High tea at Raffles

Garry and I decided to do the classic tourist thing while in Singapore. We caught the MTR subway to the iconic Raffles Hotel to enjoy a drink at its famous Long Bar. However, upon arrival, we discovered a highly touristed venue with an entry queue snaking out the door. We both agreed such a clique affair wasn’t worth the wait.

However, Raffles redeemed itself on our final day in town. We had time to kill after checking out of our hotel and heading to the airport for a midnight flight to London. I booked us in for a late afternoon high tea in the Raffles Grand Lobby. I’m delighted to say that this proved well worth the experience. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in its marble-clad surrounds while being entertained by a talented pianist.

On our way to Raffles, we also took a quick detour to soak up another classic Singaporean sight. It’s been decades since I’ve visited the city’s renowned Merlion fountain. This mythical beast, half mermaid and half lion, is the city’s mascot. 

When I last visited the fountain (probably in the 1990s) it sat on the coastal fringe of Singapore. Today, it looks over an entirely new district reclaimed from the surrounding harbour. However, despite the change, the fountain is still an iconic tourist destination. During our visit, we found it surrounded by an Instagram-friendly, selfie stick-wielding crowd.

Xīn nián kuài lè

Every year since 2016 Garry and I have travelled to Europe for business in late January. We fly to London and Germany to attend two major toy industry tradeshows. Over two intense weeks we reconnect with existing suppliers, keep abreast of emerging industry trends, and secure new products for the year ahead.

Thanks to the COVID pandemic, it’s been three years since our last trip to Europe. Hence, this year’s journey was strategically important. While we’ve worked hard to remain connected remotely, nothing beats quality time face-to-face. With so much riding on this trip Garry and I wanted to ensure that we arrived fresh and ready to hit the ground running. This objective became even more important when we agreed to a breakfast meeting hours after landing at Heathrow.

Garry suggested we break our flight to Europe with an extended weekend in Singapore. It’s been 20 years since we last spent any time in the city. Since then, much has changed. It didn’t take much convincing for me to agree. By chance, we later discovered that our stopover coincided with the Chinese New Year. This meant that beyond the usual sights and sounds, we’d get to experience a few festive activities.

Our recent vacation in Fiji bumped my loyalty status with Accor Hotels up to Platinum level. We took advantage of this and booked ourselves into an expansive suite at the Sofitel in central Singapore. Our specially discounted room was impressive. Each morning we were greeted by to floor to ceiling views of Singapore’s colonial red-roof Chinatown district.

While in town we took time out to visit the River Hongbao Festival. This was a special Chinese New Year art installation event hosted in venues throughout the city. Along with thousands of others, Garry and I joined bunny mascots Prosperity (福儿) and Longevity (寿儿) for (and I quote the brochure), “an amazing Chinese New Year experience at Gardens by the Bay.” It certainly was something different.

We also spent an evening wandering around the colourful night market in Chinatown where all manner of festive paraphernalia was on offer. Definitely not a great time of year for those suffering from Leporiphobia.

However, the most eclectic experience we had was probably sitting among giant teddy bears scattered around the lobby of our hotel. I suspect it’s an Instagram draw card for the locals. No doubt you can drink with them, hug them and, after a few beers, potentially get a little fresh with them.

18 years in the making

We've been doing a little housekeeping before we fly to Europe. ‘What’s that?’ you say? Why that’s the new planter box feature along the north wall of our rooftop balcony. The whole affair has taken months of planning, followed by two days of solid work last weekend.  However, the final result looks phenomenal. Thanks to Garry's handyman skills the troughs include hidden irrigation and feature lighting throughout. I've always wanted a feature piece like this since we first bought the apartment. It’s only taken 18 years to finally install it.

Salmon surprise

Our final three days in New Zealand passed in a blur. Our only full day at Mt Cook was a dismal affair. It rained most of the day. Garry and I filled our time exploring the Hermitage’s alpine museum and watching astronomy documentaries in the adjacent planetarium.

On our final day in the Alps, we drove out to the Tasman Glacier lookout. The view from an ancient glacial mogul was impressive but sadly our scheduled boat tour among the glaciers icebergs was canceled. However, this wasn't a huge disappointment as much of the view across the lake was shrouded in mist. Surprisingly, as we made our way back along the shores of Lake Pukaki the weather slowly began to lift.

Our road trip to Lake Tekapo was filled with a few unexpected highlights. We took a detour along the lake’s southern shore to view its waters cascading from a hydro control outlet into a man-made canal filled with schools of large, fat salmon. This unexpected pescatarian wonderland had us spellbound and fondly recalling memories of our Alaskan cruise more than a decade ago.

Upon arriving in Tekapo we were equally delighted to discover that our hotel had booked us into a top-floor room. We thoroughly enjoyed our final evening in New Zealand soaking up our unobstructed lake view. We also took time out to soak in the local hot springs before enjoying dinner in the village’s top restaurant. It was the perfect end to a vacation filled with a blog-load of special memories.

Our final day was spent driving back to Christchurch, stopping briefly in town to explore the city’s rapidly rejuvenating CBD. We also found time to check out the rebuilding of its iconic cathedral. A final shout-out to Christchurch Airport. We loved its eclectic array of outdoor entertainment.

The big reveal

After two days of patiently waiting, this evening during dinner we were briefly blessed with a truly stunning view of Aoraki's summit.  Enjoy! 

Lavender memories

We departed Fiordland shortly after breakfast on Wednesday, initially retracing our steps back to Queenstown before making our way over the Crown Range summit to Cardrona. In winter this is the heart of New Zealand’s ski region while in Summer Cardrona is typically known for its picturesque country hotel and the infamous Cardrona Bra Fence.

However, the tranquil, uninterrupted lake view from our hotel room in Hawera proved the ultimate winner of the day’s postcard moment.

The following morning, we made our way north toward Mount Cook. Our first stop was Puzzling World, a quirky attraction on the outskirts of Wanaka. Here we spent an hour or so experiencing all manner of mind-bending illusions including a sloping house that made you appear to walk its rooms with a rather unconventional lean. Garry and I then finished the morning at a nearby Lavender Farm. It was quite something wandering through iridescent fields of flowers.

Our final stop for the day was another memorable highlight. We briefly pulled into a scenic lookout on the shores of Lake Pukaki before making our way to the Hermitage Hotel. I've always wanted to visit this iconic venue, located in the shadow of Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. Today, I've finally realised another one of my childhood dreams.

This evening, the summit of Aoraki, as Mt Cook is also known, is shrouded in heavy clouds. We may not get to see it in all of its glory. The forecast for the next couple of days isn't promising, Rain is predicted tomorrow and the day after. Click on the panorama below to experience the view from our hotel room balcony. It's pretty awesome!