O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand has made...

How do you sum up 3 months + of experiences? With great difficulty!

Over 30,000 miles by air, more than 5000 on the ground; 94 days of exploring using most types of transport (except rockets!)

The title for this blog was easy – it came to me about a month into the holiday – probably because I’d used the word “awesome” rather too often by then! But you see, awe and wonder were very much the emotions that filled us as we saw so many beautiful, rare and wild aspects of God’s incredible creation.
Our main aim had been to spend a good amount of time in New Zealand – and we certainly did that. However, there are still things we’d love to have seen that we didn’t get to – so we have the excuse (and the invitations) to return. We’ll have to start saving up again! But we were blessed with so many sights, sounds and smells, so many friends along the way that it’s probably the people we met, whose lives touched ours, that will stay with us longest.
We’d always intended to camp a reasonable amount of our time in NZ – we were fortunate to have such good weather that it meant we could camp far longer than we intended. In turn this meant, of course, that we had more opportunities to meet people than we would otherwise have had.
There are, of course, scenes that will stay with us too – Mt Cook in a crystal clear blue sky – the deep turquoise of the hanging glaciers, the peace and stillness of Doubtful Sound, the diving of a whale, and dolphins swimming with us and only inches below. But how can you forget Langa Township and the harshness of Robben Island? I think the brain will be in “overload mode” for a good few weeks yet.
What will we take out of the experience? Hopefully a wider, more understanding view of the way the worldand it's people work, and a deeper appreciation of the relative luxury and comfort in which we are privileged to live. Also, the feeling that we may have “lost something” when it comes to spiritual connection with the Creator and His creation. Those with nothing seemed to have a better connection no matter which country they called home. It is the antithesis of the issues we had with the internet in New Zealand. We had everything we needed but couldn’t always make the man made things work!
Finally, read Psalm 104 written in the 3rd century BC or before. The psalmist had so much to say about the world in which we live. Let us all open our eyes and our minds to what a blessing we have been given in this fragile earth. We are stewards of His Kingdom and we , as the school teacher has need to say “could do better”. Nuf Sed!

The Mother and child reunion is only a motion away

Hi everyone Philias speaking, for our penultimate blog of this trip.

Yesterday we went to Robben Island and had a facinating insight into the lives that prisoners especially political one had. The conditions are very difficult and to see and touch what they had to endure along with original video footage before the release, makes everything that Nelson Mandela said in his book "Long walk to freedom" all the more meaningful. It was a cool 31 degrees when we were there and the limestone was so white it was a good job that I had my sun glasses on otherwise I think I would have been suffering with "snow blindness" after only one afternoon let alone 25 years!

We are now in London at Heathrow waiting to be picked up by our friends Val and Daisy and then we will all be reunited with Simba. Of course I will have to introduce Wattlie, my Aussie girl friend to the family, although she has not been seen in the person they should recognise her from the photos which have been taken by Mum and Dad.
On the way back I got to ride with the pilot and co-pilot at the front of the A300 Airbus we fly from Cape Town on. All those dials and things. It really made me giddy just sitting with my back to them. Think I'll stay as couch bear!
We said good bye to Keith and Gill at the airport who have been real bricks in putting up with not only Dad and Mum but us two as well. 4 extra mouths to feed is no joke when you live on your own. It was great to see their children and grandchildren on Sunday. There was a great deal of chocolate around, or should I say round shaped. I don't like chocolate, so I'm not sure why humans seem to like it and in such HUGE quantities. I'll eat the odd coco beans and leaves if there is nothing else to eat, but it makes my head spin and my eyes cross - not very pleasant!

The flight was re-scheduled from 23:15 to 20:45 and so it was a good job that the humans decided to get to the airport around 18:45 as I could still be in South Africa writing this blog and that would never do. We had a nice smooth flight and the overhead seat we had was spacious and nice and cool. We bears don't like it too hot; well would you with a fur coat?

We arrived in London having flown up across Africa (Johannesburg, and then the western coast), across the Sahara and Morroco and then Marseilles, Paris and Biggin Hill. As we hit (not really) the London traffic into Heathrow we were required to circle in a stacking pattern over North West Kent and so we waved to those below singing the song I have used today. Well, my Mum is seeing her Mum, and later my Mum is seeing her child David, and then tomorrow she will be seeing her other child Jenny. Of course I haven't left Sim's out. But he is Mums adopted child and that is why I left him until last, but certainly not least.

