29 April 2009: Koalas and Dugongs

Today we fly to Sydney on the penultimate stage of our journey. This morning however there was enough time after breakfast to visit the Cairns Tropical Forest Zoo which sits within a huge dome on the top of Cairns Casino. The purpose of our visit was to cuddle a Koala and have our photo taken. The Koala on photo duty today was called “Harvey” and boy was he cute. On our way back to the hotel we stopped to observe the hundreds of fruit bats that hang out in the trees around the town. They are huge animals with cute brown faces and the wing span of a large bird (maybe a crow?). They chatter a lot to each other and during the night they fly about and feed on the fruit. During the day they hang out together at the top of the fruit trees –amazing sight.
We arrived in Sydney mid afternoon and were booked into the Hotel (Wynyard Travelodge) by 5.00 pm. We decided to visit the Sydney Aquarium as it is open until 10.00 pm and we guessed that it would probably be quiet in the evening –we were right. This aquarium is one of the best in the world and it certainly lived up to expectations. Just 3 months ago they received two Dugongs (Pig and Wuru) who are relatives of the manatees and are collectively known as “Sea Cows” as, in the wild, they graze on sea grass at the bottom of the sea. They are large, gentle creatures that are most closely related to the elephant (surprisingly). We fell in love with them instantly and spent half an hour viewing them alone. Pig and Wuru are the only Dugongs on exhibit in Australia and they were both orphaned at birth and taken to SeaWorld in Brisbane to be hand reared. In the wild a large percentage of them live off the North Australia coast and one of the reasons given for making the Great Barrier Reef a World Heritage Site was the fact that it is home to 12,000 of these beautiful sea giants. We also saw our first Platypus along with a host of unusual fish and mammals that we had never seen before. There was a huge reconstruction of the coral reef too which you could view through floor to ceiling glass windows and which was accompanied by classical music. It was truly beautiful.

28 April 2009: Birthday at Cape Tribulation

I was awoken this morning at 5.30 (early, but not as early as Saboohi had planned –she was going to wake me up at midnight!!) with balloons, cards, presents, a big cake with lighted candles on it and champagne. Even though we are touring, far away from home Saboohi was not going to let the day go by without the usual celebrations! She had got the hotel management to source a cake for her (even though there are no cake shops here in Cairns!) and passed a card around the entire touring group (44 people) to get them to sign it. It was a lovely surprise.
My birthday present from Saboohi was a beautiful pearl necklace that she had purchased in Singapore, along with a fabulous body warmer that we had found at our resort at Ayres Rock (Outback Pioneer). I had cards from home to open too –what a journey they have had to get here!
We spent the day on a tour of Cape Tribulation which is unique for its beautiful beaches and for the fact that it marks the meeting of two world heritage sites; the Great Barrier Reef and the pristine tropical rainforests of Northern Queensland. We stopped at one of the beaches which was torture for Saboohi because the waters were blue and the sand white but we weren’t allowed to swim because there are salt water crocodiles in the sea! On the beach we saw an intricate maze of little holes with thousands of tiny balls of sand surrounding them. It covered a large area and we couldn’t make out what it was at first. After waiting and watching for a few minutes we saw the tiniest of little crabs emerge from the holes and when they sensed danger they curled up into a little ball and looked exactly like the balls of sand. We deduced from this observation that the little crabs were creating this elaborate structure as some sort of defence mechanism – truly ingenious!
The highlight of the day was a boat trip down the Daintree River to see the crocodiles. It reminded me of scenes from “The African Queen” as the rainforest bordered the edges of both sides of the river. Apparently the river was named by Captain James Cook after a friend of his back in England – the guide explained to us that the expeditions undertaken by explorers of that time would usually be funded by monarchs, wealthy business people, aristocrats and friends and in return they wanted newly discovered places to be named after them. So many places in this continent are named after British aristocrats who never actually came here.
Later in the day we visited the Daintree Discovery Centre where we took a boardwalk up through the rainforest and into the canopy so that we could view the forest from the very top. It was very beautiful. This rainforest is believed to be one of the oldest on the planet, hence its world heritage status. We arrived back at our hotel in Cairns at about 7.00 pm (Hotel Cairns) and then went out for some supper. A lovely day!

