Hello everyone

31st Oct

I meant to tell you that the weather has been warm and sunny but hmid and being from AZ that is hard for me toget used to.
Anyway got up this morning and decide to head to Clark Quay which was maybe 10 mins from my hotel. Its an area that has restaurants and bars all along both sides of the river.  There are some beautiful old bridges across the river and a very old hotel, The Fullerton, but expensive hotel at that.
I ate lunch at local restaurant and  had fish soup and rice, it was very very good.
Early evening I headed off to the only nocturnal zoo in the world , where you can tour the zoo either via tram or walk and see the nocturnal animals of the world. Very cool and a great way to see the animals that you might not normally be able see.
Tomorrow is my last day in Singapore, and my flight does not leave until 10pm in the evening so I still have a full day.
Good night!


1 Nov

I decided to visit               today and to get there I was going to use the subway. Wow what a system they have, so clean and easy to understand , so it was really easy to get there.  Once you get to            you then take either the mono rail or cable car across to the island.I decided to go by cable car and the views were amazing .
In the afternoon I headed into China town and grabbed a few bargains and had dinner whilst I was there.
The crazy thing was i sat down at this restaurant  "The Singapore Heritage Restaurant" and opened the menu and here was a preface with details on the restaurant and the chef and of all things he was a local bodybuilder and celebrity chef,  Alvin Koh. He wasn't at the restaurant but I met his mother.
So that was the end of my wonderful trip to Singpare and I look forward to going back there sometime.
Its off to the airport to catch my flight to Australia and the next portion of my trip.
Talk to you all soon
Gayle x

Singapore

Hey everyone
29th oct 
After my night flight from Bejing I finally land in singapore at around 11pm and really looking forward to getting in a bed to sleep. It's been 2 nights that I haven't slept in a bed and I am so ready fir some good sleep and to wake up refreshed to start the day.
I am checked in , unpacked, showered and ready for bed. Goodnight!


30th Oct
I woke up early 630am went and had breakfast then back to bed for more sleep!
At 2 pm someone was coming to meet me to show me around the city so I was looming forward to that 
Singapore is such a clean city with beautiful architecture with the modern mixed with the old.
The symbol that has become synonymous with Singapore is the hotel with 2 towers and then a boat like structure on top that spans the 2 towers. Quite incredible and at the top is a swimming pool and restaurant.

Singapore is also a shoppers paradise with do many beautiful malls and high end stores.
The city has so much history and most  everyone speaks English and taxis and eating out is very inexpensive .
My friend took me to eat at a "local" food court where he wanted me to try a local dish frogs legs . I was game and they arrived in a pot in a rich gravy and it was pretty spicy. The meat was good but it was hard for me to forget what I was actually eating. Another dish one has to try us the chicken fried rice and fruit called Durion found nowhere else . Another speciality are the restaurants they have there which just make dishes from pork including the intestines and anything else you can imagine. 
I had a great day exploring the city
Chat with you tomorrow

 Take care Gayle

Bejing and Singapore

Hi Everyone 

well its the start of my overseas travel once again and I am returning to Australia and also visiting Bejing, China and Singapore so very excited about that

27 Oct

leaving for LA tonight from Phoenix to catch my flight with China Airlines to Singapore via Bejing.\, so its going to be a very long night. I arrive in LA around 830pm and my flight leaves at 125am 28 Oct for the first leg to Bejing.

28th Oct

i am all settled in, plane is full, and ready for my 13 hour flight. I watched movies and slept on and off and ate. The food that was served in flight was awful most likely the worst airline food I have ever eaten.

29th Oct

Arrived in Bejing on time and I have a 10hr layover so I booked a  private city tour to visit Tianammen Square and The Forbidden City. I wanted to go to the Great Wall but couldn't do all so it was either the city or the Wall.

The thing about going into China is that you need a visitors visa which costs $149 but if you are in transit and its under 24 hours the immigration officials can grant one a visa  for that period of time but its at their disgression. So with fingers crossed I told immigration my plan for a tour and they granted me a visa.

My drive was there waiting for me once I got through customs and took me to the city to meet my tour guide, It could not have gone smoother than planned.

On the drive China was so different to what I expected. Roads were jam packed with crazy drivers and the traffic was worse than LA LOL. I passed all different types of architecture from ultra modern high rises to the more traditional.

I met my guard at the Square which was busy with tourists, more Asians than Caucasions. My last recollection of the Square was when the students protested and the Governement brought the Miilitary in and fired upon the students. There were many Miiitary standing around and there were 2 huge screens showing videos of  tourist attractions throughout China.

Across from the Square is the Forbidden City which is where Emperors used to live , govern the country, marry, have one wife  and

have many lovers 

The history behind the City is fascinating and the culture as everything is about peace and harmony and good luck.. 

After there I was taken to silk factory to see how silk was produced and turned into many things ie clothes sheets and comforters.

The one thing for me that is so hard to get used to, and Iknow its there culture, but no one stands in line they push a lot and for example when getting off a plane they dont wait for each row to get out they come from the back and just rush.

I went to the bathroom in the Forbidden CIty, and i am stadning in line waiting for someone to come out of the toilet but these women from China and other Asian countries are just coming in and stepping right in front of me and almost fighting to get in a toilet. So i figured after standing there politely this was not going to work so I just almost knocked someone over just to get in a bathroom. Crazy!

4 hours later I was taken back to the airport for my 325pm flight to Singpore which was an approx 8 hr flight.

Again the food was awful and I had to put up with a Chinese man next to me with bad breath leaning over me half the time to talk to someone across the aisle , waving his hand in fron of my computer screen as I am watching the movie. At one point i was woken up by him practically being in my lap shouting to the same gentleman lol The joys of traveling.

I landed in Singapore around 930pm, made it through immigration in record time. I was met by a super gentleman at the airport who took my by taxi to my hotel and I will tell you about more of my trip next time..

take care and chat with you soon xox