Having family (or anyone for that matter) visit is fantastic, not only does it keep the homesickness at bay but it's a great motivator to getting out and exploring all Singapore has to offer. I do feel a little for my Mum, Dad and Auntie though as the first visitors (twice since we arrived) they've had to endure long bus & MRT rides as we found the best (and right) route to get to the sights and on both trips it's been hot! Some lessons learnt, don't expect to cover too much ground in one day and get out early (or late) to avoid the heat.
This time round we visited the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark which seemed a little costly but once up all 52 floors you could see it was worth every cent - the views were amazing. I personally didn't like to be anywhere near the glass balustrade surrounding the bow (or is it the stern) of the boat but was still able to take in the magnificant views. The boys were a little disappointed that they couldn't swim in the 'guest only' infinity pool which could be seen from the viewing platform but at $450 per night (for the cheapest room) it wasn't really worth a five year advance on their pocket money!
Next stop Merlion Park and despite being the middle of the day we managed to walk from the hotel around the bay to the park. I'm not sure if this mythical creature (fish with a lions head) was meant to be the main attraction or James! I did jokingly suggest if he charged $0.50 for every photo he was asked to pose in he'd be rich and that didn't account the majority of tourists who just snapped away at our attention loving star!
We also visited the botanical gardens which was again fantastic. We didn't see any gigantic lizards or monkey's (aside from James and Alex) but we did see the orchid garden and with so much more to see we will definitely be back.
Finally, Chinatown for a bit of souvenir and gift shopping. The Heritage Centre was also worth visiting and a welcomed escape from the heat and shopping.
As our visitors returned to an unwelcome cold snap covering NZ we have also experienced several days of rain lowering the temperature to a cool 27 degrees. Now well adjusted to the hot climate I considered for a moment whether I needed to dig deep into my drawers in search of warmer clothes….