Blog by Katherine, Joseph and Ellie: first day in Singapore - 6 July

After a very comfortable 13 hour flight we arrived in Singapore at 8am local time (1am UK time)

Straight through a mega efficient passport control (no queues), bags already there for us to pick up and into an air con taxi for a 50 min drive to Marks flat which is very centrally located in Singapore. A amazing, huge flat, with great swimming pool. We felt a bit embarrassed to be imposing on Mark just 2 days after his wife and 2 younger kids had flown over to join him, and on the same day as his 2 older children had come over - but we were made very welcome, and retired as quick as we could to bed to catch up on sleep!

We enjoyed Singapore. We spent most of the 1st day sleeping off our jet lag, but jumping in the swimming pool brought us to life. Ellie however was a bit poorly (tired out) by the jet lag, so leaving her in bed, Katherine, Jim and Liz walked to Orchard Road the main shopping drag in Singapore. Joseph decided to stay with his new friend Matty. We toured around the posh designer shops, looked at the impressive high rise buildings, before ducking into a department store for air conditioning and relief from the sweltering temperature and humidity. We ate sushi and fried noodles in a food hall.
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We then came back to our friend Mark and Pattys flat, roused Eleanor and got her to jump in the pool which woke her up.

Joseph watched videos for almost the entire duration of the flight (diary of a wimpy kid twice), and many many more, but then kept going in Singapore all day playing by the pool and showing no sign of the exhaustion that the rest of us were feeling

However when we decided to go our for an evening meal to a food market with Mark, Patty and their two older children he collapsed into the deepest sleep he has ever had, and stayed asleep for the next 15 hours unabated!

We had an enjoyable noodle meal - other than Jim who discovered that chilli means VERY VERY hot!

We then came back and went for a 11pm swim, followed by G&Ts by the pool for adults (raspberry sprite for kids) before retiring to bed happy to have caught up with old friends after so many years - strange we had to go half way around the world to do it!