Feburary 9th Saturday  Beginning of festivities

Again we are getting slower and slower.  We planned to take the bus tour around the city but got a late start.  Found out the last bus runs at 3p.m.  Got there at noon and stayed on the first bus the entire trip.  You can get off and see different things at each stop, but we decided we better just do the bus part of the tour.  After bus 1 we stopped and had lunch in the mall of chinese soup, fried chicken and  fried geyoza.  Then got on the second bus for the next tour.  We had seen a lot of the places during the time we were here but wanted to see the whole trip.  

You don't see many single family homes, but this was one we took on the tour.  You can see that the ones who do must have a sizeable bank account.  You can't own your land over here, you have a 99 year lease.  Government owns everything.  Also owing a car is not very reasonable either.  You have to apply to the government and pay a fee to get a car, $50,000 to $80,000 and then you buy the car, $100,000 to 150,000 for an average one.  Unbelievable.  After 10 years your sell the car back to the government and start all over again.  You do see a large number of higher priced car, jaguars, mazaretti's , etc. 

 Ashley and Keith on the tour bus

 This is the Park Royal a new hotel that has just opened and the structure is so different.  Looks like the layers of the earth.

 Keith, Grampy and Gram on the bus, this is what we could afford for transportation

 We got off the bus because it was going to be closer to where we were going and it looked like it was going to rain, which it came down in buckets.  The people were sitting out in the bar area through the rain down pour. They just kept drinking.

Ashley wanted us to see the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel and they are famous for founding the drink "Singapore Sling." Unfortunately because of the rain it was packed with people and we chose to leave, but did get some peanuts.

This was funny, Ashley is always cold and the temperature is so hot all the time.  She never even uses her a/c except to sleep.  So we were walking through the mall and came across this statue.  Couldn't resist taking a picture of Ashley and her twin brother.

The other thing that is so weird  "Winter Time" stores in Singapore.  I don't think the weather ever gets down past 80 degrees and there is a store with heavy winter jackets and clothing.

We then proceeded to go back to the bungalow and get lazy again.  Picked on food, watched TV and played cards.  Ashley worked out at the gym, Wayne updated us on the storm, while we were playing cards                 
                     ....

 Claude & I went to bed around 10:30.  Ashley and Keith went out to see the NYE celebration in Chinatown.  End of another perfect day with family. Yes we were the party poopers, did hear the fireworks laying in bed.