Monday 27 April 2009- Great Barrier Reef

A warm and humid morning in Cairns and again we were up early to catch our catamaran out to the Great Barrier Reef. We moored up at a small island which is the home to hundreds of nesting birds and a beautiful shallow coral reef. There is nothing else there, just a beach and hundreds of birds. We caught a little ferry to the island and then had a 30 minute “snorkelling” tour of the reef. The reef is fabulous with hundreds of different varieties of coral including many (very large and colourful) giant clams. We saw many different types of tropical fish too, including brightly coloured parrotfish and stingrays. Saboohi went out beyond the reef at one point, called the “drop off” in Finding Nemo, and came face to face with a shark (harmless but nevertheless scary!) and she touched a turtle! Lucky thing. The sun shone and the day was perfect for snorkelling. After lunch on the boat we returned to the island for more snorkelling before heading back to Cairns at about 15.30. Another wonderful day–how lucky we are.

Sunday 26 April 2009: Ariel view of Ayres Rock

This morning the group took a long drive around The Olgas, also situated in the Uluru National Park and just as impressive as Ayres Rock. In fact as they are made up of many mounds of rock (the Aborigines have a name for them that means “Many Heads”) they are more interesting that Ayres Rock.
Before leaving Ayres Rock Saboohi and I decided to sign up for a helicopter flight around both Uluru and its neighbour The Olgas. I wasn’t sure whether or not we would see anything extra by flying above the 2 structures but the views were wonderful. There were 2 things that made the flight worthwhile; firstly you can’t see the true scale of them when you view them from the ground but when you are up high they dominate the whole area with miles and miles of flat desert and then these 2 huge and magnificent stone structures shooting up high out of the ground; secondly is the colour of the surrounding terrain, so many different shades of green, red and terracotta –so beautiful.
Late this afternoon we took a flight from the local airport (which only has about 2 flights out a day!) to Cairns.

Saturday 25 April 2009: Journey to Ayres Rock

We had a five hour drive over to Ayres Rock this morning (recently renamed Uluru which was the original name given by the aboriginal people –before rich white people came and gave it their own name!), across the red, parched desert. The road was long and straight and we hardly saw any other traffic en route. We saw Ayres Rock well before we reached it as the terrain is flat and the rock towers above the ground for about 320 meters. It is known as an Insolberg as it has just a third showing above the ground and 2 thirds below. Thousands of years ago this terrain was a sea bed and the rock emerged as a result of the earth being forced up at a right angle. So the vertical seams of rock that make up Ayres Rock today were once horizontal sedimentary layers of the seabed. It is a stunning visual treat. We drove around the rock and walked along one of the gorges into the heart of the rock. The real highlight this evening though was to see the sunset over the rock. To celebrate the occasion we were given champagne and nibbles while we all stood and watched the transformation of the rock’s colour and appearance as the sun set behind us. This was one of the most magical events of this holiday and something we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Friday 24 April 2009: Day of Rest at Alice Springs

We had planned to take an early morning hot air balloon ride over the Central Australian desert today but unfortunately the wind was too strong and so the flight was cancelled. So instead we had a lie in (as we don’t get many of those on this holiday!) and spent the rest of the day by the pool. Our hotel is a recent addition to the Alice Springs landscape and has at its heart the town’s only casino. So it tends to attract a lot of local people as well as tourists. We had a play on the slot machines which only cost 2 cents a go and so for two dollars (£1) you can have 100 games! There were a lot of aborigine people on the slot machines I noticed –our guide explained how many aborigines have only come face to face with western culture in the last 50 years and therefore things such as gambling and drinking and drugs have become adopted vices for many.
Tonight we took a nocturnal tour at the Alice Springs Desert Park, to see some of Australia’s endangered species that are only active at night. There is a section of the park that is only visited at night and one of the special little marsupials that we saw tonight was the Mala. This is now extinct in the wild and the park only has 7 in captivity. Tonight we witnessed 2 of them mating!! The guides said that they had never seen this before and they were thrilled. We only had a few red lights to see our way around the park but we saw some beautiful little creatures including a Bilby (long snout, big ears and with a body totally out of proportion!) and several Burrowing and Brush Betons. It was a wonderful evening and only 4 of us on the tour – with 2 guides!

