FEB-26: Singapore - Day 1

Last night we arrived in Singapore three hours late due to a mechanical issue before our plane left Heathrow.  There was a further 20-30 minute delay while our gigantic Airbus 380-400 waited for another plane to vacate our arrival gate. 

Once in the terminal, immigration was the usual shuffle forward to the head of the line and present your documents.  By the time we arrived at the luggage carousel so had our baggage.  Just outside Customs our driver met us.  We arrived at the Fairmont Hotel a few minutes after 11:00 PM.  We were tired, spending little time settling in before going to bed.  We shut the lights off at two minutes after midnight.

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We were both up and moving by 9:00 this morning.  We had a late breakfast, studied a map and were on our way about 11:00.  The plan was to spend the day in the marina area of the city, beginning with a ride on the Singapore Flyer. Since the distance was not substantial, we had decided to walk.

We were completely wilted less than 100 yards after leaving the air conditioned comfort of the hotel.  The temperature was well into the 80's with the humidity in the 90's.  Undeterred, we stuck to our plan to walk to the Flyer.

The Flyer was a great way to get an overview of the city.  The air conditioned pod provided some welcome relief from the heat and humidity.  The full orbit took 30 minutes.

Back on terra firma, we headed for The Helix bridge, crossing over it to see the outside of the Art Science Museum.  We pasted the Marina Bay Sands with the 'ship' atop its three towers and arrived at Garden by the Sea, a truly impressive botanical display.

We decided on two exhibits.  The first was the Flower Dome, a immense indoor display of flora from all over the world.

The other was the Skywalk between two in a forest of approximately fifteen artificial trees.

Leaving Garden by the Sea, we passed through the middle tower of the Marina Bay Sands on our way back to the Art Science Museum where we boarded a "bumboat" for a tour up the Singapore River.

During the bumboat ride we passed "Merlion", the statue that is the symbol of Singapore.

Ashore again, we walked back over The Helix and along the water's edge where we saw a soccer stadium unique in that the bleachers were on the shore and the regulation-size field was on a floating barge.

As we walked (faster and faster) back to the hotel, the breeze picked up and the sky grew steadily darker.  Less than 15 minutes after getting to our room at the end of our six hour walking tour, a thunderstorm began accompanied by a torrential downpour.  

Thunderstorms persisted through the evening, making us glad we could walk under cover to our dinner reservation at a restaurant featuring northern India cuisine.  The restaurant staff was helpful in making selections since we did not have a clue about what to order.  The food was (for the most part) delicious. It was sufficiently spicy that an anti-acid tablet seemed a wise precaution before crawling into bed for the night.