We were expecting to have to dress up in warm clothes, but it is promising to be a warm 16-17 degrees today. You see there aer advantages to having your own fur coat!

So many things I could have done, but clouds got in the way...

Today was our one chance to go up Table Mountain before we fly home tomorrow evening..and guess what? The “Tablecloth” was spread over the whole of the top of the mountain  Oh well, we never have been “fair-weather campers” or “fair-weather tourists” for that matter, so up we go regardless. There is always a chance that the warm sun we’re experiencing in Pinelands will burn the cloud off the top while we’re up there.
We go up in the circular cable car which rotates as it climbs to make sure everyone gets as good a view as possible. Sadly from about 2500 feet we’re in thick cloud which swirls around the top, masking the view in sogginess! At 3500 feet it’s not too cold, but still rather damp and with no views to speak of, we decided to join a guided walk around the table top. Two lovely black girls take us round, full of knowledge about the Fynbos (fine bush) vegetation and animals. They apologised for the weather, but made the walk interesting none the less. We could have seen Dassies (rock rabbits), tsar antelope, Cape Cobra, puff and rock adders, spiders, etc. Sadly most of them were taking shelter from the cold and/or the wet! We did, however find 1 locust and a black Verreaux’s eagle. So it wasn’t a totally wasted journey! Philias and Wattlie were thrilled to be on top of Table Mountain and amused the locals and tourists by posing mercilessly at the top!
Table Mountain is supposed to be 6 times older than the Himalayas – no wonder it’s a National monument, and being nominated for one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
Having warmed up with a coffee, we decide that the cloud isn’t going to lift, so we make our way back down – no views, but at least we’ve been up there!
On the way home, Keith takes us along the contour road around the mountain at 363m above the sea. The views both up and down are spectacular, but we can’t go all the way that he intended, as there is a rock fall across the road and it’s been closed off. So instead we cut back through the upper part of the city, through what is known as Malay City. Here , lining very steep cobbled streets (the first we’ve seen) are the gaudily painted houses of the Malay community – including 3 Mosques within about a mile.
Then it’s home for supper – tomorrow is, as they say, another day. Apart from flying home (we’re on our way back Sims, honest! ) we’re doing one of the things we’ve both been looking forward to – a visit to Robben Island. Keith and Gill are coming with us as they’ve never been either. So it’s early to bed tonight, as it will be a very long day tomorrow! Night night!

Where have all the flowers gone.....

Today we are visiting Kirstenbosch, which is a world heritage site very close to Cape Town. We slip in as “pensioners” as it is free on Tuesdays. (Yes, we know M doesn’t qualify...but Keith had sorted the tickets before we realised!!) The Cape Floral Kingdom covers an area smaller than the size of Greater London and has many micro-climates which suit the 2600 species of plants grow here. Many of the species have been introduced as exotics or hybrids into the UK and so and known to us but to see these in their natural habitats is amazing, because not only do they look so much healthier, but are so big!
Unfortunately, the best season to see the gardens is in spring which of course will be September to November in the southern hemisphere and the fynbos in summer. It is probably just as well as we spent a full day taking photographs and we could have spent a few days here, rather than the 6 hours we actually walked around the gardens. Hopefully the pictures of the proteas and heathers will give you a feel for what we were able to feed on with our eyes and olfactory nerves.
Talking of food, the garden has a number of options for eating. We chose the cafe option which was very good value and exceptionally large meals. I had an open BLT with two slices, which I really struggled with. It was enormous!! Margery had a closed sandwich which had probably half the amount of filling and was probably a better bet for lunch! Our hosts insisted in paying – naughty things.
We returned to Pinelands as we are going out to a restaurant called Panama Jacks which comes recommended by Tricia and Jacques. It is deep in the docklands on Quay 500 and you would never expect to find anything like it. But as Keith our host said “It was incongruous. The quality of the food inside was in complete contrast to the outward appearance.”
We had all eaten so much for lunch that we weren’t that hungry, to be frank. The fare was very extensive on the fish front and very good quality. I overheard on person two tables away say to the waitress he had travelled 9000 miles to visit the restaurant! I think I can say that the tuna I had was probably the best I have experienced except in Raratonga on the beach BBQ. Thanks for the recommendation T & J!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...

