Singapore The Chinese Quarter. 6th December 2013

Walked around the colonial district of Singapore starting at the National Museum. Looked in at Chijmes for coffee and found it to be a building site though still advertising itself for business - nothing open. Eventually coffee at a German brasserie bar amid peels of thunder.

After passing by St Andrews Cathedral, Supreme Court, and the Parliament Building whilst dodging the rain as best we could, ended up in the Chinese District with its Temples and Mosques and Hawker Food Market.

With rain becoming more persistent after lunch, visited the National Museum. The museum was a little disappointing.

Final activity was taxi to Changi airport for long flight home.

What a fabulous trip!

Sri Mariamman Temple facade in Chinatown  District

Maxwell Hawker Market eatery

Singapore's Botanical Gardens 5th December 2013

Travelled to Singapore's Botanical Gardens, about 1/2 hr from our hotel. A beautiful garden originally set up by Stamford Raffles in 1822.The gardens display a wide range of tropical trees and other plants but are best known perhaps for their Orchid collection. - fabulous displays.

Weather extremely hot and humid and we wilted by early afternoon and retreated back to the hotel to recover. Can understand how conditions here before air conditioning drove people mad!

Crane Fountain in Orchid Garden

General view of one of walkways in Botannic Garden

Singapore - Site Seeing the Marina Area 4th December 2013

Hit down town Singapore by the MRT. Unbelievable architecture - Esplanade theatre and concert hall designed like a spiny creature, the Arts and Science Museum looking like an up turned hand and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, three huge towers with a boat on the top, you couldn’t make it up

Took pics of everything including the Merlion, walked for miles around the marina bay and signed a white ball one of 20,000 to go in the water at New Year.

Took in a photography exhibition by Karl Lagerfeld and ended up in the Gardens by the Bay - Singapores new botanical garden with two huge green houses  one for flowers the other for cloud forest.

Staggered back over the double helix bridge to end up in Raffles to ply Wendy with a Singapore Gin Sling most refreshing!

Planet Bronze  by Marc Quinn in the Garden by the Bay

Wendy enjoying a Singapore Gin Sling with peanuts at Raffles

Day of Travelling 3rd December 2013

We were sorry to leave oz today A country of great contrasts and vitality to make things happen. Caught a jet plane to Singapore.  Journey ok apart from the early start. Melbourne pretty quiet at 7:00 in morning. Mind you the toll road to the airport was pretty busy!

Arrived in Singapore in a bit of a rain storm so nice and humid it is their wet season so it rains every day. Hotels supply umbrellas to their residents to help keep the weather off.

Loads of shopping centres. We are staying near the Paragon Shopping Centre which is pretty large over about ten floors including two underground, but there must be a dozen or so nearby along Orchard Boulevard of equal size. Makes you wonder where they get the business. The Chistmas decs looked pretty good on the boulevard put Regent Street and Oxford Street to shame.

 Early morning Melbourne. Junction of Elizabeth and Burke. Melbourne built on a grid system 1 mile x 1/2 mile originally

Festive Christmas lights Orchard Boulevard Singapore

Melbourne II 2nd December 2013

Looked as though it was going to be another hot day so we took ourselves off to the Botanical Gardens about 40 minutes from hotel on foot passing Federation Square and crossing the Yarra river on way. The gardens - they were beautiful and tranquil from the noise and pace of the city. Whilst having a coffee in the garden café  a cheeky moorhen landed on the table next to us and sampled the dregs of some bodies coffee head right down into the cup.

After lunching at the Mr Tulk café a very buzzy place, we tried to get ourselves on a tour of the library but the guide and his party appear to have started early! In view of the heat etc we wandered around the building and looked in on the Ned Kelly exhibition which included his iron suit and rifle plus lots of background to the events leading up to his eventual execution.

Melbourne Botanic Gardens Beautiful range of trees and flowers

Ned Kelly's metal suit displayed in the Melbourne library

Melbourne I 1st December 2013

Took a free tour of Melbourne starting from the State Library, passing Ned Kelly’s prison and ending up at the Yarra River passing lots of wall paintings and murals on the way. Wall painting apparently legal, graffiti can lead to imprisonment.

After lunch trammed it down to St Kilda beach to see how the ozzies spend their Sundays when the weather is hot & sultry. Plenty of people on beach and in bars

Went looking for the little fairy penguin at the end of the pier. Found a couple of these apparently rare birds whilst there

Melbourne Public Library - Typical colonial building Has free wi fi!

Ned Kelly exhibition on at library This is example of Melbourne stencil street art. Lots of different street art around the city

Billimina Shelter to Melbourne 30th November 2013

Set off early to see 2 aboriginal shelters in the south of the Grampian Mountains Park. Not sign posted from the road - the reason for which was obvious when we got there. Access to the shelters was shut because of forest fires in 2012. Jumped over closure signs skooted over bridge with planks removed to the Billimina Shelter. Worth being v naughty for - mysterious figures etc painted on rock wall over hang.

Long drive Melbourne to find hotel centrally placed with rooms the size of a cupboard. Queues 3 deep at local department store to see Christmas window displays. Quick tour of central Melbourne city area on free tram.

Burnt forest at Billimina Shelter

Christmas lights in Melbourne