Saturday March 28, Sunday March 29
Thank you to my sister Heather who drove us to the airport, and my mum came along too so it was good sharing the start of our trip with them. When we checked in we were told we might get upgraded to Business class, but unfortunately our names weren't called. As the flight is only 7.5 hours we weren't disappointed as we had good seats and the main thing is we arrived safely.
By the time we got to our hotel it was about 3:30am Melbourne time, so we were ready for bed and a good, long sleep after the hectic lead up to this trip. We awoke to a drizzly morning, which soon turned to torrential rain, but as we are staying in the same hotel we were in last year we knew there were shopping plazas with lots of places to eat nearby. Also where we are is right near the Parliament building where Lee Kuan Yew's body has been lying in state since he passed away. Our taxi driver told us his family has waited up to 8 hours to pay their respects! This area is also where the funeral procession was to begin with Lee's casket being driven through the streets on its way to the University Cultural Centre where the memorial service was to be held.
The procession had commenced when we entered the nearby shopping plaza, and there were many people watching it on TV, as well as all the people in the streets. Once the casket had left our area many very wet people came into the centre and were buying towels at a shop to try and dry off. We enjoyed a traditional brunch and set off to explore the area, and came across the memorial to Lee Kuan Yew.
There were many touching letters, but this one summed up the legacy of this great statesman and visionary who did so much to create the Singapore we know today. It also made us feel grateful for our fabulous country too.
By now the rain had stopped so we set off for a walk, and soon came to Clarke Quay. This place is on the river and has lots of bars, restaurants, shops and amusements, and is an area we hadn't explored before. The first place we checked out was a bar that had the World Cup cricket on TV and the Kiwis had just been dismissed for 183, so I was confident we would win - which we did. The quay is very colourful with lots of people around so it was a fun way to spend some time.
Later on the sun came out, but it was a grey day for the locals as they mourned the passing of a great man for whom they are very grateful and much loved.
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