The Big Tour - Day 32 - Tuesday 28th Feb - Ho Chi Minh City

 Awake at 6.30am before the alarm sounded, we’re getting good at this! No packing to do other than the electrics, we’re organised today!

Taxi came and so did our Airbnb host to wish us well, he was lovely and we will definitely give a good review of the place. Taxi to airport was only 30mins and took us through the town and it was interesting to see how big it was and what we could have seen had we walked a lot further. Not that we’d missed much, just more bars and more western looking establishments.

No issues at the airport.

Check in

Walk

Scooters tour - need to elaborate on this one - it was such good fun

Noodle

The Big Tour - Day 31 - Monday 27th Feb - Phu Quoc

Lazy morning again, no hurry to do anything. 

Breakfast looking out over the sea and another planned day of relaxing although we do have an early flight tomorrow now so will need to be ready. 

I spent about 2 hours doing the diary updates! I’m knackered..

Got ready to go out a bit earlier today and it was very lovely walking through the usual street around 4.00pm instead of a few hours later. Even busier and more manic than usual. If that’s possible. 

We crossed over the bridge and walked further long the main road to try and find Long Beach. Took a couple of attempts but got there in the end and it looked lovely. Got a can of Tiger beer from a street seller and wandered along. There was a photoshoot taking place and we were getting in the way! Took some good photos ourselves and then walked along the beach and so glad that we did. 

Made it to a bar that had bean bags and tables so settled there for a beer (or two/three) and just relaxed and the sunset was amazing, it really was fantastic, we called mum and chatted and eventually got a good photo when the guy doing his beach exercises got out of the way! 

We decided to stay when the sun had gone down and have some food and that was lovely, but it was so surprising that the place emptied as soon as the sun cleared which was a shame. Anyway, it didn’t affect us and we enjoyed the moment. 

What was weird was because we’d gone out early it was like only 7.00pm and it felt more like 10.00pm! Anyway, we started to make our way back and stopped at a barbershop and by the time the guy turned up we’d made friends with his two adorable little girls. They kept Tash busy with counting water bottles and generally being a little mischievous. They were lovely. 

The guy did a good job on my hair so I was pleased with that, I’d only really wanted the back tidied up and hardly any off the top, got exactly what I wanted!!

We then continued our way back and stopped at the square we’ve been going to where we signed up for massages but they then said they were too busy which was a shame, so we went to the same bar as yesterday and when we sat down he greeted us with “welcome back” which made us smile. Only had a beer and a game of cards and then walked through the market that was busy again and got an ice cream. 

Walking through fish street, as we refer to it, and we only saw 5 rats so that was down on usual!!

Back home without further incident and all done and dusted. 

Walking along the Long Beach there were lovely apartments and lodges looking out onto the sea and we commented that the people in these would have no idea at all about the rest of the town. Very protected from the real side of it, we’re really pleased with where we stayed and what we experienced, we didn’t get the “sanitised” version and saw what it was like for normal people. 

It’s been a good couple of days recharging our batteries and just relaxing with nothing whatsoever to do. But that was enough for both of us really as we’re ready to move on and we do like to be busy. We don’t feel we’ve wasted time or anything, there was no need to be rushing around the whole 6 weeks and this was good and worked perfectly. 

Next few days will be busy though, can’t wait!! HMC should be fun. Loads to do there and we’ve booked up scooter tour and food tasting, should be a laugh! 

The Big Tour - Day 30 - Sunday 26th Feb - Phu Quoc

No hurry to get up this morning as we are literally doing nothing all day. 

Booked some flights out of here to Ho Chi Minh City so it’s less time wasted on travel by boat and bus. Makes a huge difference to have a 90mins flight instead of 8-10 hours. 

So we just relaxed outside listening to music, reading and wasting time. It was lovely and relaxing. First time we’ve properly “wasted time”. Felt a bit guilty by about 4.00pm though so even though we plan similar tomorrow it won’t be quite so bad. 

I watched the Last Kingdom series I’ve started on this holiday, that’s season 2 completed now!! Tash did the washing and it all dried no problem, decent machine by all accounts, that might be our last washing done thinking about it. We will see. 

Late afternoon we got showered and changed and walked into the main town and market like yesterday. That fish lane isn’t pleasant at all, you have all the smells and sights on the way and then coming home you have all the rats there. Loads this evening too!!

