On April 7th, I got up after having slept for nearly twelve hours; I had not realized that I was that tired. I knew my knee was not in shape for a lot of walking so my plan was to use my tourist Go pass to join the Big Bus Hop On-Hop Off tour bus by Raffles Hotel and see a bit of the city. My online investigation of the bus route showed me that the yellow route would also help me achieve one of my Singapore goals –  a visit to the National Orchid Garden. After another strange breakfast, I headed over to a bus stop I’d seen by Raffles on my first day which seemed to be the place where the Big Bus stopped. It was sunny, very hot and humid outside and I was sweating a lot after walking 5 blocks. I had the Big Bus app on my phone running and boarded a bus which I thought belonged to Big Bus but it was actually run by another tour company in Singapore. The driver tried to explain the problem to me in fragmented English but I did not understand him. He did let me ride to his next stop where I could tell that I was not on a Big Bus tour. The short ride had cooled me off some but then I had a walk to the real Big Bus stop – not a very long distance but with the heat plus the humidity, I was dripping by the time I reached the right place, stop #1 on the Big Bus route. My bandana was nearly saturated with sweat from my wiping my face and neck. Fortunately, the stop was shaded from the sun and a breeze blew occasionally while I waited. The bus came eventually; I found a spot on the lower air-conditioned level of the double decker bus. I did not want to sightsee on foot in the heat – “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” – though I did take photos as we moved thru town (https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mad-dogs-and-englishmen.html). Singapore is so different from anywhere else I have been before on this trip: Singapore is more crowded than the cities of Europe, more wealthy than Istanbul, Cairo or Amman and bustling with an energy which seemed insane given the hot weather. 

I left the tour bus at the National Botanical Garden stop and walked up a small hill to an outdoor place where I could sit in the shade and order some lunch plus a bottle of water to rehydrate. I really was just trying to adjust to the heat by sitting and waiting a bit. I can’t say that it helped much though I did eat most of my food. It was a short walk to the entrance to the Orchid Garden and got in queue to pay for entrance. I walked thru the garden, taking photos of some really pretty flowers and reached the cool temperate collection housed in an air conditioned building. My bandana was completely saturated with sweat by then; I stayed in the building for quite a while to cool off. Eventually I left the building to see more flowers but it did not take long before I headed back to the Botanical Gardens exit and the tour bus stop.

I caught the next tour bus and stayed in air conditioning until stop #18, Raffles Hotel, where I planned to do the other Singapore thing on my list – drink a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar where the drink originated (https://www.rafflessingapore.com/the-raffles-stories/history-of-the-singapore-sling/). My Go pass entitled me to a free drink in the Long Bar; I was seated at the upstairs bar. The woman on the left of me started a conversation about the Singapore Slings we were drinking. She was from a town in Queensland, Australia, on a spontaneous holiday. Melissa was her name, I think. We chatted for a while; she told me that even the Singaporeans thought that the weather was unusually hot! That made me feel a tiny bit better while in the air conditioned bar. I told her about my RTW trip which triggered the man on my right chiming in on the conversation about Australia and drinks. Edward, also Australian, was from Adelaide. Somehow I ended up talking to Edward more – he was very social and from a spot I’ll visit later on this trip. I picked up some winery and sightseeing tips from Edward and I ordered a second Sling. Melissa said I’d enjoy Queensland – just as sunny but less humid – I have no doubts about the weather, just about if I’d enjoy it … Cairns can be very sultry, as I recall. Melissa left first; she said she’d been there a while and had had a number of cocktails at that point. Edward left to pack and catch a plane home a short while afterwards. I settled my tab and went downstairs where I got some food plus a Negroni and a Sidecar. It was not a cheap day since Singapore has a high tax on alcohol. It was worth the expense, I’d been wanting decent cocktails for nearly a week and a half!