BUSY IN SINGAPORE

At last got some time to be in an internet kiosk. The first 2 days were hectic. But we did the business with pleasure. That means after a nightlong journey we had the energy to find time for having a walk around the corner (window shopping), sight seeing or some shopping spree in-between the conference. Like many in Singapore, our hotel is really big and houses a lot of people. But the amenities like well equipped room, conference center, sufficient lifts etc is well worth the price (Us$65 PD). The hotel is located in Victoria street near all big shopping joints. One such huge joint is the Mustafa Center, which has almost anything you can buy and is open 24 hours. So it was not surprising when some of us went there after 11 PM at night and came back at 1 AM. We took our food mostly in the restaurant of the hotel. As many of our team are vegetarians, I am practically living on veg food, which I find a really good variation on diet.

Yesterday night we took the night safari which was excellent. The place is well maintained and gives you a feeling of the real jungle. As I was explaining to my roommate, a Safari is a place where animals roam around and people are caged - opposite of a zoo. We were not caged actually, we were in a tram which went through the roads circling around the complex where many animals including tigers and lions were roaming or resting. We took the interesting trekking through the jungle and watched an exciting live animal show. The show was really good because it was moderated well (by an American).

Today we started the day with a tour around the city which included a boat ride. This was really excellent and we enjoyed the picturesque side of Singapore. It would be undermining Singapore if I would say that the streets and surroundings in Singapore are also not worthy to mention. One of my colleagues from India was really trying to locate a slum or some shabby building which he still haven't found. The buildings are really modern and colorful. The sky has no limit in Singapore. The boat ride was really worth because we could take beautiful pictures.

We just had our lunchr in an Indian restaurant name Tandoori near Mustafa Center and will be leaving for the Sentosa Island shortly. I have taken many pictures which I will upload to Flicker later and post the link.

Catch up with you later.