Blind Tip of the Week

Following on from last week’s tip about what to do when you meet up with a blind person another piece of helpful advice centred around greeting. Should you wish to shake our hand just say I am asking to shake your hand and when we hold our hand out, move your hand to take ours. Then there is the matter of the dreaded cheek-kiss! Not exactly spontaneous, but if you intend to kiss us on the cheek, say that you are going to peck us on the left or right cheek; it is a great help as it will avoid an undignified clash of noses or teeth on glasses or whatever. Maybe there is a protocol that I am naively oblivious to, like perhaps it is etiquette to kiss one cheek before the other. If that is the case perhaps someone can let me know. Same goes for hugging as well.

Singapore: Early Onset Sunburn at Christmas

I must confess that we did not get back to Gardens by the Bay during our visit as we had simply run out of time.

We had walked for miles and managed to become a little disoriented. Anyway, it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. In the end we found a small Chinese restaurant and filled up, gorged on noodles and rice dishes, far too much. Then there was the challenge of getting back to the hotel. We were a little lost. Out comes the mobile phone to engage with Maps. Mistake! We used data at such a rate that before we had turned the first corner a warning came up to say that we were getting close to our spend limit. What is it with mobile providers in the modern world? If I go to Australia or New Zealand I can use as much data as I like for £2.00 per day? Yet here we were in Singapore, lost, and in about ten seconds we had used £2,000 worth. I don’t remember the exact figures and I have exaggerated for effect. Why is Singapore not included in a decent data package? After all it is not like we are the first people to visit. It is a thoroughly modern city so it cannot be beyond the wit of mobile phone firms to do deals.

Note to Sky Mobile: sort out your data packages.

Singapore is brilliantly lit and, even for me, I did not feel in danger of bumping into anything. Only first impressions but it also felt incredibly safe and, according to Jane, there was not a drop of litter anywhere.

Jane was tired but I felt I might have a wee nightcap. I went to the lift but it was far too difficult for me to operate so no nightcap.

Note to Freedom Destinations: don’t put blind people on the eleventh floor of a hotel; it takes our independence away.

The following morning saw us get up at our usual time. Safe to say, we were not suffering from jet-lag whatsoever. Breakfast eaten, by the way the staff noticed my cane and helped with getting food from the buffet. I hate buffet. I can never choose exactly what I want as I cannot see the dishes. Jane does a sterling job in selecting my food for me. The choice appeared to be never ending. It felt as though the counters went into the next suburb it was so plentiful.

When we go to a city, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but we have grown to love a hop-on-hop-off open-top bus tour. We purchased a two-day ticket so that we could do one route one day and the other the following day. Sat on the top deck. Must get a hat! Ouch!

It was the first time we saw, up close and personal, the impressive Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It consists of three 55 storey skyscrapers with, what looks like, a ship on the top. During the next day’s open-top bus tour of the city we were informed that the suites sell for thousands per night. I need Wish Dead List to be a best seller. If your budget is a bit more moderate, like ours, you can visit the Sky Park Observation Deck from S$32. It is worth booking in advance if you can though. Although not that old, it is already described as one of the iconic landmarks of the Singaporean skyline. Don’t you think iconic is an over-used word. When I think of places like the Colosseum, the Acropolis, Tower Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Christ the Redeemer, among a few, iconic could not be more apt. I am sure, given time, Marina Bay Sands will become iconic. I suppose the bestowing of such superlatives is in the eye of the beholder.

When we were last here, 34 years ago if I didn’t mention it, we visited the iconic botanical gardens. We went there again and, I have to say, it was no less glorious. The orchid display must be one of the finest in the world. It was fantastically relaxing to get a snack and a bottle of water, sit near one of the many water features in the warm sun and rattle on about the cold and damp weather in the UK. If you are lucky enough to have visited warmer climes in the British winter, I challenge you to deny that you have done this too? I must get a hat.

This time we knew there was a plethora of restaurants to choose from just across the river at Clarke Quay itself. Once again, we chose local food and washed it down with local beer. I must point out, at this juncture, that every eatery, without exception, was playing Christmas music by the bucketful. With sweat drops forming on my brow, it felt incongruous to have “Frosty the Snowman” wafting across the tables. It was a gentle reminder of what we were missing back home. My word, how lucky were we?

On the following morning, I could feel the jets of water from the shower go right through to my brain like someone was pushing needles into my scalp. Sunburn! Must get a hat! Anyway, not too wisely in my view, we went to the top deck of the bus for the second day’s tour. Ouch! “I need a hat,” I said to Jane.

“When I see one, we’ll buy it,” she said whilst pushing back her thick hair from her eyes. “I need to tie my hair up as it makes my neck sweat.”

Oh! Poor you, I thought but kept it inside my head.