A week of excess!

We started pretty strongly when Debbie first arrived in Singapore, but having truly broken ourselves on Sunday I had thought we might rein it in a bit more during the week that followed. Incorrect!

            Having just about survived Monday at work, we left Nick passed out on the sofa playing games on his giant projector whilst Debbie and I went for a walk and a quick look around the local area so that she could meet Jules the next morning for a morning run at the beautiful MacRitchie Reservoir.

            After a quick loop to the MRT station and passed a couple of recommended malls for when the cloud makes sunbathing less desirable during the week we then started on my normal walk-to-work loop, heading to Chijmes for dinner. Chijmes is a gorgeous old church that is kept beautifully maintained and painted in super clean white and surrounded with really lovely wine bars, restaurants and café. Or at least, it used to be. As we arrived it quickly became very apparent that there was some heavy maintained work taking place, and that everywhere other than the Australia sports and steak bar had closed down during the extensive development works.

            Disappointed but with plenty of other options up our sleeves we opted to pass some time and build up our appetites whilst enjoy a compulsory Singapore Sling in the Long Bar at Raffles, where drinks are expensive, dress is casual and empty peanut shells crunch under foot.

Raffles Long Bar - it's a Singapore tourism essential

Slings consumed and photos taken, it was then time for dinner, which ended up being a quick riverside kebab along the beautiful (but tourist heavy) Boat Quay. We ended up so full and so sleepy that we had to cab back to the flat (where Nick was in the exact same spot that we had left him) ready to pass out well before 11pm. It was very much needed!

Dinner by the bay 

By Tuesday night we were all slightly more on form, which was especially good as I had booked ticket for the four of us plus Liv to go to Le Noir, an off-branch of Cirque du Solei, which was utterly incredible. Following a quick dinner by the water, by some luck and chance we ended up with seats on the stage, so we had the perfect view of all the action, and I suppose the rest of the audience had a great view of us, biting nails and covering eyes as we watch acrobats, man standing on each other’s heads, girls jumping off the rafters and clowns embarrassing members of the audience by making them join invisible bands and participate in strange mimes and dances.        

Up in the air at Le Noir

Up in the air at Le Noir 

Roof top bar with a view

As the theatre was in the new shiny Marina Bay Sands building (my favourite boat building) we decided that a quick drink (or two) up on the deck was probably essential, and so another night ended well past midnight and with maybe a few more glasses of wine consumed than was really necessary.

Getting ready for a full blown Ladies Night 

And then it was Wednesday, which in Singapore means it was Ladies Night – hours of free drinks and heavily discounted bubbles at a selection of the nicest bars in the City. It would have been rude not to, and as Jules was keen to play too, we went out and had an amazing time touring bars and dancing around.  Nick joined us for the last few rounds, and so yet another night drew to a close in the wee small hours of the morning.

            I don’t know if my liver or my waistline is going to make it to the end of Debbie’s stay without it all going completely and utterly wrong. Fingers crossed she’s having enough fun to make it all worthwhile!

Ladies Night at Lantern Bar

Ladies Night with Debbie and Jules

Ladies Night (plus Nick)

Ladies Night!