February 6th - Singapore

I failed to mention in yesterday’s post, that for the first time on an event, the car arrived without flat batteries. The battery cut outs that Cars UK supplied me with just before the car was shipped from the UK, worked! I don’t want to think how easy it would have been to have avoided the trouble I have had over the past eight years, starting in Rio and again in Beijing, Cape Town, Los Angeles and, worst of all, Mumbai!

Today has been an enjoyable rest day. A late breakfast and then a river boat cruise on the Singapore River. It only lasted 35 minutes but it was a good way to see the city. Over the past two days we have begun to realise that there is a lot more to Singapore then modern high rise financial towers.

So, at 10.30am we took a taxi to the boat dock on the Singapore River.

The cruise down, and then back up the river, was well worth it. You see Singapore from another angle, and even though skyscrapers dominate the skyline you see many of the old colonial buildings. The magnificent Fullerton Hotel, which used to be the General Post Office Building.


On the left hand side is the Esplanade Theatre complex, which looks very much like a giant armadillo!


We went close to the Singapore equivalent of the London Eye, the Singapore Flyer.


In the river basin is the giant statue Merlion, the symbol of Singapore, which has a giant fountain pouring water from its gaping mouth.


An amazing building is the Supreme Court, which has an observation tower perched on top of it that looks like a giant flying saucer!

Nearing the end of the cruise we went past a statute of the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles.


We are beginning to realise how much the fall in the value of the pound is going to mean to us over the coming month. Thirty per cent depreciation has a tremendous effect on everything you buy. I can see a significant drop in overseas trips being taken by people from the UK. It has simply become too expensive.

The afternoon was left free to start packing up our belongings ready for the start tomorrow. Whilst sorting out the paperwork for the entry into Malaysia, I suddenly realised that I did not have the original of the Landcruiser registration document!! This is essential for gaining entry into foreign countries, especially those in the third world. Fortunately the organisers cleared us to get into Malaysia, but not into Thailand. So, with the assistance of Jeremy Stream, who's partner, Felicity was leaving London tomorrow to join us in Kuala Lumpur, I called home and our son-in-law, David, collected the original from my house and delivered it to Felicity's office. I should have the document tomorrow evening. I bet DHL/Fedex couldn't beat that!!

At 5pm we had the pre-start briefing by John Brown with support from the medics who talked about emergency procedures and the precautions against malaria. Tonight we start taking our Malarone anti-malarial drug.

In the evening we went to a Chinese restaurant on the banks of the river. A fitting way to say goodbye to Singapore.