Sunday 22 November. Big Walk Around

By now, Singapore was growing on me and I took a big walk around the main 'tourist' part of the city - partly re-covering the ground of last night. I started at the food village of Lau Pa Sat, walked up Cross Street and wandered around the Club Street area.

Then I went along the road which had originally been the sea front and where the immigrants had build places of worship to give thanks for safe passage - roughly Ayer street. I looked at the Temples there (Thian Hock Kieng and Siang Ho Chiong) and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and wandered around the area at a leisurely Sunday pace.

Then up into China town and along to the Riverfront area to see Clarke's key. There the entertainment was a bizarre sort of bungee jumping machine  that I video'd in action.

From there, I made my way to the Cricket Club and new National Gallery. The former did not seem over welcoming and had a very public school expat male sense to it.

The National Gallery was in fact due to open two days later and is part of Singapore's strategy to become a centre of the arts. This is but one example of the success of the place being based on a clarity of vision and strategic thinking which has made it the success it clearly is. This clarity goes right back to the days of Raffles who created a free port and laid down the island's prosperity.

I carried on to the St Andrew's Cathedral which had a service in full swing.

I popped back to the hotel for a break and took a picture of a rather clearer view from my room than yesterday.

Then, I  set out in the evening for Little India and the Arab Street area. Little India certainly lives up to its name and was especially animated with Diwali celebrations.