Thursday 24 April 2009: Fly to Alice Springs

We were up at the crack of dawn today to catch an 8.30 am flight to Alice Springs in the middle of Australia. We arrived to temperatures of 30 degrees plus which I found a nice change after the cooler temperatures in NZ and Melbourne. We arrived at 11.30 and went straight on a tour of the local area. Alice Springs was originally set up as a communication post to link the overground telegraph cables that were to run from Darwin to Sydney. Darwin was connected to Singapore already by an underwater cable and therefore this final link enabled Sydney to be connected through to London, thereby bringing the commonwealth closer together. It meant that London and Sydney could contact each other within 2 hours rather than a week! Today we saw the original telegraph station that formned the first settlement here. We also visited the Flying Doctors HQ and the School of the Air. The School of the Air provides education to children who live in the outback and can't access normal schools. They receive lessons every day on line and have personal tutors who are usually a parent or someone who is specially employed to give onsite help at home. We saw live lessons going on! It is a wonderful set up and clearly provides an invaluable service to those families that are cut off from other communities. A storm began to come by early evening so it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

Wednesday 22 April 2009: Koalas and Penguins

After leaving the Kangaroos we went in search of Australia’s other famous marsupial the Koala. On Philip Island there is a Koala Conservation Centre where you can get up close and personal with these beautiful creatures. Unfortunately you can’t touch them as they are wild animals and are not as cuddly as they appear! Here however they do tolerate us being close and posing with them, within reason. Koala numbers were ravaged in the past as they have a number of predators, man included, and their numbers dropped to just 800 which resulted in them being listed as endangered. The conservation centre has re-established Koala numbers out in the wild and continues to do this today. As they are nocturnal most of them were sleeping up in the eucalyptus trees during our visit but some naturally inquisitive ones were awake and ready to pose with us!
We ended the evening with a much anticipated visit to the Philip Island Penguin Parade. Each night along the coast of Philip Island, hundreds of little penguins, the world’s smallest penguins, return to their nests to rest and preen themselves. They spend about 2 weeks out at sea feeding and then come home but the trek from the shoreline to their nests (which could be up to 1.5km away) is the most dangerous trip they make. So once the sun has gone down they start arriving on the beach and calling to each other so that they can form a group before they set off on their overland trek. We watched from the Penguin centre at Summerland Beach along with about 300-400 other tourists. The penguins were so tiny and cute (only 20cm high) and we followed groups of them on their trek up the beach. We were standing within a few inches of them at times, it was very special!

Wednesday 22 April 2009: Warrook Cattle Farm

For lunch we stopped at Warrook Cattle Farm where we had a truly wonderful 3 hour visit. Lunch was in the old ranch house which is now a museum as the owners have moved out to a new house that has been built elsewhere on the estate. It was originally built in 1904 to replace the previous farm house that burnt down. Each brick was made by hand on the estate and each room has 16 ft high ceilings and is furnished with Victorian furniture to show how it may have looked when it’s English owner first built it (The Grieves family). A hearty roast beef fare was provided for us before we went out on the farm to meet the animals and learn about the life of a working cattle ranch. We bottle fed baby calves first and then had a go at milking a very patient old cow called Daisy, who has retired from the commercial diary heard now. Milking was surprisingly easy to do! Next we went to see the sheep dogs rounding up the sheep and then watched Loretta shear a sheep in the barn. We then had a chance to use a cattle whip, the aim being to try and get it to snap/crack, which is the sound that actually gets the cattle to move. Unfortunately my whip was as quiet as a lamb – i won’t give up my day job.
To end the visit to Warrook we fed the Kangaroos and wallabies that are resident on the ranch. They appeared quite tame and human friendly and allowed us to get up close and feel their incredibly soft fur. We also saw our first wombat who, although mainly a nocturnal animal did come out to say hello. It was a truly memorable and enjoyable 3 hours.

Wednesday 22 April 2009: Parrots and Puffing Billy

This was one of our longest days but also, for me, the best day of the tour so far. As a consequence I have decided to split the day up so that I can post a few extra photos! Our day started early with a coach drive up into the Dandenongs mountain range and a stop at the Grants Picnic Reserve for a Devonshire cream tea. The real draw of Grants Reserve is not the cream tea but the extensive range of exotic birds and parrots that live in the forest there and will gladly come and feed directly from your hand. Our favourites were the Crimson Rosellas who were very colourful and gentle with us. The big white cockatoos can be a little vicious and I did collect a few scars to prove this! From there we drove down to Beaumont to board the Puffing Billy, Australia’s oldest steam train that is now run by enthusiastic volunteers through the rainforest of the Dandenong ranges. Fortunately the H&S Executive has not taken over here as it has in the UK so we were able to ride the train as they used to in the old days, sitting on the side of the carriage with our legs dangling out of the train! Great fun.

