Singapore: Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road, Sentosa and Singapore Zoo!

 I have been very busy the last two days seeing loads of Singapore in quite a short space of time :) Yesterday (24th) I had a much needed lie in, then headed over to the Botanic Gardens. Now, I'm not one for plants or flowers (daisies, lilies, sunflowers are about as much as I know haha!) but this place was really beautiful. It was very peaceful and it's treated with respect from the locals. This isn't a park to come and have a picnic or play games, it is truly a peaceful place to think or relax. I then paid a small fee to go into the National Orchid Garden (I know this sounds crazy. Me, in an Orchid garden enjoying myself)! It was well worth it though... Every single type of slower or plant was labelled with descriptions. Must have been thousands! Well worth the visit...

I then visited the famous Orchard Road which is the fashion street of Singapore. It had all the top names like Gucci, D&G etc. It was similar to Oxford Street in many ways, just an Asian version! I don't have wads of cash to spend on aftershave and suits so it was great to see but wasn't a lot that I could do there...

That evening after returning for a shower (still so hot, nearly 35c ahhh), I went to the Harbourfront and then the amazing Sentosa Island, which is a tiny little island holding some amazing attractions. Universal studios Singapore is there, Sea World, Singapore Hard Rock Cafe and some great Bars and Restaurants :) I had a quick walk around but I was short for time and had to head back. Think I'll go back again before I go (Can't resist a hard rock cafe!)

That brings me to today which was amazing! I went to Singapore Zoo which is one of the best in the world! I saw everything you'd expect, but mainly asian and african animals. It's amazing how many things you see that you didn't even know existed! Also, it's incredible to think just how many animals there are... You forget easily and just remember the big names so to speak. It was weird seeing an Elephant (which you could ride!), Giraffe, Rhino, Cheetah, Leopard,Tiger, Lion, Penguin etc up close... Was my first time! Not a fan of baboons though... how peculiar! There were two live shows, the 'Rainforest strikes back' which was a selection of animals climbing around the stage. My favourite was the second show which was 'Splash Safari', which was a Sea Lion performing tricks and generally getting everyone drenched. I had no idea just how intelligent and clever they were! They could even clap and hide there face for their trainer! When looking at the kangaroo's there was a piece of Steve Irwin. He was a close friend to the zoo and was there regularly. It said how much they loved him and how they miss him. He was very exuberant and passionate and he cared so much for animals. It was very sad actually. Then this evening, I did the night safari which is a tram ride in the dark with the wild animals not in the zoo, on display... Was really amazing being so close. A deer seemed to like me a lot and nearly boarded the train!

Singapore is a very lovely place. The people are the kindest I've ever met. Everyones smiles at you, everywhere. You walk into a little shop and you are greeted and smiled at instantly. It's different to back home. Next couple of days I plan to do the bus tour to see more and hopefully even a trip to Raffles Hotel! I have a quite a few photos from today :) :

This Baboon clearly wants to be a DJ.

This isn't Santa - It's an Orangutan :')

Zoo Staff holding a giant snake. Guy at the end on the right clearly hates everyone in the crowd taking pictures.

Singapore! My first day...

 So I have arrived in Singapore and I am writing this desperately trying not to fall asleep. I got about 2 hours on the plane from Dubai and then spent all day walking around in 30c heat : / I am shattered!

Firstly, my first experience with Singapore Airlines was a good one...They are different to Virgin. Bit posher and luxurious... Leg room, food etc was that little bit better. The air hostess' wore a long asian type dress which was different! I took the metro straight from the airport to my hostel to drop off my bag. I saw similar things to what I saw in Dubai first up. Tall buildings, greener areas, parks, museums, shopping centers... In may ways I would say they are similar but in many they are totally different. As soon as I stepped outside it hit me. The heat and the humidity. It was energy zapping. It was like there's no air to breathe, it can be quite hard to deal with at times (me overexaggerating). After wondering around my hostel area, I dragged myself (quite literally) back onto the tube and to the Marina Bay area which is relatively new to Singapore with it's quirky hotel and shopping mall..

