When we were last in Singapore 13 years ago, the marina Bay Dands hotel existed as a ship atop 3 pillars, and they were starting to build the Cloud Dome and Flower Gardens

So now we are here again we visited the impressive shopping mall, complete with iconic dome Apple Store

And then SG$90+ each to go inside 2 domes, which Mrs Fogg enjoyed but agreed was not worth the money

We did get lunch in a ramen noodle house that has a rather funky robot table cleaning service

I’m fairly certain that Mrs Fogg will be really enthusiastic over all the lovely plants she has seen, me not so.

And time for a drink at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, 56 floors up in the ship, where Mrs Fogg gets her Wes-Side on to the muzac Here

Time then for food as a rather sizzled Mrs Fogg walks up to the Wakado restaurant to book a table and approaches a beautiful young local lady, to ask for a copy of the menu, only for the rather annoyed lady to advise she is a guest waiting for her date!!! Way to stereotype!

Oh my gosh, so the meal we just had actually charges you for the wet wipe, yup SG$1 really !!!!

After a slow rise, a wobble down to Orchard Road and the MTR to traverse Singapore (take note London, the MTR is an unmanned underground rail service that is clean, tidy, efficient and air conditioned, nothing like the UK).

Off to Chinatown for a little sight seeing, apparently Buddha don’t like women’s knees (put on a sarong that doesn’t cover your knees and magically you are respectable)., then off to the hawkers bazaar for lunch, well boiled chicken and rice after queueing for 20 mins, oh yum

Must have been warm since Mrs Fogg wanted beer

Back to the hotel for a shower down (get rid of the hot and sticky), before evening grub and Atico on the 55th floor of the ION centre, where you have Flint (Japanese) or Fire (Argentinian). Japanese it is then and a 5 course tasting menu with accompanying saki.

Atico is Here

And now at 2240, time for a rest after 9 miles of walking. Oh and we found a Harley store to buy T-shirts, me so happy.

After a gentle getting accustomed to the heat, 7h time difference, no sleep and humidity, we wobbled out to Orchard Road for a wee while to look at some of the impressive plant covered apartment blocks and notice how you’ve really made it when you have a cantilever pool hanging out of your apartment 40 storeys up

We is Here

Then after scoffing our “anniversary” cake, it’s time for a 7 course Chinese banquet where Mrs Fogg enjoyed the delights of 8 headed abalone and boiled sea cucumber, the face doesn’t do it justice

Before a slow Wimbledon around the hotel complex

Tomorrow apparently we are looking at some big greenhouses

This is the view from our hotel room, just as a storm starts descending onto Singapore. Amazing view

A superb empty flight with no more than 50 on the plane and 6 in business class

Oodles of food and champagne and guess what we ALMOST got all of our luggage this time, with one exception

Yup my case now only has 3 wheels!, the other one is on its way to Dubai!

And here we are 7 hours ahead in the Shangri-La hotel in 28 degree heat and 80 percent humidity.

And last night we stayed at the “Tribe” hotel at the airport which aims to be cool, hip and trendy (you can see why we stopped there then).

All checked in, cases sent on their own separate holiday and now sat in the over priced 1903 Airport Lounge, not worth it, don’t pay for it.

The flight is in 2 hours, time for more champagne then.

Yes after a week of two lots of lost luggage (on the way out and way back), our luggage has finally joined us. yet again smart Alec delivery man ask “how you go on holiday without clothes, hee hee hee”

Like a scene from the movie, getting home proved to be harder than it should, due to a bit of snow that despite our cold climate, early notification of the arrival, weather warnings and preparation, always manages to close the UK for weeks!

Flying back to the UK from Barcelona, we received texts to advise that due to heavy snowfall in Manchester our connecting flight had been cancelled and we were booked on a flight 28 hours later and would need to collect our luggage (which was actually on the same plane as us this time), then speak to someone about hotels.

Off the plane and away we go to collect our luggage, along with every other flight destined for Manchester, some people had been waiting 3 hours at the carousel. After an hour of watching our air tagged bags move around all parts of T5 we went to speak to someone, who helpfully advised “they are in transit” to Manchester you need to request them, which we did and they still didn’t arrive. Having Learnt from Dubai that “in transit luggage” means give up and log a lost luggage claim and hope you’ll see them sometime. Off then for the hotel, food and drink and rest.

Duly rested (as much as you can be in a transit hotel with no change of clothes) we set off back to the airport for our bumped flight, all checked in, luggage, not a clue. And then yup flight cancelled due to “snow in Manchester” again.

The choices then another 24 hours in a transit hotel or a coach trip from Heathrow to Manchester. The last coach ride I did was in 1998 to Disneyland Paris which took 16 hours and was HELL on wheels. Oh well how bad could it be? Well it would help if anyone could advise the right bus stop in the first case and no signs on any bus (stop 16, 21 or 20, who knows or cares). At this point the airline has discharged its responsibility and is no longer liable for delay payments.

Four and a half hours later after listening to one guy snore loudly all the way and a little woman watching her favourite Indian soap opera on her phone without headphones we arrived back at Manchester in the early hours, to then have to get to the car, scrape the 4 days of snow off it and eventually drive home, bushed.

The luggage has now made its way to Manchester where it is sitting awaiting a courier again. and yet again the total inefficiency here, looks like the airline are arranging 2 couriers on two dates to collect and deliver the luggage (one piece to be delivered yesterday before it arrived and one for tomorrow).

Still, it all adds to the fun of life and the fact that the entire flights to and from Barcelona cost £4 each, it has cost BA at least 200 times that in hotels, couriers and compensation.

Stay tuned for the next exciting trip we have planned, this time we are going to put on every item of clothing we intend to take, so they don’t get lost?