There wasn’t much else in the town so we returned to the same courtyard as last night but didn’t do the bistro again and instead had fish and chips and craft lager instead…we’re really embracing the Vietnam food and culture!!!

Spent the evening trying to sort out my Btinternet emails. Really waste of time, pissed me off. Lewis was a massive help and we worked getting him access at least. That was a couple of hours so was shit. 

Walked back through the market, a whole lot quieter than last night and got some pearl earrings. Seemed desperately cheap, hope they’re okay. 

Walked back and set off all the local dogs barking at us!! 

The Big Tour - Day 29 - Saturday 25th Feb - Kampot to Phu Quoc

We both woke up this morning with quite heavy heads, Tash worse than me with a bit of a stomachache too. 

We left the hotel after a bit of a discussion about whether we’d paid or not, but annoying because we had done and it was fine but I was stressing because we need to leave and be at the pick up point. Which didn’t matter too much because they arrived late anyway. 

Spent the last of our Cambodian money and picked up 4 other travellers and made our way to the border where he just dropped us off and pointed us in the direction of some buildings! I managed to get a bit more info about what to expect on the other side and then Tash and I headed off, the other four having already gone. 

I was worried about this process as reviews on Google suggested it’s an unpleasant experience but any concerns were unfounded and we just went through the normal visa and border checks. It was strange walking through no man land between the two countries, a good experience though. 

We got through to Vietnam without hassle and then waited at a taxi place for about half an hour, we got a bit anxious and as we were questioning the locals the next minibus turned up. They were dropped off as they were off to HMC but we were taking to the port, given tickets for the crossing and waited at the platform. 

The boat was busy and we just slept, both of us feeling the effects from yesterday. 

At Phu Quoc we just walked along the pier and got a taxi to the town and after a stop at the ATM and Google maps taking us the wrong way we found our accommodation. It was down a small back street but it opens out onto the sea and is clean so we’re perfectly happy with what we’ve got. It’s just a few steps to the sand and water and the view is lovely. Just what I’d imaging the China seas to look like with fishing boats all moored up. 

I started to feel really funny now and just slept for a couple of hours which helped me. Tash read and relaxed. 

Felt better by about 5.00pm so we got ready and went out. We’re based in quite a rough/locals area so we’re walking through back streets, dodging scooters in tiny alleyways and avoiding dogs barking at you. It’s funny, the sea front view we have looks like paradise but the reality is different out the front of the house. 

But we’re fine with that sort of thing, we can handle it and walked through smiling at people and responding to kids shouting hello at us all the time. The main road to the town is busy and we carried on into town and just guessed our way around. The first part is all very authentic and then we went through the fish market and starting to worry about food for the night. 

We carried on exploring and got to the Long Beach area and this was more touristy with more westerners visible. We found a really nice area and settled for a French Bistro and had pasta! Yep, embracing the culture we are!!

We then walked through the very busy Duong Duong night market which was great. Got an ice cream and then made our way home over the bridge and through the rougher areas again. The number of rats we saw at the fish market was not good!! But they’re going to be everywhere, we have one outside our back garden but I’ve not told Tash about it!!

Back to the apartment with no drama and early night. We’ve got a nice place for a couple of days and going to take it easy. 

The Big Tour - Day 28 - Friday 24th Feb - Phnom Penh to Kampot

Early up and walked to Post Office and bang on 7.30am we set off. There was one other person on the bus and she kept to herself so we had the whole 12 seater to ourselves and made the most of it and spread out and either slept, watched Netflix or took photos of the countryside as we went through. There were a couple of stops as we dropped off the post but it was just a three hour journey in the end. Perfect. 

We got dropped off at the depot in Kampot and our hotel, Rikitikitavi was about 10 yards away, couldn’t believe our luck. 

This was way too early so we dumped our bags and wandered off to see what was around, not much to be honest. We were scratching around for ideas to do and it felt like we were just going to do whatever we did for the sake of it. 

We did go past a tour place and they had the trip to Phu Quoc in one go so we signed up for that tomorrow.  

We then approached a tuk tuk and agreed to go to Kep about half an hour away and their National Park. Didn’t really know what to expect and when the guy just dropped us off at a gate at the bottom of a hill and kept saying he’d meet us the other side we didn’t have a clue. So we just started walking. 

It was a concrete path all the way through a lovely forest park but it was about 2 hours walk! Where did that come from?!?! It was good although unexpected. He was waiting at the end of the walk and suggested other things but we were happy to go back and check into the hotel. 