Tuesday 21 April 2009: Melbourne

A warm and sunny day in Melbourne! We started with the usual city tour in the morning which included a stop at Cook’s cottage. This cottage used to stand in Great Ayton in England and it was the home of the great explorer Captain James Cook who “officially” discovered Australia. The Cottage was shipped over to Australia in 1934 to commemorate the centenary celebrations in Melbourne. It was a small one up one down dwelling with a beautiful cottage garden (see photo).
This afternoon we visited the beach at St Kilda and Saboohi had her first swim in Australian waters. The sharks gave her a wide berth! This evening we managed to get some late tickets to see Billy Elliot at Her Majesty’s theatre. Neither of us has seen this show in London so it was a real treat. The performance was outstanding and the music and dancing were really first class. The young Billy Elliot was truly talented and an obvious star of the future. We will definitely be seeing it again when we get back to London.

Monday 20 April 2009

We awoke to a heavy down pour of rain this morning. The worst weather we have experienced so far. After breakfast the whole group congregated outside the hotel to watch Sean, a member of our group, do the base jump from the Sky tower. It looked very scary and we were all very proud of him. The rest of the day was taken up by waiting at the airport and flying to Melbourne later that day. Whilst at the airport I purchased a beautiful limited edition screen print by a local New Zealand artist. I am having it shipped back to the UK by courier so I don’t have to carry it around Oz. Can’t wait to see it framed and up on the wall at home.

Sunday 19 April 2009: Auckland

We started the day with a visit to Auckland museum where there was a special exhibition of Sir Edmond Hillary and the axe he used to climb up Mount Everest. His wife has donated the axe to the museum in memory of him as he died recently. There was a film showing an interview with Sir Edmund Hillary and he was talking about his climb to the top of Everest - interestingly he said that “I didn’t conquer Everest... I believe Everest just relented.”
After the museum we made our way to the suburbs of Auckland to visit Kelly Tarlson’s Penguin and Antarctic experience. This is a privately owned aquarium which relies on public donation. The most interesting thing about it is that it is the home of two breads of Penguins that can only live in Antarctic conditions, which have been recreated for them within the aquarium. We then had lunch at Mission Bay and met a handsome little Bichon called Adoodoo (his owners are Japanese)- he was a puppy and full of energy. This evening we ascended the sky tower which boasts the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere with 360 degree views of Auckland and its coastline – the views were stunning. The sky tower actually is part of the hotel where we have been staying ( Sky City Hotel).

Saturday 18 April 2009

An early start today and a drive up to Auckland this morning. We arrived in Auckland at midday and had a short tour around the city before booking into our Hotel at Sky City. Our hotel sits at the base of the famous Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, from which you can do a controlled bungy jump or walk around the rim of the tower's platform. Alternatively you can just eat in the rotating restaurant at the top. Saboohi and I went down to the harbour to catch a ferry across to Devonport Dockyard (yes they have a naval base here too called Devenport!). In Devonport we climbed to the top Mount Victoria and had a fantastic 360 degree view of the city and the coast line – it must the best view there is in Auckland. We then had fish and chips sitting by the sea and were surrounded by gulls. This is where Saboohi took a fabulous photograph of the gulls catching chips that we had thrown up for them -tourists eh? (see photo attached).

Friday 17 April 2009

Today started with a trip to Te Puia, a Maori culture attraction that is home to the arts and crafts of the Maori people and which encompasses a number of natural geysers, the 2 largest being Pohutu and the Prince of Wales both of which erupted whilst we were there. I purchased a beautiful piece of Maori art at Te Puia called Te Manaia (The Guardian Sprit). Maoris believe that every Maori has aguardian spirit whilst on earth which protects them from evil and the Te Manaia I purchased is a contemporary depiction of this spirit. It is to be my souvenir of my trip to New Zealand. This afternoon Saboohi and I met up with my dear friend Frances who recently emigrated to NZ and made the 5 hour drive over to Rotorua to see us. It was lovely to see how happy and settled she was in her new homeland and to catch up on all the news. As we will not be able to visit her hometown during this trip (New Plymouth) she brought us a beautiful illustrated book produced by a famous NZ photographer that portrays life in her home county. We spent a leisurely afternoon in the Bath House Museum in Rotorua and then this evening we attended a Maori Hangi at the hotel. This is a traditional Maori meal with dancing and singing. The funniest part of the evening was when the men of our group were invited onto the stage to perform a traditional Maori Haka –I haven’t laughed so much for a long while but they did a great job! It was a wonderful evening.