Our adventures today are taking us to a place I never dreamed I’d get to..ok, I know I’ve said that before, but it’s true! Who ever thought that Ron and I would be standing at the Cape of Good Hope? Or Cape Point (which is further south still)? It’s not quite the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas – that’s about 2 hours drive south east of us, but it is the most south westerly part, and it is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet.
Keith and Gill are coming with us – bless them, they want to do the driving so we can see the scenery – I think that, after a busy Holy Week, it’s a good excuse for a day out too! And there’s so much to see..we go out through little towns, whose names we know, but we know very little about them, apart from Simons town, which we knew was a British Naval base for many years. We’re able to stop and take more photos (!) of beautiful coastal scenery – somehow two coasts never look the same . Our route goes out through Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, GlenCairn and Simons Town before entering the Table Mountain National Part. This isn’t a game reserve as such, but being a protected area, we may see Baboons (a local nuisance!), Zebra, Ostrich etc.
On the way we stop at a local semi precious stone factory known as the “Scratch Patch”. Apart from all the beautiful pictures, models, jewellery etc that we’ve seen before, the “scratch Patch” is a concreted area, designed to look like a rock cave. The floor of this is covered inches deep in polished semi precious stones! You take you little plastic bag in, root around on the floor to find your special choice, and fill the bag with as many as you can cram in! Tigers eye, amethyst, turquoise and many, many others. Great fun! When Harry and Mia are a bit bigger, Grandad’s and Grandma’s “pretty stones” may be fun to play with!
The National Park (19140 acres) is home to more plant species than are indigenous to Great Britain. Phew! We see proteas among many others that M usually pays a fortune for back home!!
The Zebra prove elusive, but we do have “close encounters” with the baboons – doors and windows locked of course as the big males are quite capable of opening the doors and getting inside your car to look for food! We also saw ostrich, Cape Lizards and red winged starlings. These are amazing birds – not to mention the fact that they too are a nuisance, being quite capable of removing your sandwich from your hands if you let them! They look like small, rather boring black birds, until they take to the wing, when you get these incredible flashes of livid scarlet, as all bar the top edge of their wings is this colour. Cape Point is very dramatic – crashing seas from both sides on the rocks below being the graveyard for many a ship – including the Lusitania in 1911. It is now protected by two lighthouses, one at the top of the cliff and one lower down. The Cape of Good Hope is less dramatic, being further north and not so exposed to the two oceans maelstrom. It’s interesting that different sea explorers have given it other names – Cape of storms being one of them; you suspect that the name has something to do with the sea conditions at the time of arrival!
The bay to the east of Cape Point is known as “False Bay” because sailors went into it, thinking it was the tip of Africa and that they were now on their way to India! Sadly they had to brave the seas for some distance further to round Cape Agulhas to be in that happy position.
Having explored the east coast of Cape Point on the way down, we return by the West Coast through Scarborough, Kommetjie, and cross Chapman Peak to Hout Bay and then via Llandudno and Clifton to Signal Hill above Cape Town .It’s amazing how many British names we’ve seen all round the world – we’re not too sure if that’s lack of imagination or pride in your homeland! Hopefully the latter!
The road across Chapman’s Peak is supposed to be one of the world’s most scenic drives, being carved out of a sheer rock face 600 metres above the crashing waves. It has been in existence for some 70 years as it was originally made by Italian prisoners of war. Recently the road has been closed for 18 months while reinforcing work is done, and rock guards are put on the hillsides above the roadway to protect the cars from rock fall. You’re told that you “travel this road at your own risk” Oooo..er...perhaps you can see why in the picture above!
Arriving at Signal Hill, we get a really good view across Cape Town, and we’re also looking straight down at the new Soccer Stadium that’s been built for the World Cup. Sadly they’ve built it way out of the city, far from the townships. Who are the greatest soccer fans? - the black people. Will the planners never learn? Local concerns are as to how these folk will find the money to get there with the unemployment as high as it is, there is a worry that crime will increase still further.

Josephs face was as black as the night and he lived all his days under African skies.

