.
Tourists are very well catered for. The public transport works (which is a LOT more than you can say for Sydney), the places you want to visit are easily accessible and very reasonably priced.
I wouldn't want to live here (Actually, that's not true. I could live here for a few months.) but it's definitely worth a visit. You probably need at least a week to really see the place and then you can use it as a sane base for the region (fast links to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & Brunei).
As I didn't take my passport when buying the laptop, we went back to the Funan Digitalife Mall to get our GST refund.
Kim then decided that she MUST have a two-faced watch. (?)
OK, a watch with the time where you are on one face and the time somewhere else on the other. Yes, I know you can only be in one place at a time - must be a chick thing.
More advice was needed so we wandered over to a tourist information booth and ran into a real night area. Bars, cafes, clubs, etc. right on the water:
Most of the places were closed but this place looks like it rocks when the sun goes down. Pity we won't be here to find out.
Got directed to Chinatown. (Strange label, that, for a country that is dominated by the Chinese.)
No cigar in the People's Park Centre but struck gold in the People's Park Complex.
A bit of haggling later and here it is!
We just hung around for the rest of the day - courtesy of a very late checkout by the nice people at Hotel Asia - hit the Newton Circus Hawker Center again and buggered off to the airport for another awful long-haul flight.
Impressions of Singapore...
Hot & wet. As the man said; good, if you're with a woman - not so good if you're in the jungle.
Very hospitable place. Almost everyone speaks English (not that that is a pre-requisite for hospitality but it makes my life easier), everyone is friendly and people go out of there way to welcome you.
Clean - a little over clean, if you ask me. Yes it's sterile but at least you're not picking your way through garbage. As for the chewing-gum thing; you can buy gum and you can chew gum, but you can't sell gum. Just like a 'war-on-drugs' apologist, they are going for the dealers, not the users.
Tourists are very well catered for. The public transport works (which is a LOT more than you can say for Sydney), the places you want to visit are easily accessible and very reasonably priced.
I wouldn't want to live here (Actually, that's not true. I could live here for a few months.) but it's definitely worth a visit. You probably need at least a week to really see the place and then you can use it as a sane base for the region (fast links to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & Brunei).
Singapore Zoo Night Safari
This is an absolute must. It would be worth it, for me, to do a special trip to Singapore just to see this. This is a zoo at its very best.
There are a number of ways to get there. Special buses run from some downtown hotels, the MRT drops you nearby or, like us, you can get a taxi. There are a number of ticketing options and we got the 'Entry and Tram Ride'. There are a couple of shows during the evening so, once you get in, find out the time of the one you want to go to.
We had a 45 minute wait for the last show and the, very helpful staff, told us that, if we went on the tram first we would miss it. They suggested that we went on one of the path walks through the exhibits.
Sadly, there are no pictures of the animals on this post - unless you count the one below - for a couple of reasons. It's night (you saw the title of this post, right) and the flash on most cameras, including both of mine, just don't cut it. Also, you are asked by the staff to not use flash photography or the spot on video cameras. Why? These are nocturnal animals and that stuff damages their eyes.
BTW, if you want, there are a few animals, with their handlers, where you can go and take photos near the entrance.
This is some of the thing we saw on the walk:
- Otters.
- Fishing Cats - Cats that fish. Really! They sit by the river and jump in after fish! At last, a cat with a purpose.
- Rhino.
- Hyenas.
- Wolfs - Our daschund would feel right at home with these guys. As dinner.
- Crocs.
We got back to the amphitheatre on time for the show which featured otters, hyenas, snakes, and a few good eco-messages.
The highlight, though, was the tram ride. This weaves its way right through the zoo and has nocturnal animals from every continent.
What's good about this is this; you know when you went to the zoo as a kid and you are looking at a bit of fur sticking out of the corner of a shed and everyone is saying, "Oh, look. There's the [name your exotic animal here]". Well, these guys are wandering around doing their thing. I saw aminals here I've read about all my life, and only ever seen grumpy bits of in zoos.
This trip is; reasonably priced, very well organised and, bloody briliant.
However...
There are actually a few problems here. It's night for half the day and elephants are dark-grey. Problem: you can never find the bloody things. Luckily, Singapore has the answer. In the footsteps of Dolly the sheep, they have genetically engineered a few of the blighters to glow in the dark. See...
As you can see, I got them to knock me up a woman, while they were at it.
There are a number of ways to get there. Special buses run from some downtown hotels, the MRT drops you nearby or, like us, you can get a taxi. There are a number of ticketing options and we got the 'Entry and Tram Ride'. There are a couple of shows during the evening so, once you get in, find out the time of the one you want to go to.
We had a 45 minute wait for the last show and the, very helpful staff, told us that, if we went on the tram first we would miss it. They suggested that we went on one of the path walks through the exhibits.
