Singapore's 45th Birthday

On the morning of the 9th of August I departed for Singapore, a stopover before beginning work in the UK. Little did I know that I would arrive on the day of Singapore's 45th birthday. Talk about good timing! As a result of the celebrations, I didn't really get all that far... not that it was bad thing.

I rolled out of bed at a quarter to 5 on Monday morning. Early. Had a quick shower, double checked what I packed and then headed out the door. On the way to the airport! No breakfast required as the 8am Singapore Airlines flight has breakfast included.

Flying economy only allows you to check in 20kg of luggage. I had more, given that I was relocating to the UK for work. Thankfully I was only really several kilos over, they let that pass... after I did a reshuffle from check-in luggage to hand luggage, of course. After a few teary goodbyes it was onto the plane and off to Singapore - A380 style.

Landed in Singapore mid-afternoon, and it was hot. 31 degrees Celcius. Typical Singapore, I was told. I opted to stay over in Singapore as opposed to fly direct to London. I didn't think i'd be able to deal with such a long transit time, and I thought that it'd be a good way to check out the new hotel - Marina Bay Sands.

Marina Bay Sands is a decent place - much of it isn't quite complete yet, but it's getting there. The SkyPark and the Hotels are complete, but some of the boutique restaurants and shops are yet to be filled out. Not quite the Venetian in Macau with respect to the overall package, but it's aiming to get there.

Upon arrival the place was packed. There were people everywhere. Since it was quite warm I decided that i'd go for a bit of a splash in the Infinity Pool and check out the Skypark (aka roof). Whilst lining up to get to Level 57, I found out two things - 1, entry to the top is granted by being a hotel guest or paying for an admission ticket. 2, it was Singapore's National Day holiday. Clearly point 2 is the reason why there were so many people strolling about at Marina Bay Sands.

I heard rumors of a spectacle, so I decided that I was going to camp out up on the roof. After about 45 minutes of waiting, I finally made it up to the top floor (the volume of people wanting to head up to the Skypark was just crazy!). Since it took so long to get up to the top, the decision to stay for a while was made easy. Quickly moving on: the atmosphere and the views of Singapore were great!

Marina Bay Sands - Roof

Marina Bay Sands - Roof view of Singapore

Perhaps waiting around for the celebrations to start (I ended up being on the roof for 3+ hours) wasn't the best of ideas, but since it took so long for me to get to the top... and since it was a national holiday - there wasn't really much of a choice. Watching the celebrations was entertaining, though... so it wasn't a total waste. Some of the displays on offer included parachute landings into one of the stadiums below, choppers flying around carring the Singaporean flag, newly purchased fighter jets (F-15s) performing aerial maneuvers (inc. a shackle), and fireworks!

National Day Celebrations - Aerial Shows

National Dy Celebrations - Aerial Shows

Could write more, but that's probably enough for now. Quick bullet points to finish off:

• Ate on the cheap - pork bun and cha sieu wonton noodles for dinner, and a chicken bun for breakfast.
• Airport, checkin, A380 to London
• Watched 1 film per leg: Kick As$ and Iron Man 2.

More to come about the UK soon!