He has risen! He has risen indeed, alleluia!
We set our alarms for 5 am today so that we could help Keith, our host prepare for the 7am sunrise service at Pinelands Methodist Church. Being southern hemisphere this is autumn and so the weather is warmer than back home in the UK. We are having an outdoor morning service with the novelty of chairs and a full PA, with Keith playing the Clavinova.
The service is for around 100 people from the church and we are not the only visitors from England, as there is a minister and his family from York as well. Their church is twinned with Pinelands and they also support the same missionary project and so it was very interesting to meet them. The sunrise service was very similar to ours back in the UK, and it was great to share with this church and our hosts, who remember Dick and Meryl with fondness and love. After the service there was the traditional Methodist welcome in the guise of Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and of course Hot Cross Buns! Ron in seventh heaven!
After the service we were being escorted by Keith to Langa (Sun) township where we are privileged to spend time with the congregation of the large Methodist Church which was bursting at the seams. We have to sit in the choir stalls at the front of the church as that was the only room. The singing and rhythm was so powerful it was humbling, and the harmonies were amazing. But the contrast between the two services was quite marked, as was the township to Pinelands. I’m actually finding it difficult to express the many mixed emotions that the experience gave me. When you see how people are living and the pride with which they wear their Sunday best for church it makes you realise what a spiritual people the black Africans are, despite everything that has been metered out to them over the last 60 years, they are true believers and truly a rainbow people of God.
We didn’t take too many photographs because we almost felt this would be voyeuristic. I hope you all understand what we mean by this.
Yesterday, we travelled around Cape Town on the open top Red Bus as an orientation experience. We walked through part of the main city shopping area and also a local craft market. Later we explored the Waterfront which was very reminiscent of Auckland and San Francisco in some ways. Like San Francisco there is an island in the bay which was used as a prison –Robben Island. This is where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. The trip to visit there was fully booked until next Thursday, (the day we fly out of Cape Town) and this trip was certainly very high on our personal itinerary. We managed to book 4 places so we hope the weather is fine and that the trip isn’t cancelled due to rough sea conditions.
The work in preparation for the Football World Cup 2010 is we underway, but still incomplete. New roads and access bridges have been surveyed and built and the tourist facilities are going into overdrive. There are big screens being installed on the main city streets for non ticket holders to get to see the games at the big new stadium. Hopefully this will eliminate any anti-social behaviour on the part of “fans”.
Finally, until you arrive in Cape Town it is difficult to comprehend just how much Table Mountain and the associated mountains dominate this city. This is even more impressive when you look at the extent of land reclamation which has transformed the city. Once again similarities exist to Wellington (NZ) and of course the work done by the Dutch engineers mirrors their endeavours in the Nederland’s.
Finally, we mustn’t forget the pioneering work done in Dr Christian Barnard’s operating theatre in the mid 60’s. This, of course was where the first successful heart transplant was performed. The original hospital has been extended and is very close to where we are staying.

Packed our bags today, pre-flight. Zero hour 2 am and I’m gonna be......

We had a fantastic last day in Singapore. This morning we went to church (Maundy Thursday) and then we packed our bags and got them down to the porters store, all labelled up and tied together with bright green “string”. We had a long discussion with the concierge and the cashier about our anniversary breakfast, which we thought was a little on the expensive side. This was after we saw that the Room Service price was $5 cheaper than what we had been charged for eating in the restaurant!
We eventually got the hotel management to reduce the charge to that of the room service price, being gracious enough to admit that they needed to do something about this in future.
We went on a harbour cruise this afternoon and landed on a small island that has a number of shrines which the Chinese visit in October. The vessel was called the Cheng Ho ll and was very much artistically decorated in oriental style, and with twin dragon heads on its prow.
Our taxi ride to the airport was supposed to cost $20 but in fact cost $30 as it was rush hour. The driver changed the meter as we got near the airport, and would have been the stated amount if he hadn’t! Well, we’ll let it go as we don’t want to appear un-gracious British people!
We get to the airport in good time, and just as well. We find that despite having written confirmation from Virgin Atlantic that we have a Business Class flight, Singapore Airlines have us down for an economy flight! We are no not very happy bunny’s, Easter or not! Despite protestations we get now where, although it is accepted that we have paid the full business class fare! So, we are on Standby for Business Class. This means we still get our flight to Cape Town, but it probably will be less comfortable for me and very uncomfortable for Margery. We hope that she can sleep and control the pain over the next few days otherwise we won’t be doing too much sight seeing in South Africa!
Not certain if anything else can go wrong, but I have already contacted Virgin Atlantic about the problem and will see what the outcome is. The problem is that travelling business class you get a better luggage allowance, and you are also able to relax more on the flights. We’re not so fussed about complimentary drinks etc, but if you’ve paid for it already then you are entitled to it if you want it!
Margery is getting anxious about the flight and so we will see what transpires Que Sera sera, what ever will be will be. Oh! Tom Jones has just walked through on the same flight. I bet he’s not in economy class. His Singapore concert was rescheduled to tonight,and so it might have a bearing on why we appear to have been” bumped”. Apparently he is performing on Wednesday in Cape Town so hopefully no repeat performance!
Well, We didn’t get our correct seats and as a result we didn’t get much sleep between Singapore and Johannesburg. We did manage to get up into our rightful seats for the “Joburg” to Cape Town flight and we did get some rest, but nowhere near enough (2 hrs rather than 12).