Thursday 16 April 2009: Rotorua

We had a long drive up to Rotorua today. Roturua sits within the crater of a volcano and therefore sits on top of a geothermal bed which provides natural hot spas and bubbling mud pools. We smelt the place before we could see it because of the strong sulphur vapours. En route to Rotorua we also stopped at Huka Falls which is a narrow canyon in the middle of a fast flowing river – the result of which is a magnificent torrent of water which creates a natural water fall. You wouldn’t survive if you fell into the river at this point, that’s for sure. When we reached our hotel (Sudima Lakeside Hotel) we booked a private spa (naturally heated of course) and I had a one hour stone massage –the best massage I have ever had. Saboohi opted for a foot pamper and stress release massage. We slept well that night.

Wednesday 15 April 2009: Wellington

Today was spent in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Rather than do the half day coach trip around the city we decided to take a coastal walk just outside the city, along the Red Rocks to Sinclair point where we found a seal colony. It was a lovely sunny day and it gave us a chance to do some much needed exercise. We caught the bus to Island Bay which was as far as public transport would take us and then walked about 2K to the Marine Reserve entrance. It took us a further 4k walk along the coast before we caught sight of the seals and we may not have seen them at all if we hadn’t spoken to other walkers en route that had seen them. They are well camouflaged on the rocks. Two of those walkers were called Alistair and Bronagh Crook and their Boxer Dog “Wendy”. I got talking to them and discovered that their Son Timothy works for Transport for London and is part of the Internal Audit Team there. I said I would contact him when I got back to work and Saboohi took some photos of us all together. They offered us a lift back into Wellington which we were very grateful for and they took us the scenic route along the coast. We finished the day with a cable car ride up to the top of the botanical gardens to admire the city view and then we walked back down through the beautiful gardens. Another special day.

Tuesday 14 April 2009

Tuesday was a travelling day as we drove from Queenstown over to Christchurch to catch an evening flight to Wellington on the North Island. One interesting stop was at a monument to the Sheep Dog in Mackenzie County. It was erected by farmers in the area to recognise the invaluable services to sheep farming by the Collie. It is in the most beautiful lakeside setting

Easter Monday: Trip to Milford Sound

We had a long and wet day today. We set off from our Hotel at 7.00 a.m. for the 4 hour drive down to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is actually a fiord not a sound as it was carved out of the landscape millions of years ago by glaciers. It was discovered by a Welshman who was exploring the Tasman Sea looking for seals and ventured into this small inlet only to find a magnificent and beautiful “water world” within. He named the place Milford Sound after his home town of Milford Haven in South Wales. It was misty and wet today which meant we couldn’t see the tips of the mountains surrounding the water but instead we were rewarded with hundreds of waterfalls some of which the boat was able to sail right into. We had a 2 hr cruise around the sound, got very wet but enjoyed the magnificence of nature at its best. We saw seals and a solitary dolphin too. It was certainly worth the long trek down there.

Sunday 12 April 2009 (Easter Sunday)

We were up at 6 a.m. and after an early breakfast Saboohi and I paid a final visit to the Minnehaha Walk. The weather was damp and grey for most of the morning as we drove down to the coast, through the Haast region, stopping off at Thunder Creek Falls, Makarora (where we visited a fruit farm) and Lake Wanaka on the way. Just before we reached our destination for the next 2 nights, Queenstown, Saboohi and I along with 7 other members of the tour were dropped off at the Shotover River Canyon for our Jet Boat ride. This was a truly exhilarating ride, weaving our way, at speed, through the rocky canyon. The river was shallow and fast flowing and at times we felt as though the boat was going to slam into jagged rocks. It was well worth the $109 charge. Later this evening Saboohi fulfilled one of her lifetime wishes to complete a bungy jump! Queenstown is the birthplace of bungy jumping so it was fitting that her first jump should be here. We took the gondola ride up to the Sky Swing Deck overlooking the town. It was getting dark and although fully booked already Saboohi managed to get herself a jump for that evening. I don’t think Saboohi had fully appreciated just how scary this was going to be before she actually stood up there on the ledge waiting to jump. At one point she actually thought she would not be able to jump. It took all her courage to step over the edge but she did it! What a sense of achievement - she said that it was the scariest thing she had ever done and I can believe it!

