Orchids and a tall ship

Sunday is always busy in Singapore. The people enjoy their weekends and the crowds were out. Our guide took us for a short bus tour of the impressive colonial buildings around the city centre, pointing them out as we passed. Then we went to visit the famous Merlion from which Singapore gets its name, on the river bank. This little painting shows how the shore would have looked in the past.

It seems everyone in Singapore loves a picnic. Anywhere with a bit of grass and a bit of shade we’d see families sitting on the ground with their food. I suppose it’s another way of getting out of their apartments.

But the big event for us today was a visit to the botanic gardens. It was originally Sir Stamford Raffles’ garden. It’s interesting. This man had such a profound influence on the island and yet he only lived here for about nine months.

Anyway, the garden has grown since his time and it’s renowned for orchids. There had been a competition and the entrants and the prize winners were on display. So, the place was packed.

The best I can do is show you a gallery of beautiful flowers.

We enjoyed a buffet lunch at the Anglo-Indian, a restaurant in the heritage Chijmes building not far from our hotel. The food was lovely and we managed to buy a beer without much trouble.

That evening we would be embarking on a sunset cruise on board the tall ship Royal Albatross. We’d seen it sail past as we waited for the Wings of Time show to start a couple of days ago.

We had to take our passports with us and when I asked why our group leader explained it was because the ship might sail into Indonesian territorial waters and be stopped by the Indonesian Coast Guard. Okay. What the hey. Also, no shoes allowed. Seriously. We checked in our footwear before we went on board. All good as far as we were concerned. We rarely wear shoes at home. The reason for bare feet on the ship? Apparently it has cork decks.

The dinner, served on a table on the deck, was first class Masterchef style. Our group leader shared a few bottles of wine with us to make up for the very ordinary dinner we’d had before the Wings of Time show. And on the way back to port we caught the grand finale of the Wings of Time show on the beach.

What a great day!

By the way, if you’ve come here by accident and want to follow the whole trip, tap here.