Here is the shopping mall and the hotel: 

What you are seeing there is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Skypark which is a boat shaped infinity pool at the top. The highest in the world (surprisingly not Dubai)... Then the Marina Bay Mall connected to it which has a lake and a fountain inside, as well as a gondola which can take you round.. Crazy! 

I then wondered round to the Singapore flyer which was about 500m away. This is like the London eye but taller. You get amazing views of Singapore, you can literally see everything. In many ways this was better than the Burj because you could make out landmarks easier :) Here's a couple of pictures including something you've all been waiting for (you really haven't)

You''ll have to forgive the cringy classic 10 second timer shot and I had the whole carriage to myself! Also, I was close to crumbling of exhaustion and this point! Now I don't want to get all Michael Palin on you but Dubai was a place where eastern and western cultures met. Probably why it's the most likely destination for a terrorist attack now.. Singapore from what I've seen is more of a mixing pot of Asian cultures. This evening I went to Chinatown, Little India and also an area full of Japanese foods. The people range too with a vast number of different nationalities settling here. Dubai was purely UAE nationals apart from Businessmen. 

Now to stop the formal tone, I have also noticed a few other useless bits of information. The 7 eleven convenience stores are EVERYWHERE. Nearly every single girl here wears short shorts. Like really short. Not that I was looking ha! Something that caught my eye. Also, Eating out is expensive. On top of normal price, a 10% service charge and 7% singapore government tax is put on top! And the best of all..they have an official 'Tintin shop' with old memorabilia and models! 

So one week in now and it's been great! I do get a little lonely sometimes, it's hard not speaking to the people I usually do everyday. I miss not talking..or interactions... All I do is talk to my head which is a weird concept..and tiring after time! I had a good conversation earlier though with a chinese man who was trying to sell me my name engraved in chinese on a plank of wood for £75. No thanks mate.

Dubai: 7 Star Hotel and The '8th wonder of the world'

So today I took the tour bus to the to Jumeirah Area of Dubai - or in other words the most expensive and impressive part! I got off at Jumeirah public beach where I laid for a good hour or so (was about 25c today!), right next to what is known all over the world as the only 7 star hotel; the Burj Al Raf. The hotel is actually a small way into the sea making it unreachable to any looming tourists. The bus tour actually said the only way to get to the hotel is via an official hotel car, helicopter or submarine. You get a free helicopter ride from the airport to the hotel when you stay there!

After lying on the beach and going into the sea (clearest seawater I've ever seen!) I got back onto the bus where we drove past 'The World'. This is basically a number of hand made personal islands available to buy. Sounds good right?! $10,000,000 to $100,000,000 each. Ahh :( Many celebrities have bought an island though according to the tour bus guide...

After that we reached what is being called the 8th wonder of the world. The palm Jumeirah. A man made island with 17 off shoots off a long road leading to the Atlantis Hotel. It is simply incredible. It is one of the only few things you can see from space...This is what it looks like from above. I didn't take this picture..Although I wish I hadn't told you that so you all asked how I got so high up!

At the end of the palm is the Atlantis Hotel which is where I got off the Bus and took pictures. I then somehow managed to waggle my way inside and see the view back to the main city. After leaving, I took a wrong turn into a construction site and ended up on an empty beach. I walked a little further up and I had somehow snuck into the Atlantis guest only beach bar! I still had to pay for my drink but I was rather proud of myself haha! Here are some pictures of the Atlantis and the view from the Bar I had a drink at... (p.s My Mum and Nan are staying at this hotel for a couple of nights in 2 weeks time... Lucky!)

The scary thing about Dubai is that they are still building, and building and building. Despite it's skyscrapers and built up areas, there are areas which are deserted. After all, this was a desert and small fishing village a long time ago. There is so much money around now. Everything has to be the biggest or the best. They have the tallest building, the tallest hotel, the biggest shopping mall in the world ( Dubai Mall is crazy, I get lost all the time. 1,200 shops. No joke.), they even have the most vertical waterslide!

The big thing I will look for in 2020 when it is finished is DubaiLand. The theme park will be double the size of Disney Land Florida...Looks like I will be coming back!

