Tues-Wed 24th-25th March: Singapore

On tuesday I woke up with a bang, literally. The motel where I was staying was struck by lightning which knoked out the electricity. The thunderclap which resulted sounded like it was directly outside the window. The bang lifted me out of the bed. It was followed by a torrential downpour.

Having looked around the noerthern parts of the city centre yesterday I went for a look at Chinatown, the river and the central business district where all the tower blocks crowd around the waterfront. Chinatown had a buzz around it. Of the three 'ethnic quarters this was certainly the liveliest and the spot where, seemingly, most of the tourists seem to pass through. While in Chinatown I decided to have a massage. Marie had always said if I was in Asia to go for a massage and how good they were. I hummed and hawed my way across Indonesia so now in Singapore I decided to go for one. To be honest it was easier buying the camera. There are so many different types of massage. Eventually I just went into a place in Chinatown. To be honest I didn't think it was great and towards the end the masseuse asked if I wanted "any special services??" I didn't quite catch what she said as her English wasn't great. She repeated "Would you like any special service??" and gestured with her hand to illustrate her meaning. I understood her this time my and eyebrows arched as I replied "No thanks, I can do that myself". She wasn't very impressed.

I had a look around the waterfront. The skyline of the business district was particularly striking as dusk fell with the tower blocks standing out against the darkening sky. River cruises plied up and around the waterfront of the business district but the views of the skyline were actually better from land. I had to return to the room as I wasn't feeling great. I haven't felt right since I was sick in Surakarta. I've felt light-headed and dizzy ever since. My appetite hasn't returned either. I can feel hungry and yet not want to eat anything when I go to get food. I was looking forward to trying all the different foods here in Singapore but even when I step into a food hall my stomach feels as though it will reject the food. As a result my energy level are low. I was asleep on Tuesday night by 8.30pm and then wide awake at 4am the next morning. I had wanted to leave Singapore on Wednesday but I felt so tired I decided to stay on. I remained in bed most of Wednesday get up around 4pm in the afternoon. I took in one last look around town before getting ready to go to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.