Sadly, there are no pictures of the animals on this post - unless you count the one below - for a couple of reasons. It's night (you saw the title of this post, right) and the flash on most cameras, including both of mine, just don't cut it. Also, you are asked by the staff to not use flash photography or the spot on video cameras. Why? These are nocturnal animals and that stuff damages their eyes.
BTW, if you want, there are a few animals, with their handlers, where you can go and take photos near the entrance.
This is some of the thing we saw on the walk:
- Otters.
- Fishing Cats - Cats that fish. Really! They sit by the river and jump in after fish! At last, a cat with a purpose.
- Rhino.
- Hyenas.
- Wolfs - Our daschund would feel right at home with these guys. As dinner.
- Crocs.
We got back to the amphitheatre on time for the show which featured otters, hyenas, snakes, and a few good eco-messages.
The highlight, though, was the tram ride. This weaves its way right through the zoo and has nocturnal animals from every continent.
What's good about this is this; you know when you went to the zoo as a kid and you are looking at a bit of fur sticking out of the corner of a shed and everyone is saying, "Oh, look. There's the [name your exotic animal here]". Well, these guys are wandering around doing their thing. I saw aminals here I've read about all my life, and only ever seen grumpy bits of in zoos.
This trip is; reasonably priced, very well organised and, bloody briliant.
However...
There are actually a few problems here. It's night for half the day and elephants are dark-grey. Problem: you can never find the bloody things. Luckily, Singapore has the answer. In the footsteps of Dolly the sheep, they have genetically engineered a few of the blighters to glow in the dark. See...
As you can see, I got them to knock me up a woman, while they were at it.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Two Days in Singapore - Day 1 / 1
Having once experienced the Europe to Sydney in just under 24 hours with a 2 hour break in Hong Kong, we were in no mood for the 'safety and comfort' of the airlines. This time we were going to take a break and the options pointed to a couple of days in Singapore. Kim duly scoured the net for deals.
A$100 per night got us a room at Hotel Asia just 15 minutes walk from Orchard Road (blokes, don't ask), on Scotts Road right next to Newton Circus MRT Station and just round the corner to Newton Circus Hawker Center (more of which later). There's even a nice view out of the window:
We arrived late on Saturday night so we checked in, went out for a couple of drinks and then crashed. We had until 8.30 pm Monday before flying out again. Sooo, what to do with yourself for 48 hours in Singapore. Well, a hell of a lot actually.
Sentosa Island, Raffles, Shopping & Food:
Sentosa Island is Singapore's fun park. Access is by bridge or cable-car (and it looks like they're building some sort of light rail). On the island, all the buses are free and there is something for everyone - too much, in fact. On a short trip like this, you need a plan. We decided on a visit to Fort Siloso - cause we both like history stuff - and a quick shufty around some of the pretty bits.
Cable car to Sentosa near the passenger terminal.
Fort Siloso formed part of the naval defense of Singapore Harbour and saw a lot of action during the Japanese invasion. Were the Japanese to have launched a sea assault, there is every chance they would have been repelled. However, the sneaky buggers went round the back and all the guns were pointing the wrong way. You just can't trust some people!
Gunner Roach on lookout duty - 1940. In background, Japanese troop prepare their final assault - difficult to see because they are disquised as trees, a typical underhand Japanese trick.
Today, a lot of the gun stuff has been very well restored and some of the tunnel complexes are open to the public. There is also the Surrender Chambers waxworks featuring the Alled surrender to the Japanese near the beginning of WWII, and the Japanese surrender to the Allies at the end.
By far, Steve's most favorite gun on the planet. Because, right next to it is a great big button that says "FIRE GUN". I can't imagine how it would be possible to have a better gun than that - unless it had another button that said "Point at Melbourne first".
Right, on to the pretty stuff.
Here's Kim sitting in front of the Great Big Merlion (like a mermaid but without the chest-lumps). (Hmmm, I am, of course, talking about the Merlion's chest-lumps - or rather the lack of them. Kim's chest lumps are just fine). (OK, just to be clear, Kim - with the chest-lumps - is in the foreground. The Merlion is in the background and doesn't have any chest-lumps because it is a Merlion, not a Mermaid. Were it to BE a Mermaid, I would probably need a more detailed explaination of the difference between Kim's chest-lumps and the Mermaid's chest-lumps. But I don't because its a Merlion and they don't have chest-lumps. It's all very easy, really.):
A few scenes around Sentosa:
That's enough of that---on to Raffles Hotel. This is a kind of cheesy tourist must. An elegant hotel, to be sure, and I'm sure it's housed some real characters over the years. Today, we are off (orf?) to the Long Bar. This legend is where the colourful low-life used to gather for major liver slaughtering sessions or, at least it would be were it in its original location and hadn't been repackaged for the tourists. Still, needs must and a beer is on the cards about now.
