Travel Diary 3: We arrived in Singapore at 8pm and because I didnt sleep on the flight (thanks to our non stop chatter for 8 hours) I couldnt wait to get a good nights sleep. I was picked up by a good Fijian friend Joanne but my promise to meet up later in the night to explore Singapores nightlife was .... lets put it this way met by the snooze button on my phone. I eventually woke up at 5am for a quick breakfast with Joane and her partner Ali. Ali is my brothers childhood friend and like a big brother to me. He grew up in the same neighborhood as us in Ba. Im so proud of his achievements as a successful businessman in Singapore with offices around UAE, India and parts of Europe. I had spent a day with him last year on my way back from a Bali holiday and I was amazed even then about his progress. This morning he was rushing to the airport for a meeting in Dublin which is also where he is launching a new product. Ali is not someone who minces his words so over breakfast he went straight into a progress report on my business. Its always good to speak to others and more often than not, you learn a thing or two. After the discussion with him Im pumped with extra enthusiasm and renewed energy to go back and improve the business. I have about 24 hours in transit in Singapore so after another hour of lazying around in the hotel I picked up my bag to shop for winter clothes. I was smack bang in the middle of the Singapore shopping central - Orchard Road. Literally littered along this famous road are designer labels like Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and the likes. I duck into Top Shop (more friendly to my wallet) and pick up some jackets. If you walk around Singapore now, theres no doubt that there is a spirit of festivities in the air. It seems like Christmas is just days away as giant Christmas trees have filled up the road and decorations are hung along the main city parade. After a few hours of window shopping and soaking in the Singapore bustling city I went for a quiet high tea at the Raffles Hotel. The beautiful Raffles Hotel is probably one of Singapores iconic buildings, reminiscent of the countrys colonial past, its white marble pillars, teak verandas and tropical gardens exudes an air of romance with luxury. I always thought of the Grand Pacific Hotel as the Pacific version of the raffles hotel which is also more than a 100 years old ( it was opened in 1887). A high tea experience here is unlike any other. A very personalized welcome and constant attention by the hotel staff and bountiful supplies of teas, scones, sandwiches cakes with a buffet selection of seasonal fruits, puffs and a dumpling station to my delight! I ended up having 7 dumplings all by myself. Being alone didnt matter as I indulged - the piped music that filled the air and the quiet chatter around me made for a great ambience. I picked up my luggage a few hours later and headed to the airport where Van was waiting for me. We have a seven hour flight to Abu Dhabi before we take our last flight to Rome. #Workation #maiLife #Traveldiaries
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:21:16 +0000
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