Singapore

You should take a look at the marina we're in http://www.one15marina.com/new/index.htm it costs $55,880 to join - but you can't because there's a waiting list. 3 Ferraris parked outside this afternoon and a Maserati passed us as we left to find somewhere to eat!! It's costing 12.50£ per night to 'park' here and we get the run of the facilities tehe! The website doesn't really do it justice although it's verbose ( http://www.one15marina.com/new/abt_press.htm) -I'm going to take some pictures tomorrow... might get them uploaded tomorrow night.

The marina is on the island of Sentosa connected to singapore by road, monorail and cable car (http://www.sentosa.com.sg/) - it's one big bloody theme park I tell you it's totally bizarre... we took the shuttle bus across the bridge onto mainland singapore and went to find an atm in the shopping mall where the bus dropped us.... talk about shop till you drop... it's massive ... and no money in the HSBC atm!!! had to find another.
rene, drew and I found a 'Carnivores' restaurant - Brazilian Buffet theme restaurant where you help yourself to salads and vegetable dishes and then a team of chefs circulate around the restaurant with massive carving knives and chunks of meat on 2' long skewers. They carve it straight onto your plate. Each of us was issued with a round disc - green side up 'yes please' to more meat and red side up 'no thanks'. regardless of what your colour was, they just kept offering more!! When the maitre d' saw how little we were drinking, he hurried us on to the chocolate fondu and 'please pay the bill my cash desk is closing' - great meal for about 12 quid each!! We then have to find our way back to the marina.... rene spots a monorail and just HAS to take a ride. Luckily it was going in the direction of the island - unluckily, the taxi rank at its final destination was short of taxis. drew decided to head back on the monorail to where we'd come from and join the queue there for a taxi there. meanwhile rene and I decided to get a bit nearer the marina by taking a bus and then walking the rest of the way... as it happened, the bus driver took pity on us and dropped us a bit nearer and a taxi with a pick up at the marina stopped to take us. we got back before drew!
rene crashed out and I came up to the flashy bistro to check the emails as i can't get a signal onboard. it's now 1.45am and I should head back! Tomorrow is sightseeing day...

Well that's it so far - we're not going to Batang it was actually Batam indonesia but the marina is closed for dredging!! so, heading around the coast to somewhere else - malaysian island of tiaman?? then across to Borneo after a couple of days. That'll take a week of sailing - our first long passage and hopefully the wind will be with us - it's been on the nose most of our journey so far so we've been motoring with the sails up ocasionally. Getting down here took 3 night passages and i'll catch you up with that when I connect tomorrow if time allows. The days are flying by but I'm keeping a written log!
Hope you're all well wherever you are!