Raffles Hotel main lobby
I must say, it's all very elegant and desperately colonial. There's fans on the ceiling (not the rotating type mind, swaying paddles - these days operated by electric motors rather than some poor local with a bit of string - and completely uneccessary; the bar is air-conditioned!), lots of dark wood, wicker furniture and bowls of unshelled peanuts on every table. The drinks cost an arm and a leg (this in a city whose alcohol prices are enough to drive a Scandanavian to suicide).
Beer and Peanuts in the Long Bar. Crunchy underfoot 'cos you're allowed to (supposed to!) chuck the shells on the floor. As you can see, 'Chuck on the floor' to Kim is like 'Diplomatic solution' to Bush - i.e. not in the vocabulary.
Mandatory 'me at the bar' shot - despite the goofy look, that is actually my first (and only) beer:
After this, we went shopping. Full report here.
That evening, with enormous anticipation - and chili crab in mind, we hit Newton Circus Hawker Center.
Well, what can I say. In a country renouned for its food, Newton Circus being touted as the very best in seafood, it certainly didn't disappoint.
Drop the camera and put another prawn on the barbie.
This is what we came here for:
Chili Crab agogo.
More where that came from:
We'll try all the other stalls tomorrow:
Link to the Night Safari.
A$100 per night got us a room at Hotel Asia just 15 minutes walk from Orchard Road (blokes, don't ask), on Scotts Road right next to Newton Circus MRT Station and just round the corner to Newton Circus Hawker Center (more of which later). There's even a nice view out of the window:
We arrived late on Saturday night so we checked in, went out for a couple of drinks and then crashed. We had until 8.30 pm Monday before flying out again. Sooo, what to do with yourself for 48 hours in Singapore. Well, a hell of a lot actually.
Sentosa Island, Raffles, Shopping & Food:
Sentosa Island is Singapore's fun park. Access is by bridge or cable-car (and it looks like they're building some sort of light rail). On the island, all the buses are free and there is something for everyone - too much, in fact. On a short trip like this, you need a plan. We decided on a visit to Fort Siloso - cause we both like history stuff - and a quick shufty around some of the pretty bits.
Fort Siloso formed part of the naval defense of Singapore Harbour and saw a lot of action during the Japanese invasion. Were the Japanese to have launched a sea assault, there is every chance they would have been repelled. However, the sneaky buggers went round the back and all the guns were pointing the wrong way. You just can't trust some people!
Today, a lot of the gun stuff has been very well restored and some of the tunnel complexes are open to the public. There is also the Surrender Chambers waxworks featuring the Alled surrender to the Japanese near the beginning of WWII, and the Japanese surrender to the Allies at the end.
Right, on to the pretty stuff.
Here's Kim sitting in front of the Great Big Merlion (like a mermaid but without the chest-lumps). (Hmmm, I am, of course, talking about the Merlion's chest-lumps - or rather the lack of them. Kim's chest lumps are just fine). (OK, just to be clear, Kim - with the chest-lumps - is in the foreground. The Merlion is in the background and doesn't have any chest-lumps because it is a Merlion, not a Mermaid. Were it to BE a Mermaid, I would probably need a more detailed explaination of the difference between Kim's chest-lumps and the Mermaid's chest-lumps. But I don't because its a Merlion and they don't have chest-lumps. It's all very easy, really.):
 Merlion |  Kim |
A few scenes around Sentosa:
 Terraced Garden |  Ferry Terminal |
 Fountain Path |  Bird Show |
That's enough of that---on to Raffles Hotel. This is a kind of cheesy tourist must. An elegant hotel, to be sure, and I'm sure it's housed some real characters over the years. Today, we are off (orf?) to the Long Bar. This legend is where the colourful low-life used to gather for major liver slaughtering sessions or, at least it would be were it in its original location and hadn't been repackaged for the tourists. Still, needs must and a beer is on the cards about now.
I must say, it's all very elegant and desperately colonial. There's fans on the ceiling (not the rotating type mind, swaying paddles - these days operated by electric motors rather than some poor local with a bit of string - and completely uneccessary; the bar is air-conditioned!), lots of dark wood, wicker furniture and bowls of unshelled peanuts on every table. The drinks cost an arm and a leg (this in a city whose alcohol prices are enough to drive a Scandanavian to suicide).
Mandatory 'me at the bar' shot - despite the goofy look, that is actually my first (and only) beer:
After this, we went shopping. Full report here.
That evening, with enormous anticipation - and chili crab in mind, we hit Newton Circus Hawker Center.
Well, what can I say. In a country renouned for its food, Newton Circus being touted as the very best in seafood, it certainly didn't disappoint.
This is what we came here for:
More where that came from:
We'll try all the other stalls tomorrow:
Link to the Night Safari.
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