Gardens, gelato and larceny.

Our three-day, unlimited tickets ran out this morning, and the not-at-all condescending gent at the local station advised that we'd clearly need to purchase additional standard tickets to Chinatown - as that was the nearest station that handled 'that sort of thing'. Once there and in a not-inconsiderable queue, I commenced theatrically worrying over whether we'd need our passports (which were still back at our apartment). It turned out that we were fine,  we purchased our new tourist tickets, the ticketing lady then putting up a "back in 10 minutes" sign immediately after assisting us. We exited - stage left, to howls of protest from the line behind us.

Having finally reached the notably humid Singapore Botanic Gardens, we lathered up with sunscreen and mosquito repellent - Hamish coating himself impressively with the former. The rainforest and orchid garden sections were conveniently located on the far side of the park, thrilling the children no end.

Winding our way through the Gardens, we came across an excited gathering of photographers - many decked out in camouflage - both clothing and camera lenses. I briefly wondered if some local celebrity was making their way out of the undergrowth, but it turned out to be a teeny, nondescript heron-like bird.

Not exactly your definition of subtle.

We passed an extended Japanese family encouraging their 3 very small children onto some equally tiny tricycles/scooters on a steep section of path (not the most ideal of gradients if you ask me). At one point, all 3 small children had toppled over and were wailing in unison - enraging a couple of passing chihuahuas (teeny bundles of barely restrained fury).

  

Tortoise loves the limelight.

We spotted an elderly gent (an 'uncle') blissfully engaged in some Tai Chi, drawing our attention to a vending machine right behind him. In terms of thirst-quenching, It was a toss-up between aloe juice (now with pulp!), some soy curd milk horror, and some relatively appealing sparkling apple juice.

We eventually made our way across the Gardens to the Orchid Festival (handily mid-swing while we are here). The place was packed, with some attendees very much getting into the spirit of things.

Not an orchid aficionado, I was nevertheless impressed with the massive displays. I suspected the kids were a little less so - their eyes lighting up only at a portable A/C unit inside this tent. 

Leaving the flamboyance of the Orchid Festival behind, we doubled-back for the MRT via the rainforest section of the Gardens. I was just comparing this section to some of the rainforests back home, when a squirrel went scarpering across our path and up a tree.

The next stop on our itinerary was Little India - the shopping here described by Lonely Planet as "cheap and cheerful". With visions of picking up some bargains, we exited the MRT station and were immediately assaulted with a riot of aromas: flowers, spices, fruit....and rotting garbage. It felt very much like we had crossed an invisible boundary into an enclave where the general rules of Singapore did not apply - litter and dishevelment were the order of the day. Lily's verdict was 'pretty shady'. We beat a hasty exit back to the MRT and made our way to Orchard Road.

Orchard Road appears to be one enormous shopping mall, connecting many blocks of shopping centres both over and under roadways. A shoppers paradise - the difference between a weekday and a weekend was startlingly apparent however. Hamish had researched a 'must do' gelato shop called Venchi's that was located 'nearby'. I (a little too-confidently) plugged the destination into Google Map's directions function, and spent the next half-hour guiding Team Martin around more of Orchard Road than was strictly necessary. The gelato was very nice though.

Later that evening we took a taxi out to meet up with an old school friend and his charming family. Topics ranged far and wide (it has been a couple of decades), and offered us some fascinating insights into life in Singapore. Josh then offered his interpretation of Monopoly - consisting of swiping a wad of cash while the other children weren't paying attention. We had a lovely time - and then caught a taxi with a driver that was not a fan of speed limits or adhering to single lanes. We made spectacular time back to our apartment.