Dubai: Burj Khalifa, At the Top

After spending yesterday looking at the beaches and the Marina bay, today was the day I booked to travel up to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world by some distance... I was very excited!

First up, you enter a room showing you the biggest buildings in the world and there heights. The nearest to the Burj is the Tokyo sky tree at 634 meters. To put it into perspective, the Burj is almost 200 meters taller at 829.8 meters. Nearly double the empire state building!

You then follow a corridor along showing you some interesting facts about it's construction. You can fit 17 full size football pictures along its length... The weight on the materials used equates to around 100,000 elephants! I then took an elevator to the next floor ( I hoped this wasn't going to be a trend!). I then got into the poshest elevator I've ever seen... Not only that, but the quickest in the world too. The elevator moves at an amazing 10 meters a second! Scary! I then arrived at the top and straight away you move to the outside area and look out across Dubai! What a view! Here are some photos: 

Landed in Dubai!

Here we are, I've landed in Dubai and enjoyed my first day :) Arrived around 8am local time after a good flight. Virgin do treat you well although dinner and then breakfast 3 hours later isn't something I've done before! Got the metro to my flat which was really simple and easy. The trains and terminals are so clean!

When I arrived at the flat, I had a bit of time to look around the local streets and get a feel for the place. Carrying a huge rucksack meant I got some looks off the locals! Stuck out really bad haha! The are I am staying isn't the glitzy, glamorous Dubai but more working class and rustic. Weather was as expected really, nice and warm but not boiling :)

The first things I noticed are that men love to spit here. I have no idea why but nearly every man I saw this morning decided to gob on the floor.. Interesting.. Also, KFC's clearly aren't the same. They were advertising chicken in a bun with mash potato and gravy.. Again, interesting! The streets near my flat are lined with shop upon shop of knock off technology shops... Most having fake apple/htc logo's. Definitely not legit!

Got into accommodation which is basic but all that is needed, and then slept for a few hours (got none on the plane). Then thought I would venture into the Dubai city centre I came for. I stopped at the impressive world trade centre and the financial district which had some extremely huge buildings..I then walked quite a way to the Burj tower as I could see it (impossible not to!) All these places were completely different to where I was staying. This was the wealthy part of Dubai.

When I got to the front of the Burj I was seriously confused to where all the tourists were! After trying to get round the other side of it and being blocked off because it was for hotel guests only, I finally found a route round the corner and bam! It was packed.. The mini water fountain at the front drifts into an infinity lake which then forms a huge lake at the back of the Burj surrounded by shops, restaurants and a lot of people taking pictures! I did my fair share and then popped into the Dubai Mall next door. OH MY GOD! Every shop in the world must be in this place! Even Hamley's! It is enormous, I got lost several times! Went to the top floor and had a TGI fridays (45 minute waiting time for outside table, but not when it's just the one person eating haa! Also, just £10 for a starter, main meal and a drink!!). The view was stunning. The picture below doesn't even do it justice.. Whilst I was eating, they did the warm up to the fire and water show they perform every night. Then at 8pm they did the real thing which was incredible!

Intro +2 days to go!

After years of saving and planning, in two days time (Wed 16th Jan) I will be airborne on the way to Dubai! The excitement is truly kicking in now but It is still daunting. It does still feel very surreal, like it's not actually happening. 2 months isn't the longest time away but I have never been away for that long, especially not alone. It should be a hugely fascinating couple of months!

I thought I would set up a blog to write and share my traveling experiences with anyone interested! My itinerary is Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Rarotonga, America (LA, San Francisco, New York). Currently I am most excited for Australia and USA. In particular Sydney and San Francisco/New York. Not a huge culture difference but these are places I have wanted to visit for years...

I THINK I have everything sorted and ready to go now bar a few small items. I will worry I have forgotten something major on the way to the airport but I luckily have a few helpful people around the make sure I cover all angles!

I will miss many people when I am away, but with skype, this and twitter/facebook etc it'll be like I'm never away! I will try not to babble or bore you all (probably just mum and dad). 

My Next entry will be either on the day I leave or shortly after landing in Dubai!

Thanks for reading whoever you are, I will try to post pictures along the way too!