Last Day in Singapore - and of our trip

Friday 27 July

Before our last breakfast in Singapore, we fiddle around with the luggage for one last time (thank goodness for the weight hook!) before putting all our bags in the hotel storage room, and checking out.

We're a bit sentimental and reflective this morning.

“Are you excited about going home now?” I ask Reg. When I asked him earlier in the week, his answer was, “Not really. I love travelling. I love feeling the warm sun on me every time I go out.”

Today Reg feels the same – he says he's in no hurry to go home, but there's a twinkle in his eye and a big smile on his face. I think, like me, he's really looking forward to seeing our family and friends again. And to going cycling. I think it will probably take us a while though to readjust to normal life.

We walk the short distance to the recently renovated National Museum of Singapore. Our young Singaporian friends have recommended we visit it. Right next to the museum is a beautiful white Christian church, which has obviously survived from Singapore's Colonial days (as has the beautiful architecture of the National Museum, despite having been given a revamp.) Outside the lovely church is a huge placard, with a photo of the church and its surroundings taken probably 50 years ago, judging by the old bus in the photo. Over the photo are the words, in large letters,

"Some things are always changing, but Jesus, thankfully, remains the same."

I like it.

We make our way into the museum and once again we get a reduced rate for being over 60! Though the young man on the desk says, smiling,

“Are you sure you two are over 60?”

I could have leapt over the counter and kissed him, but my knees wouldn't let me.

We spend a couple of hours in the museum, after which we are “all museum'd out.” There's an amazing exhibition of Ukrainian gold (on loan to Singapore), with items dating back to several centuries BCE. Most of the exhibits are in exceptionally good condition, as they've been found in burial tombs.

I'm really interested to see part of the museum which shows the Colonial period. There's a tongue-in-cheek video about how Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles snatched Singapore from the hands of the Sultan, and colonised it for the British. It's a non-malicious video, but we're left in no doubt that, from where Singapore's sitting, we British came and took what wasn't ours.

There's some fascinating memorabilia in the museum, and, as you would expect from modern, vibrant, innovative Singapore, the history of Singapore is portrayed with numerous special video, sound and photographic effects.  It's different, anyway.

There's one last thing I really want to do before I leave Singapore – and that is go to Orchard Road and visit C K Tang's (now called simply Tangs) – I remember it used to have a stunning collection of expensive Chinese artefacts for sale, and I'd love to take a look.

We need to catch a bus to Tangs from the museum; at the bus stop a Chinese lady asks if she can help us. She's going the same way as us. On the bus she asks where we're from, and tells us that 40 years ago she worked for the RAF and the Australian Air Force. I tell her my father worked for the British Ministry of Defence and that I lived here for 3 years, 40 years ago.

“So many changes,” she says wistfully. “You probably don't recognise anything now.”

“It's like being in a completely different country,” I tell her. “Though we did go up the Bukit Timah yesterday and I found my old house. The huge monsoon drain is still there, running between the dual carriageway.”

The lady nods and smiles, perhaps glad to meet a foreigner who knew the old Singapore.

We get off the bus and find a foodhall where we can have Asian food – being in the heart of a modern shopping complex, the food is nothing like the delicious meal we had with our Singaporean friends on Tuesday evening, but it's nice to avoid the McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC which are in the same shopping mall.

There's huge renovation works taking place outside what is now “Tangs”. There are photos outside showing how Tangs has changed over the years; I point to one taken in the 1980's. Although I left Singapore in 1970, I'm able to say to Reg,

“That's what C K Tangs looked like when I was here.”

The only thing remaining of the old C K Tangs, outside, are the 2 huge lion sculptures – they look old, and I take a photo, but to be honest I couldn't say for sure that they were the original ones.  We venture inside, and like every other department store on the ground floor, we're met by a whole floor of glitzy make-up and perfume counters. Reg wants to look at the techi stuff on another floor, so we split up for a while. I have a look on all the floors; no speciality goods here now – Tangs is just another department store.   I'm disappointed, but this is the new Singapore.

We make our way back to our hotel; it's virtually the end of our last day in Singapore, and the end of our trip. I've loved it, but unlike Reg, I'm ready to go home now. We thank the staff of our lovely hotel, and tell them it's definitely one of the best we've ever stayed in.

On the way to the airport, the taxi driver chats to us; he tells us he'll be 40 this year, so he was born a couple of years after I left Singapore the first time. I ask him if he's happy in this modern, go-ahead city.

“Everything is so expensive,” he says. “it's hard for ordinary families to make ends meet. Even food is expensive to buy. For you, it's not expensive; for us, it is. The changes took place without people realising … the Prime Minister then, Lee Kuan Yew, he wanted to make a new Singapore.  I don't know how it happened, but it happened.'

The taxi driver explains that he is divorced, and, “Sadly, I don't have children,” he adds.

I'm interested in Christianity in Singapore; the driver says he is a Christian, and says there are many Christians in Singapore.

“Being a taxi driver, I can't go to church much,” he says,”but I have Jesus here with me on my mobile phone.   Look.”

He shows us a video scene from the bible on his phone, which he glances at as he's driving along.

“I hope you don't watch and drive,” I say, only half jokingly. He laughs, and thankfully we've now arrived at the airport.

Now for our long journey home; we will fly on Qatar airlines via Doha, in the Middle East, to Heathrow. The whole journey including stop over time of 1 – 2 hours, is 17 hours. We're due to leave Singapore at 9.30 pm. Although we're due to arrive at Heathrow at about 7.15 am, British time, it'll be 2.15 pm Singapore time. So by 5.00 pm British time, when hopefully we'll be safely in Bristol, it'll be midnight for me and Reg. Good job we haven't any plans for Saturday evening.