In the jungle, the mighty jungle the lion sleeps......

Today we are having very much a Cosmopolitan day, an American breakfast buffet, followed by visiting Arab Street, renowned shopping area with multi racial shopping cheek by jowl. Then Little India, before going to the Zoo and on a Night Safari. Well, it is our 20th wedding anniversary today!
Arab Street was suggested by one of the tour guides when M said she wanted some fabric for our “world trip” quilt. There certainly was plenty to choose from – 1000’s of colours, textures, beading etc. Once we’d explained that it had to be 100% cotton to go with the other fabrics we’d already bought, the choice was a bit more limited, but we still must have had at least 50 fabrics to choose from.
We did try Ron’s silk shirt that died in the Cook Islands, but there wasn’t anything he really liked. If I’d wanted a silk dress made, that would have been a completely different matter! The prices were very reasonable, but instead we chose a very nicely made batik printed table runner for our dinner guests to admire!!!!!Or for M to chuck food on more accurately!
We wanted something to drink and as fresh coconuts were on sale we had one to share, which is a very eco friendly drink as there is only the plastic straw to dispose of and no washing up!
So after our substantial breakfast (well it is very hot and you really don’t need the calories even if the pastries and sweetmeats look very appetising) we as usual skip a meal and after changing into dry clothes go to the zoo. This was a superb activity and comes highly recommended as you can really feel as if you are encroaching on the animals habitat rather than them being caged off from you. They are free to roam in a lot of cases, and so like their environment that the electric fences and wet and dry moats are more to stop homo sapiens invading rather than animal breakout. From a simple health and safety aspect there are washing stations regularly around the zoo and you are encouraged to use them. Oh, and please don’t look up with your mouth open as anything can happen especially if the flying foxes are on the wing!!! Don’t understand why? Well, you try going to the toilet hanging upside down!
The Zoo was really amazing as the animals all looked so well and it was great to get so close to them without bars in between.
In the evening, before the night safari we had a meal at the Ulu Ulu food centre. I call it this because it is more like the Hawker food centre in the city where there is one way in but up to 20 different styles of cuisine and a communal seating area. Not like a motorway service station, the food’s freshly prepared, very edible and inexpensive.
Unfortunately, as it hadn’t rained earlier, it decided to rain just before the “Animals of the night” show was to take place. This created a chaotic situation in the tramway area as the world and its kids, and grandma too tried to join the tram rides which are the main way around the park in the dark. Imagine the airline queues at American immigration after 5 jumbos have all arrived at once. Nuf Sed!
A 20 min wait got us on the tram, and what followed was a 45 min ride through the animal’s habitats, mostly subtly lit, so that we could see animals active at night rather than in their more usual sleepy daytime state. We saw giraffe, tigers, lions, Asian elephants, rhino, many types of deer, Asian otters (very noisy!) and Malayan tapir etc. A particular highlight was a Serval (fishing wildcat) which we watched fishing right in front of us.
Finally we were entertained by some wild boys from Borneo, whose antics were great to watch including the acrobatics, blowpipe balloon bursting, fire eating and blowing. One of the female members of the audience was roped into their antics as she missed the balloon with her attempt to burst it causing great hilarity!
Tired after an 8 hour tour, we head home to a good nights “and sleep. Tomorrow is as they say in Monty Python speak (sorry, I had to get a snake reference in, being at the zoo and all).. now for something completely different!” I don’t like spiders and snakes and that is why I love you... (another one of Ron’s obscure song refs..just how did you spend your childhood, Ron? On second thoughts, no, don’t answer that!