He did take us through Kep itself and it was a nice enough seaside place with beaches and bars but as Tash noted it was quiet, it all feels that things are in place to accommodate tourists but they’re just not here at the minute. Bit of a shame really. Wherever we have been on this trip it’s been quiet in the way of the amount of tourists. 

Checked in, our room was lovely. Very nice hotel. Had a couple of cocktails when we went out and had a call with the kids that was lovely. We then walked around the town looking for some where to eat and settled in a busy place that felt quite local. We had nice food and then ended up at a bar that had live music. That was good and we had a laugh, a few people chatted to us including the lead singer who was from London. 

We got a bit drunk if truth be told and stopped at O’Neills bar in the way back for a couple more. I liked it in there and soon there were two Americans and a very loud/arrogant bore from Europe somewhere and the poor Cambodian girl he’d picked up/was paying for. She was in no mood for him and just sat with her head in her hands the whole time. It was surreal. 

I couldn’t help but shake one of the US guys hands and say I’d admired his patience and he laughed. 

Luckily the bore didn’t really notice as he was a big chap and would have knocked me out easily!!

Anyway, safely back although we were locked out and had to wake the poor lad asleep in his hammock who had the key!!

Interesting day. 

The Big Tour - Day 27 - Thursday 23rd Feb - Phnom Penh

No breakfast at this place so when we were up we walked towards the  genocide museum stopping for a coffee and food along the way. 

The museum is actually the original school building where the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge took place. We had an audio tour and it was explaining all the rooms and what life was like. Obviously it was utterly appalling. Very upsetting. Didn’t take any photos, it’s not really appropriate. 

Near the end we bought a book from a survivor of the camp incredibly. 

When we were ready we got a tuk tuk to the killing fields that are about 25mins away. We walked around there with another audio tape and learned the history of what happened and what they found. Again, the stuff of nightmares.  It was terrible. The monument to the people dug up from the mass graves there held about 5,000 human skulls. Many of the graves have been left alone too. 

We took our time and took it all in. And then got the tuk tuk driver to take us back to the city, and he dropped us off at a very nice location that is clearly new buildings and we walked through a very affluent area. It was strange, we’d only experienced the rough side of the city but clearly they’re trying to clean it up and improve it. Certainly seemed to be working. 

We stopped at a bar over looking the road and watched the world go by, such a busy place. Then made our way back to the hotel after checking where we need to be tomorrow. Not much to re-pack and then out again. Walked around some of the nicer places and found a decent restaurant and again over looking the traffic and life and had good food and drink, I even treated myself to a banana split!

Got some food and water for travel tomorrow and then an early night. It’s been a draining day emotionally. 

The Big Tour - Day 26 - Wednesday 22nd Feb - Cambodia/Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

6.00am alarm, breakfast and checkout and then picked up by our driver at 6.45am. Got a few more people and went through the morning traffic and school kids on their scooters. I still can’t get used to the traffic rules in this country, there’s be so much road rage in the UK if anyone drive remotely like this!!

Bit of a drive through the countryside and then boarded the boat that would take us to Battambang, any concerns about the baggage weight we’re immediately dispelled as they didn’t batter en eyelid when I passed the bags up to store on the roof of the boat. 

We were sat on two sides within the hill and there are about 20 passengers, most appear to be French which was interesting. In fact, I think they all were with us as the obvious exception!

We set off down the river and a couple of people climbed up and sat on the roof, we were too late to do so and it would have been too uncomfortable so stayed inside and out out headphones on. We went down the river for a couple of miles and then it fed into the lake and open water. 

We passed a small water village, complete with floating church and then into the open water. A bit rough if I am honest, people at the back were getting splashed and it did cross my mind to get hold of a life jacket and I did make a mental note of what I’d do it we capsized. Sure it will be fine but it doesn’t inspire confidence on these little boats out here in the rough waters. So if this is my last post on here then I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my updates… 

Well, we made it over the part of the lake that was necessary and back into a river and very soon we were passing through a floating village, a bit one too. 

We stopped very briefly a couple of times to pick up good for transport or even a couple of locals. Kids were waving all the time from their wooden houses being supported by metal and plastic oil drums. 

The river was also busy with numerous mini boats that have the long pole with small propellers on them. Some of them were really bombing along. Didn’t take too long to get through the village, we’ve only been travelling for an hour and 20mins and it feels longer. 

