The Eagles have landed...

...home!

Checkout 2pm, flight departure 10.45pm required a bit of filling in today so this morning we went by Metro to Gardens by the Bay, another example of what this country/city is capable of developing when money is no object.

We had visited here before, approximately 6-8 years ago when it was in its infancy but now that it has matured it is really a delightful area to wander around in as it has been planned to perfection.

There are various gardens all linked by wide walkways and each garden area is themed differently 

From the gardens there is a very nice view of the Marina Sands where we had our meal last night.A tree in the gardens that intrigued us was the Cannonball Tree with its perfectly formed fruit growing not from the branches but from the trunk itself.
After a couple of hours we returned back to the hotel to have another shower as the humidity had caused the body to overheat before we packed the suitcases for one last time and around 2pm took the taxi out to the airport - a rather cheap taxi it has to be said being half the cost that we were charged on the way in, which we have some difficulty figuring out!

Luckily there is facility to have an early check in so we got rid of the suitcases and found a cafe for a late lunch. The problem was now how to fill in 8 hours before lift off and again Singapore has the solution as a new facility adjacent to the airport was opened in June, The Jewels consisting of (sigh) 240 odd shops and eating places, but more interestingly a central 5? level waterfall and various other areas such as the Canopy Walk which we did.

Not only did it pass a few hours it was also an enjoyable and colourful environment to be in, though some may well say that it is an extravagance however it is a strategy of Singapore to develop Changi Airport so that it is the stopover choice in this part of the world for tourists. I read that they have planned a new Terminal which will be completed by 2030 and will be bigger than Terminals 1,2,3&4 combined and if you have ever walked through Terminal 3 where we were today and marvelled at the size of that terminal then the new one is going to be something colossal.

A few more hours spent either in the lounge or wandering up and down the Terminal (we walked slightly over 6 kms after arriving at the airport) and it was onto the big bird and a relatively quick flight home (9 hours instead of 10.5).

So ends our 2019 holiday - new sights, new sounds, new smells but above all thoroughly enjoyable!

Cheers