Saturday 11 April 2009

We had a long drive today, across the Southern Alps of South Island. We drove through Arthur’s Pass and on to see both Franz Joseph Glacier and Fox Glacier. We had planned to take a helicopter ride up to both glaciers so that we could walk on them but the weather drew in and the flights were cancelled. Our hotel for the evening was the Glacier Country Hotel in Fox, a very small but busy little village nestled in the valley. The highlight of the day turned out to be a walk through the native bush near to the hotel, called the Minnehaha Walk. It was like walking through the forests of Narnia, with tall trees and palms, all covered in thick damp mosses and lichens. The forest was dense and a vivid shade of green throughout, it had streams and bridges and was truly magical. Interestingly, the Chronicles of Narnia were filmed here in New Zealand and we can see why. After supper at the hotel we returned to the bush to see the glow worms. It was beautiful.

Good Friday 10 April 2009: New Zealand

A beautiful but chilly morning in Christchurch. We went to bed at about 6.00 pm last night and slept through to 6.00 a.m. this morning – that’s Jet lag for you! The morning was spent on an organised city tour on the coach which included a trip to the Christchurch Museum. Highlights here included memorabilia from Captain Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. He embarked from Lytlelton Harbour and when he failed to return from his trip in 1912 the artefacts that were recovered from his final resting place were brought back to Christchurch. After lunch we visited the Art Gallery which had a special exhibition of paintings by a local artist, Rita Angus. She is long gone now but her work was really beautiful and unusual. We had never heard about her before. We then went for a walk through the Botanical Gardens, green and lush with a river running through it on which you can hire boats and canoes or go for a punt. It is Autumn here now and the foliage on the trees is changing colour; oranges, yellows, reds...really beautiful.

Wednesday 8 April 2009: Singapore

We were up early this morning so that we could we spend time at Singapore Zoo. It is one of the top 5 zoos in the world and it certainly deserves it’s international reputation. The Zoo is arranged as though you are walking through a rainforest with animals housed within areas or large enclosures which contain natural vegetation. There are no cages and no high rise fences. Some of the birds, lizards and even monkeys can roam quite freely amongst other inhabitants and visitors alike. We saw White Tigers, Proboscis Monkeys, Tigers, Giraffes, Hippos and Polar Bears and watched a fantastic “Elephants at work and play show” during which 4 Asian elephants illustrated their logging skills as well as their painting skills! We took public transport out to the Zoo, the MRT (their equivalent of the tube) was modern, fast and reliable and we were both amazed at how all the people here speak English and all the signs and information is in English too. It cost just £4 each to get to the Zoo and back even though it was a 2 hour round trip.
At 16.30 we were picked up from our hotel (Peninsula Excelsior) and taken to the airport for what was to be the longest leg of our journey. We flew from Singapore to Sydney, arriving at 5.00 the next morning and then after a 3 hour wait, flew on to Christchurch New Zealand. We arrived in New Zealand at 13.30 the next day local time.

Singapore -7 April 2009

Our first day in Singapore started with a half day tour of the city, taking in the National Orchid Garden, Thian Hock Temple, Little India and Merlion Park. The temperature is hot and humid at the moment even though we had a few showers throughout the day. The orchid garden was truly spectacular and as a special reminder of this beautiful place (the orchid is the national flower of Singapore) we bought a RISIS gold covered orchid (only available here in Singapore). There are hundreds of different hybrids here, many of which have been named after celebrities and VIPs. The pure white “Princess Diana” orchid was particularly stunning. This afternoon we went to the famous Raffles Hotel for afternoon tea and gorged ourselves on sandwiches, cakes and some more traditional Singaporean delicacies. A harpist entertained us throughout with popular tunes and songs from the musicals. Raffles Hotel also contains its own mall of specialist shops and in one of them- Elliott & Carmen- Saboohi purchased the most beautiful pearl necklace especially for my birthday. Once I had tried it on she insisted that I left the shop while she squeezed them down to the price that she felt was reasonable –poor things didn’t stand a chance. To finish the evening we sat in the outside bar in Raffles Hotel and enjoyed a very strong and tasty Singapore Sling. A great first day.