I’ve been writing the diary and listening to the music Spotify allows, something is wrong with the downloads and most of my songs won’t play, it’s really pissing me off. 

We stopped for a break and then continued on our way passed so many individual villages and kids waving at us. We then slowed to walking pace, the river narrowed and was very slow, our weight and depth causing really problems and often the oarsmen had to push us out of mud. I genuinely expected them to tune back or kick some people off!!

But we got through it and the river widened after about 90 minutes of it. Both Tash and I sat on the roof of the boat and then it got too hot so Tash went down but I persevered and stayed up there until we landed at dock. Well, I say dock but it was just the riverbank with a few men offering tuk tuk services which was useful as we were 6 miles away and the time was 2.30pm. 

We’d been travelling since 7.45am and our minibus to Phnom Penh was due at 3.15pm so we had a frantic journey in a knackered tuk tuk but we made it. 

It was a small and tight 12 seater and it was full, so it was lucky that we were on time and that we’d booked. So we settled in for a 6 hour journey. Stopped once at petrol station for half an hour and then carried on and we listened to music or watched the programmes we have downloaded. Mines just finished which is why I am updating this post now. It’s dark now and 6.30pm, I think we have another 2-3 hours, so there might well be another stop! I just want to get there now though. 

We stopped again on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and then dropped people off at various points along the way into the city. 

The last stop was ours and we were some way from our hotel, we managed to get a tuk tuk driver to understand where to take us and he did so. A chap was in reception leaving early because he had a cockroach in his room so that didn’t bode well but we thought we’ve lived in the jungle and rainforest so we can do this. Spoiler alert - we had no problems at all and didn’t see any. 

Had a look at the rooftop pool and the vista of Phnom Penh and surprised how large it was. We went down to street level and out for a walk, not the nicest district as bars with girls outside offering their wares which we walked through. Found a nice enough restaurant and ate there and wandered round a bit further before making our way home. We were tired, it had been a long day traveling. 

The Big Tour - Day 25 - Tuesday 21st Feb - Cambodia/Siem Reap/Temples

Decent nights sleep, we’re getting in the habit of waking up early which I’m happy with as it means we’re not wasting the day. Decent breakfast and the met our driver from yesterday at 9.00am and he advised that we’d be out for about 5 hours…bit of an understatement in the end!!

I have to say right now instead of the end of this post that this was an extraordinary day of sightseeing, I loved it so much, the temples were incredible and just stirred the imagination and references to films, the obvious being Tomb Raider and Raiders of the Lost Ark!! 

Anyway, the first one we went to was Angkor Wat, we weren’t going to bother with a tour guide and refused the first one and then had second thoughts so went back and got another guy. Much to the fury of the first one who came chasing over and even videoing us, a bit disconcerting but we lost him shortly. 

Our guide was good, but if a strong accent so you had to concentrate a lot when he was talking but we’re glad that we did use one as it wasn’t expensive, he told good stories/information and he was very good at getting photos sorted for us. I even learned a trick using the pano option for portrait photos instead of landscape! That was worth the money alone!!

So, Angkor Wat? It was huge in scale and size. The surrounding most was big enough but within it the grounds were vast and the temple itself was simply amazing. I don’t have the words for it, it was just majestic. It was build in only 37 years around the 12th century and has likely undergone various restoration projects over the years to have it in its current state. 

We were shown so much and had so much explained that we’d not have any idea about, for example the engravings along the walls and pillars, so very, very interesting. I loved every minute of it. 

Loads of photos of course. Lot of people there but no overcrowded, and lots of people fully dressed up with proper photographers and their reflective equipment etc. 

What was pleasing is there were little restrictions in terms of where we could go, so you got a really good feel for it all and you were not being herded around and feeling crowded. 

Have to comment on our guide, at one point he had a funny turn, I can hardly describe it other than he went into a sort of trance and moving round in a circle backwards for about 15 seconds. We had no idea what to do and just asked if he was okay when it passed, but he didn’t seem to have any recollection of it. Very odd indeed. 

I don’t want to go on too much, it was a great start and I genuinely think that it’s better than Rome, Pompeii or Athens. Might have to reconsider that quote in the future of course!!

We spent 2.5hrs there and I could have stayed longer, but we had many more temples to visit. Our driver just kept dishing out the water and wet wipes and moving us from one place to the next, it was VERY hot today too so when we were within the ruins there was no breeze and we were just dripping sweat!!