Bright Lights, big city...

Well. Raffles lived up to it’s reputation – an amazing building with a very colourful history, complete with a be-turbaned doorman and also the Tiffin room. Tiffin is an Asian meal container of 4 layers and consisting of rice meat, vegetables and dessert which people took to work. This was anglicised to mean High Tea at 4 pm. There was even a “Tiffin” chocolate bar which you were able to purchase in the 50’s and 60’s. The trip up to the Long Bar was fun, even if you’d have needed the aforementioned gold plated bank account for the night on the town! A Singapore Sling signature cocktail of the Long Bar had we indulged would have set you back a tidy S$ 29.75 before 10% service charge and before 7%GST is added. Not that bad if you’re used to clubbing prices in London , but if you’re not used to a sweet mixture of gin, daiquiri, grenadine etc. ....
For those who haven’t been, the Long Bar is still in it’s 1930’s decor, complete with oscillating palm fans! – no punka walla that we could see tho – we presume he’s been replaced by the new fangled electricity! The spiral staircase in the centre of the bar led upstairs to where very good live music was entertaining the clientele. At the foot of the stairs were 3 large sacks of roasted monkey nuts awaiting consumption! Each table had a large square container of these, which were regularly refilled, and unlike the rest of Singapore, where littering of any sort attracts a large fine, you were positively encouraged to drop your monkey nut shells on the floor as you finished them! A hangover from British Ex-Pat eccentricity, we gather! I didn’t have a problem with this (no comments please!) but Ron still found it hard to chuck his shells on the floor!
And so to bed...Andy Pandy is waving good bye! Good bye! Looby loo’s knackered as well!

Any umbrellas, any umbrellas to fix to day?...

If yours needed fixing you might, as they say, be in a fix, because the predicted storm appeared again today - but at 3 o’clock like yesterday rather than Simon’s 4pm!
It didn’t stop us enjoying ourselves though, as we’d planned an earlyish start, and a visit to the Botanic Gardens. The Orchid Garden that we visited briefly before is there too and I for one intended a longer visit! 100 pictures of orchids? Not enough!! Well, maybe not 100 but quite a few!
The gardens are extensive, with beautifully landscaped areas for different types of plant –bamboos, ferns, a sun garden (cacti) water lilies etc. There was a Ginger garden which we found very interesting – did you know that Turmeric was a type of ginger? Nope, neither did we! The other one Ron enjoyed was the spice garden. Using as many as we both do in cooking, it was fascinating to see what they looked like “in the flesh” so to speak. Most of the Botanic gardens was free to enter, just the orchid part attracted a small charge..made less by the fact that Ron has his bus pass! It was really worth it to see so many beautiful flowers in as near their natural environment as could be achieved; sorry Jules, I didn’t smuggle any out for you this time, either!
We’ve come back to the hotel for a rest, a shower and a change of clothes as we’re out on the town tonight! We’re going to Clarke Quay for a river cruise and supper, followed by a visit to Raffles, where we intend to sample the atmosphere, if not the Singapore Sling! I tried one on the plane on the way here and whilst the flavour was very pleasant and the idea of 4 or 5 shots of different spirits in one glass might sound like a good idea, I’m not so sure! Might have to settle for a nice safe G & T!
Oh yes, Singapore is, as we have said, a vivid multi cultural place, but we weren’t too sure quite what was intended when we saw the street sign above...or the “basah” that was being advertised!!!

....thunder bolts and lightning, very, very, fright’ning; mama mia, mama mia....

