Singapore Botanic Gardens

The torrential rain in the Tropics makes Singapore a green haven with fabulous plants and trees everywhere. We spent as much time as possible exploring the Botanic Gardens there last year and at last I uploaded six photos to Flickr today.

This magical grass is a favourite, mesmerising and a reminder of a warm day out of doors.

Back to Base

It's a joy to be back in my own bed.
Despite all the excitement and exposure to new people and places, I find travel quite demanding. It's not as dramatic these days as when I used wander round France, even hitching on a motorway once, which is against the law. I must have an over easy-going face. The family relation who, so much in a hurry that he could not take time to leave me in a safer place, was seemingly alcoholic. However, even that does not, in retrospect, seem an excuse for putting anybody out on the side of such a busy road.

All water under the bridge now... The air-bus system from Melbourne to Singapore and then, two days later, from Singapore to Heathrow, was actually comfortable. Sleep is essential on a thirteen hour flight and we managed to get in six or seven hours, though sometimes it is difficult to work out if one is actually asleep.

We made new friends in Ballarat, looked down on a clouded landscape above Bright, trawled the Melbourne streets for more local colour and urban images.

This photo, taken on Sentosa Island during the Chinese New Year is a favourite.
Happy memories...

We're Back in Sunny Melbourne...

... after a relaxing flight with a two night stop in Singapore.

We finally got to visit Sentosa Island on Chinese New Year and it seems that most of the population of South-East Asia had the same idea... to go to the beach. There were picnic parties in every corner and it was an ideal setting for portraiture. More photos to come, but in the meantime some images of this beautiful place can be found in the title bar.

Wild Singapore

The latest news that a programme to stop mosquitos carrying Dengue fever is in full swing has set me thinking about all the good times we have had in Singapore. Travel brochures praise the malls, beautiful boulevards and warm welcome the country offers. I spend time looking at photos of the wilder areas that are within a short taxi or bus ride from the city centre.

Sungei Buloh is one of the most relaxing places for a walk.
You always recognise tourists in such places. They are, like me, wearing stout boots as a deterrent to snakes and crocodiles. And they reek of insecticide.
Really, it's a wild world.