So onwards we went, I can’t say all the temples we went to, there are plenty of photos and even though each one we went to appeared to be similar there were obvious differences. Although the main similarity was the design, very square with loads of corridors. What also surprised us was the size of them each time, they just appeared to keep going on and on

Even the travelling between temples was enjoyable as the roads and bridges have all these monuments set up and the craftwork is amazing. 

There were 2 additional temples that deserve comment, the Bayon Temple which was full of the 4 faced Buddha, everywhere and every column it seemed, it was fantastic and we got so many photos. It was eerie and exciting at the same time, I just kept imagining what it would have been like to discover these places that had been there centuries and I bet had been reclaimed by the jungle and appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. 

The other temple I really liked was Ta Prohm, this is referred to as the Tomb Raider temple and it is a great example of how the forest has no respect for humans and their buildings as there were so many trees growing over and within the walls, trees that had to be hundreds of years old in their own right too

Tash was flagging by now, she was happy to find shade and let me wander around. Which I was grateful for as I just had all the energy I needed from adrenaline and excitement of being a kid in these ruins with my imagination!!

We did stop for lunch but we had ice mango smoothie and I had coffee, both were lovely and just the pick up that we both needed. 

We started to get round the last few quicker as time was getting on and they were similar in many ways and were that bit smaller. What did strike me is the space these places had, it was quite a walk from the entrance gates to the temples and they felt like they were in the middle of nowhere, it just also seemed strange how there were so many within a small(ish) radius of each other. Why? 

When we’d done all we could, although we didn’t do the one that Tash wanted to which was a bit annoying but you can’t do them all so we made our way home for about 4.30pm, a long, tiring, dusty and exhilarating day. 

Back at the hotel we were straight down to the pool, it was busy down there, and had some food and drinks (it was happy hour..what would you expect??)

Tash couldn’t resist a cheap offer of a massage for about $13.00, which she said was excellent so she’s happy with that. 

Got ready for the evening and also packed ready for moving on tomorrow then out into town, we tried to avoid Pub Street but still headed in that directly as it’s hard to miss, and we found a nice restaurant nearby so went in there and had two mains and rice and nice beers so that worked out well. Didn’t want a heavy night so that was sufficient and we popped into 7-11 to get some provisions for tomorrow as we will be travelling all day until about 9.00pm and want to make sure we’re not to buggered by lack of food and water. 

A really great day, something I’ll remember for a very long time indeed. 

The Big Tour - Day 24 - Monday 20th Feb - Cambodia

6.30am alarm, quick breakfast and £20 ride to airport. We were Terminal 4 but we headed to T1 (Jewell) as it’s a sight to see in its own right!! They’re not wrong. 

Walk into the main area and they’ve set up pretty much an indoor rainforest complete with waterfall which sadly wasn’t on as we were too early. We’ve constantly been taken aback by the scale of everything and the airport(s) no different. Just so much space, clean and shiny, everything feels new. Trees everywhere, comfortable furniture, electric connections everywhere, gentle and calming music being played, sculptures around each corner. It’s all been amazing. 

We flew to Bangkok and waited there for a couple of hours before flying to Siem Reap. It was interesting in this departure lounge because the travellers for the two flights (Siem Reap and Phnom Penh) were predominantly Western, hardly any other nationalities. So it felt like we were off to Tenerife or somewhere. 

Arrived and no problems with customs and we had a pick up organised by the hotel waiting for us, we followed him out of the airport and we’re presented with a large sized tuk tuk!! This was our airport to hotel transfer which we thought hilarious and jumped on board. We’d been well warned to keep valuables within the tuk tuk as it was common practice for passing bikes to grab and steal handbags and anything loose. He told us the same. 

We travelled through the streets and it was busy. Just people driving all over the place and so many scooters. Dropped off at the hotel and it was very nice indeed, it’s actually a spa as well so it was pretty decent!

On opening my luggage I found that my flip flops were missing, I was a bit pissed off because they were both expensive and nice ones. I really believe they were in the side pocket of the bag, which isn’t locked, and they’d been swiped. Ah well. 

The chap that picked us up from the airport offered to take us out to one of the temples for the sunset so we agreed to him. We had to go and buy the day pass tickets and he then took us to one of the temples and then to an area of water that was busy with h loads of people doing the same thing…watching the sunset. It was very impressive and relaxing. 