We are off on a “round the city” tour with a guide to see most of the other areas we want to visit, and to get some of the local knowledge. We will be visiting China Town, Little India, and the Orchid Collection among other sights. My son Simon told me how busy the roads could be and suggested we use the MRT or Mass Rapid Transit rail system to get around. Good advice for getting quickly from A-B and you can purchase a tourist ticket which allows multi trips. He also told us that it rains normally around 4 o’clock each day. Well, we haven’t seen any rain yet!
We are taken on our tour into a Buddhist temple in China Town. We inadvertently went in without a couple of the ladies covering their shoulders. An usher quickly grabbed cloths to cover them up. Unfortunately, one of these ladies was Margery! She normally carries a pashmina for such occasions but didn’t have it with her today!
We grab a bite in one of the China Town street shops for breakfast, having skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning. It was` a Very good lunch! The bus has a no food or drink policy. It helps keep cockroaches and ants at bay, not that we have seen any! We are told about the two meanings of the word fine. Fine can describe the weather, or it can be levied for a plethora of mis-deeds. It seems that this very safe city comes at a price if you break the rules on litter, driving, speeding, jay-walking, etc. We don’t want to be accosted by the “Bill” so listen intently and thereafter mind our p’s and q’s!
After our trip to the rare orchids we decide to top up water bottles etc and get something to eat for lunch before exploring some more this time towards Clarkes Quay. During our trip this morning, the guide gave a message to those travelling to Sentosa (a small island to the south of Singapore reached by bridge) that “do not worry, come rain or shine, thunder and lightning the tour would go on.” We had been watching the clouds building and so thought this was a bit like the warning given by the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar to “beware the ides of March”. So brolly in backpack we set off in a very light rain. We get to Clarkes Quay and purchase an ice cream as the mother of all thunderstorms struck with monsoon force but without any wind fortunately. The sound of the rain drumming on the roof covering was like a tube train rushing through a tunnel, and the rain was bouncing up by at least 4” and water was cascading down steps and off roof’s. OK Simon, you were right and Dad was lucky to have another guardian angel to stop us getting wet!
Fortunately, my navigation was impeccable as always, and we were within a short walk from the only micro brewery in Singapore. Well, what else do you do on a wet afternoon, in a strange city, in a shopping mall a mile from the hotel? We sampled the local wares after 4pm as it was “happy hour” and BOGOF! Philias and Wattlie enjoyed the experience as you can see. After the first pint we had to order some “blotting paper” as we really aren’t used to drinking! We decided to sample the India Pale Ale but sensibly went for the 300ml option rather than the 500ml (pint). Good plan as the latter is 6.2% alcohol.
I wandered of the talk with the master brewer Scott who was a very interesting American who has been brewing at the Pump Room for the last two years. I got a guided “free tour “ to boot. We talked about the brewing process and some of the ideas I floated with him he may take up, including the “polypin” which he hadn’t come across. When I got back some 30 minutes later, the rain was still raining, and the spicy wedges were getting cool. Food takes a long time to get cold in this climate.
Braving the improving weather we walked to China Town and then got some supper after shopping in the air-conditioned malls. The food is very different from UK Chinese food which is possibly because of the fusion of cultures here. We had marinated cucumber and marinated edible fungus (definitely not conventional mushrooms), asparagus with prawns and sliced roast duck. Very scrummy, but you would be lost if you didn’t or couldn’t eat spicy food. (I suppose you could go to McDonalds, KFC or Burger King).

..then all the world will see how great, how great is our God.

