Singapore

What a wonderful city.

The taxi drivers are friendly cheap and honest….the airport is squeaky clean.  Everyone is mostly nice to you.

Air conditioned malls are the order of the day – most people in Singapore shop and eat.

You will find the best bargains (because of low taxation etc.) in branded watches etc.  Watch shops are everywhere, every watch shop sells different watches too….so if you see something, buy it!  I bought a Casio G-Shock watch for £35 which costs £50 in the UK as example.

Recommend the Pan Pacific hotel in Singapore.  Lovely hotel, amazing service.  Has a nice gym and an excellent spa.  Would not recommend the Indian restaurant (Rang Mahal) or the Italian within the hotel…but the breakfast buffet is one of the best in the world.

In Singapore, the chicken is nothing short of disgusting…I am not sure what sloppy variety of chicken they use but it sucks.

Would recommend the Outback steak house in Singapore.  There is also Subway sandwich.

Things to do…go up in the DHL balloon, pretty scarey heights are reached!  Shop, shop, er, shop!  Take the open top tour bus, very nice way to see Singapore, the nice breeze keeps you cool.

In Singapore apart from shopping/eating, Singapore people go to the cinema a lot, it costs a mere £2 and the cinemas are 24 hour.  The Night Zoo is a must also.

One thing very nice about Singapore is lack of alcohol….as a result, lack of drunks and also a lack of drugs and junkies.  Crime is low but not non-existant and mostly committed by deliquants.  The biggest crime story might be of a hit-and-run driver, and that’s it.

Just a lovely place, Singapore guarantees to show you what a society with low crime, friendly people, clean streets and no alcohol to be found except the 7/11, Singapore is the place.

Sydney Australia

Smoggier than Melbourne, Sydney is the main city everyone thinks of when they think Australia.

Sure it’s got the opera house, which is worth a guided tour.  During the tour you’ll maybe see some ballet performers practicing or somebody tuning  a piano.

Other than that, The Rocks area of Sydney is where all the restaurants and wine bars are. 

If you need to use a gym in Sydney, I recommend Fitness First  – just walk in and pay your $18.  Check out the opening times, they’re funny – as example does not open till 2pm on a Sunday!

Bondi beach is over-rated, but worth a look.  It’s actually a small beach.  Watch out for small jelly fish that wash up on the beach too.

The Star Casino is OK, very big but the restaurant choice is excellent…although watch the opening times, some are closed Sundays and Mondays.  Pyrmont was the best restaurant we ate in Sydney and I would recommend a visit to the casino just to eat.

Another thing to do is take a Catermoran boat out of the harbour and see some of the expensive harbour homes.

Aside from that there is a market in The Rocks which I quite liked too.