He then took us back to the hotel and we agreed to a full day tour of all the temples with him tomorrow. It made sense as it was reasonable and we’d have control over some of the timings but he’d also know what best to visit. 

We then got ourselves ready and wandered out about town but didn’t have to go too far as the place we were headed for (Pub Street) was quite nearby. 

Goodness me, that was an eye-opener, bright lights, blaring music, cheap and tacky place. Exactly like the strip in San Antonio or somewhere. I loved it!!

We walked through and around, it wasn’t that big in the end, and we found somewhere for food and drinks. We felt we managed some culture by having a local dish, but also a pizza to share. Both were good. We watched the world go by and then changed location and couldn’t find a bar we really liked but ended up and one and played cards. Tash beat me at Crib again!!

Didn’t overdo it and made our way back to the hotel. A decent day, excited for tomorrow, there’s just these old temples and ruins everywhere. 

The Big Tour - Day 23 - Sunday 19th Feb - Singapore

Lovely poached eggs for breakfast, didn’t hurry things too much this morning, we knew what we wanted to do and Tash wasn’t really feeling 100% so we took it a little steady. 

We’re both still really feeling it from the walk, our thighs and calves scream every time we walk up or down stairs, even just the kerb, but also any pressure on them like when standing up from a seat!! I’ve had this a lot as a footballers but Tash says she’s never known pain like it!

We got the MRT to a local station and then walked through Canning Fort gardens, very hot and it seemed that everyone was picnicking! Even on the pavement in the middle of Orchard street! 

The park was lovely and we then made it to Clarke’s Quay which looked like Little Cuba, great looking drinking places and we booked onto the boat tour and wandered around for 20 mins killing time. The trip was worth it and made memorable by an older crew member who insisted on taking peoples cameras off them and photographing the buildings or the people themselves, he appeared to take a shine to Tash and me!

Only 40 mins round trip and we then walked along the riverside towards the marina where we’d just been going round (shame we couldn’t have jumped off or had use of a river taxi!). 

Tash was feeling it more now, might have been heat or a number of things. She perked up after coke and cooling down but it wasn’t fun for her. We were both soaked from sweat. 

The walk through and by some of the hotels was amazing, great stretch where the chinese immigrants first set up that’s bars and food which I can imagine would be buzzing at night time. We found a 7-11 and got ice cream and even got stopped for a photograph with a family group - no idea what that was about! 

We had a short lie down on a wooden sun bed by the Marina Bay before it poured with rain and we then went into the Marina Bay hotel

Complex to cool down. Busy and bustling place. Just huge. 

We walked through towards the Gardens By the Bay which involved a high walkway between hotels and out onto another walkway and it was there in front of us. 

I’d been looking forward to this a lot and it didn’t disappoint, it’s those structures that look like metal flowers and are towering above everything. From a distance they looked so impressive and we went through the gardens to get up close to them and they were even better. 

I didn’t realise there were so many, I think it was double figures, and the surrounding grounds were filled with all fauna and trees, again, just so relaxing and magical. Could have stayed there for hours but we were tired and hot and wanted a break so made our way back via the MRT again. We’re getting used to it now!

Even the underground is spotless and sparkling clean and also vast. There’s just so much space for everything

Back at the hotel we relaxed by the pool, I was a coward and didn’t want to get cold and posted our Borneo update on Facebook which again got a lot of attention. 

We got ready and went downstairs for our drinks and canopies again and then called Mum and finally had a decent chat with her as we’ve missed her on numerous times when trying to connect. She was pleased to hear from us and it went well. 

We then went to China town and as Lewis commented it’s about our third one we’ve visited on this tour. We you come up the escalator it just hits you right in your face, you’re there slap bang in the middle of all the lights, food and drink places in Pagoda street. 

We walked through and found somewhere nice to have our dinner and it was good food and nice big bottles of beer! After we wandered round and stumbled over the huge temple there and a few locals dancing in the square. Just so out of place but they were loving it and fair play to them. 

That was it, bought a souvenir to take home for John at Tasha’s work (he’s getting more than anyone!!) and the MRT back to hotel

The short time we’ve been here in Singapore and what we’ve seen has really impressed us, it’s an amazing city and Tash put it well saying that it feels futuristic. Will likely be a huge culture shock in Cambodia and Vietnam but that’s what we’ve signed up for and I am glad with what we’ve done so far.