Chris Tomlins words from “The splendour of the King” comes into my mind so often whilst we’ve been travelling and today we sang it in the 9am service in the Chapel For All Peoples, which is an annex to St Andrews Cathedral in Singapore, just across the square from our hotel.
I had asked when we arrived where the churches were located so that we could make a choice as to where we went today. This kinda drew a blank as the hotel staff were Hindu or Muslim, or maybe the fact that we wanted to go to church today was because we wanted to go to Mass. It seems that if you ask abpout church in a hotel it is assumed that you are Catholic (and obliged to go)!
Well, we found out by walking across to St Andrews that there were various times for services on Sundays. As the church buildings were then closed we opted for the 9 am service. We arrived and found the Cathedral full and the service of Holy Communion still some way from finishing. Another couple visiting were given some guidance as to where the 9am service was to be held, and then we were warmly greeted and shown the way, so to speak. Clutching our Holy Week services schedule we cross to a new building in the grounds and then go down in the lift to B2 level. WOW, what a church setting greeted us. Seating probably up to 1000 or more in a theatre style was the modern worship area being used for this service. Completed in 2005, the complex has quiet places as well as a state of the art sound system filling the auditorium, and we felt completely at home. The main cathedral was built on the site chosen by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823, but the building erected on the site was twice struck by lightning and closed as unsafe in 1852. The present building dates from around 1862, when it was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta.
The 9am service structure was just like Live Out Loud or the service at Newquay where P & T worship, for those of you who don’t know it. Worship starts with corporate praise through modern worship songs and prayers which then leads on to the Word and a teaching sermon, closing with more upbeat worship to send people out fired up with the message of God’s love.
We were 2 of about 6 visitors in a congregation of approx 7-800, and were welcomed personally by one of the young stewards. The age profile was from 8-80 so we weren’t the oldest by any means. During the service one of the musicians introduced a song that he had penned back in 2004. It was sung during the service before the offertory. The musicians are producing a CD of music to be sold in aid of relief in the Philippines. I will try to get a copy when it is produced.
After a rather fine buffet lunch, (well it is Sunday after all) we get on a city hop on –off bus as part of our orientation in the city. Maps are fine, as are guide books but nothing we had gave any idea of scale, so being driven over the routes gave us just the steer we needed. We got off at the Botanic Gardens and also at the Asian Civilisations Centre, which was having a special weekend with additional events and activities. This was a cool place to go into, as the outside temperature was up around 30⁰C, and the exhibits on display had been on tour to UK, Paris, New York and now here. There was live music and dancing among other activities of the culinary and messy kids kind.
Further riverside wanderings took us past many of the must see sights including Raffles landing place. This is such a cultural meeting and melting pot of cultures that it is hard to see where, if at all, Raffles original demarcation lines occur.
After a swim we decided to crash as we have an early start tomorrow, and we still aren’t used to the 3 hour time difference from Aus waking up at 3 am instead of 6! Tomorrow as they say is another day!

What goes up, must come down...

..and hopefully the right way up as we took off upside down, downunder and, having crossed the Equator (just!) are now back in the northern hemisphere and hopefully back to normal!! Ok, ok, I know Ron and I can never be classed as normal!

Our plane left Melbourne half an hour late, as the one coming in was delayed, but it made up most of the time during the 8 hour flight. We had a good trip, (far too much scrummy food as usual!) arriving in Singapore at 4pm their time.

Margery made a big mistake tho.. well 2 big mistakes - firstly in the Lounge at Melbourne when I decided to have a tomato juice.. the bottle was wet and slipped out of my hand onto the tiled floor, with the inevitable results! Ooops! Fortunately I was wearing shorts and sandals, so the legs were easy to clean up - there were a few splashes on the shorts too, but they seem to have come off ok - phew! Mistake numer two was to watch a very weepy film about a beatulful dog "Hachi" (spelling?) His master died, and he spent the next 9 years living at the railway station where his master used to come home from work, waiting for him. Oh dear, with our boy so far away, I don't know quite what people thought of me sitting there with tears streaming down my face! What a wally! Mind you, Ron had chosen to watch it too - with similar effects! Not that we're missing our Simba, or anything!

Everyone has warned us that Singapore is very expensive - so far we've managed to find a very reasonably priced airport shuttle that took us right to our hotel (we can use this to go back as well) and the hotel has free internet!! Wahoo!! So far so good - we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Our first impressions are of an obviously enormous city, but a very pretty one too - even the motorway centers and crash barriers are covered in flowers! I'm not sure they'll help if you crash, but they do look lovely!

The city seems fairly busy today, but we have to remember it's a saturday..Monday could be a different matter!

We've checked into what has turned out to be a much nicer hotel than I anticipated - good old Expedia! So far all we've really done is to sort out some clothes (washing, ironing, boring!) and had a brief look at what we might do over the 6 days we're here. We got the impression from the tours booking desk that most people only stay here on brief stopovers, and don't have as much time as we have so hopefully we'll be able to see quite a lot.

We've just had a reply to our email to our hosts in South Africa -Keith and Gill are heavily involved with their local church in Pinewood including sorting things out ready for a 7am Easter Sunday Service - so it looks like Easter may be very similar to our ones at home as we've offered to help!! Nothing really changes, does it?

We've found out where our nearest church is here - just up the road fortunately, so after a cup of tea, we'll have a wander and find out what time the service is tomorrow. Couldn't really miss Palm Sunday could we?

Just one picture so far - to prove we're really here!