Singapore and Brisbane

The clean efficiency of Singapore, and the cost, came as a bit of a shock to us at first but how nice it was to be back in an airconditioned room with a few more creature comforts. I was nursing a rather upset stomach from Bali so couldn't enjoy the delicious food for a few days but we still made the most of our first evening at Marina Bay, assured that evening was the best time to visit. 

 Armed with lots of recomendations from various friends and contacts, we set out to see as much of Singapore as the budget and time would allow. We did a lot of wandering around and looking in the vast array of shops. Even managed to fit in a visit to a gymnastics club to see how they do things in singapore. The city is getting ready for Christmas but we never could quite get used to seeing Christmas decorations in the sunshine, it just looks wrong.

 The highlight had to be the singapore zoo and night safari. The zoo is really well designed with very few cages, lots of open exhibits so it feels a lot more natural. You can get a lot closer and see the animals more clearly and it was fun to have orangutans swinging from the trees above you. We love this picture of the giraffes in the fading light, the next best thing to a wild safari.

We were also pleased to see a komodo dragon at last, though thankfully it was a safe distance away and quite sleepy looking. Wouldn't fancy attempting a James Bond style run across it!

 The night safari was our favourite thing in Singapore, where a tram takes you around the park giving commentary about the different animals you can see as you go around. It's dark so it feels very atmospheric and the animals are a lot more interesting away from the heat of the day. Hopeless for taking photos, but it meant we could really enjoy just looking. I particularly liked the fishing cats who wait at the side of the river peering at the fish and hoping they come close enough to strike... but sadly they didn't. Also saw a 'flying' squirrel which seemed quite happy to walk and climb instead! But all in all a fantastic place, the only place like it that we've seen.

Another great day was spent exploring the botanical gardens and orchid garden. An army of groundsmen keep it is immaculate condition so it's a lovely place to walk around. Lots of very foreign looking plants and flowers, though Steve did draw the line at paying to see orchids so I went on my own!       

We enjoyed Singapore, especially the wide range of delicious food and endless shopping malls. There's a lot to see and do here and plenty left for another visit - perhaps when we have a bit more time and cash!

Brisbane in southern Queensland was our next stop. It's a very scenic city with a nice promenade along the river and plenty to keep us occupied for 6 days. This is the view from Southbank, where there's a surprisingly nice man-made beach, jungle walkway and lots of nice cafes and retaurants. Nothing quite prepared us for the cost though. Two beds in a shared dorm cost the same as our luxurious hillside villa in Koh Tao. Just to eat and sleep put us over budget. But we figured we might not come here again, at least not for a long time so have to make the most of it and not be too tight with the purse strings!



My favourite day, possibly of the whole trip so far, was a visit to Lone Pine Koala sanctuary. They have 130 koalas in nice open areas as well as kangaroos, wombats, tasmanian devils and even a platypus. We were amazed that you can go in with the kangaroos, feed and stroke them. They were very lethargic though as it was 40 degrees that day - a 10 year record high for december apparently! 

 

I certainly got my wish to cuddle a koala - luckily we went to queensland as it's the only place in the world where you can. You put your hands out and they just plonk it on you, then it cuddles you to hold on. They're surprisingly heavy and this was only a baby girl. Loads of dense, quite course fur but they're still lovely and soft. Yes, it's touristy and a bit of a money spinner but a great experience all the same. 

The Gold Coast is famous for it's long white sandy beaches so we thought a day trip there was a must. Surfer's paradise was, as expected, full of surfers and high rise development. Some pretty big waves and a surprisingly quiet stretch of beach made it a very scenic place to spend a few hours. Gorgeous weather too, about 29 degrees with a nice breeze.

We're off to Sydney this afternoon and pleased to be flying since the greyhound was more expensive and took 8 hours! Brisbane has been a great place to visit, though we think we may be getting too old for a shared dorm! Hopefully the people we're sharing with in Sydney won't be able to afford to do too much partying and we can get some sleep!