We had finally departed Papeete – Tahiti, however we were flying in to a storm of uncertainty. We weren’t sure if we would secure visas’ for entry into Cambodia, we had found outstanding accommodation in Singapore at the last minute. Citadines Rochor, located in an area of Singapore, called Little India. And that’s exactly what the area was. I’m not being a sad shit here – but (not that we have been to India) the place was vibrant with Indian culture, incense aroma drifted through the air, strong spices caught our attention with every second or third store that we past – the ears were aroused with a myriad of languages that walked with us as we dragged our near energy depleted bodies to what looked like a huge car park building and it was awesome. Citadines Rochor is a fabulous accomodation. It’s perfect for an everyone. In our case a travel weary couple, who was desperately in need of a shower and a welcoming bed. Check in was easy – everything in Singapore was seamless, card transactions as they are, ‘ cash less’ saved the lengthy and bothersome search for cash. As mentioned our room was perfect, a cosy double bed, a warm shower but more importantly the facilities had washing machines and driers which allowed us to , ‘recycle’ our hand full of clothing in preparation for the Cambodia leg of the trip. There was a communal kitchen area, a swimming pool and a gym which suited me well, as I am currently as of writing this preparing for two grand running challenges this year, so I will keep everyone posted on that journey as well.

The first night for us was a no-brainer. Shower, washing, eat and get stuck into our proposed Cambodian leg. We also decided to head out, as you do, to explore our little-big area. The following day was also on our mind as we now had three days in Singapore, due to the visa situation. As is typical with most accomodations around the world -brochures and maps at hand, all loaded with QR codes await the newly arrived, jet lagged excited tourist. Reception were also, English speakers who were active 24hours. which really smoothed the process of getting immediate directions and help. After a cuppa (thanks to the Starbucks coffee machine in the reception) it didn’t take us long to lock in a day trip to Universal Studios. Nikki was dead set on getting out and doing something different. And I can honestly say, it was one of the best days we have ever had together. Getting to where we needed to be, wasn’t as difficult as what we thought it would be. Public transportation is mind-blowing, the underground train system at first seems over whelming, but again, the local people are kind enough to help you out with directions. We pulled over a young jogger – and as wet as he was, he had no hesitation in slowly directing us to the nearest underground station. Again, we travelled with a lot of water so it was inevitable that we would need a few toilet stops – again, well marked, clean and modern. Once you get to the ticket booth – great customer service will advise you how best to get around Singapore – which train lines to catch and where to make the transitions. The maps of the train systems are all colour coded, well marked and what we found was that, at first it seems like a massive cob web, however with a little patience, good communication and shear confidence, small steps easily turn into a rolling pathway to your destination. We – enjoyed the little challenge of getting to Universal Studios. We had timed it right, as usual we decided to go early to beat the large crowds – this worked for us, however with the day temperatures pushing well up into the high 30s sitting just below 40 degrees celsius, we now recommend to people, to head to the site around 1pm as the entire site is open till at least 7pm. What we saw in the day was stunning, but as we were leaving in the evening, the lights were warming up for the site and the amount of people had also decreased.

We have been to some sites, Nikki has travelled to overseas theme parks and I have been lucky enough to hit Disney World and Disney Sea whilst visiting Japan. Universal Studios in Singapore stands in a league of its own. What was really fascinating was the spirit of the community. No matter how daunting the roller coaster rides seem, no matter how scary some of the entertaining attractions were, it was humbling to see grandchildren hanging out with their grandparents and family units indulging in the excitement of THRILL seeking, heart wrenching adventure. I tell you what – cultures language, young and old enjoying the day and having the living shit scared out of their souls was hilarious to see and I am so happy to say – that we were included in this large family experience. The site is crazy and well themed. When we visited, the Minion area was still under construction however, The Mummy experience was going off, so too was the Battle star Galactica theme area, Transformers, Jurassic Park and a cool section of the park that catered to Disney characters. Each themed area had a ride of some sort, of course a souvenir store but an awesome decked out eating arena where cool-air was the top order of the day, the day we had arrived to the park, the temperature was nearing 40 degrees celsius. Favourite ride in the theme park was The Mummy ride – so mind-blowing that we stood in line to go a second time. the unexpected free falling drops in the dark married with the stunning virtual reality storyline and our familiarisation with the Mummy characters – really made you feel included in the experience. The wait for the ride was worth it. Which brings us to a handful of things to know prior to getting into the theme park. Depending on what type of ticket you order will determine which line you stand in as you wait for your ride. We had purchased something along the lines of ‘general admission’ ticket, which gave us access to everything on site, as in all areas and all rides. There was another OPTION, something along the lines of ;express entry’, which meant you didn’t have to stand in the general admission line however had VIP entry leading straight to the front of the line and experience. The longest line we stood in, was the roller coaster – Battlestar Galactica. They have two exciting rides. Both are colour coded. One is the red line and the other a black line and there is a difference, however, either way your bowels will be severely challenged. The other good thing about any of the rides, is they have a clock with an estimated time wait, so when we saw, 60minutes – we thought, screw it – it’s our day, let’s just jump in line. Maybe we will get lucky and 60 minutes will drop to 55 or even 50minutes. Despite waiting 60 minutes guys – the ride was no longer than 2 minutes and it was bloody worth it.

The lines can be over-whelming in busy season which I am so grateful that we missed, however the build up to the actual ride, no matter what one you select is a journey within itself. The creators have taken time and injected magical thinking into the queue lines, everything has been created from a visitors perspective.Animations deck the walls, projector screens reinforcing the overall story line of the particular attraction, a myriad of other side line gadgets are a buzz, to ensure that the kids who have lined up don’t turn into little crabs. As mentioned the queue to get to the ride itself is part of the well thought out overall experience. Due to the nature of some of these rides, you will be asked to leave valuables, camera in some cases, hats and other loss items in provided storage cupboards. This is where we got caught out. We also decided to leave our credit cards in the safe box. After 30 minutes there is a charge, what we didn’t think about was the wait in the lines, so by the time we finally made it through the lines – had our ride and then meandered back to collect our gears – 30 minutes had turned into one hour – there was an additional charge that we had to pay before the storage box would release our stuff, BUT, we had left, as mentioned all of our cards and phones in the safety box. We were shit to of luck ! Luckily the staff on hand, understood our situation (as it is quite a problem, we were told – something that management is working on…) and we were reunited with our wonderful money cards that allowed us to give more money to the theme park lol.

After conquering a large majority of the adrenaline pumping, free falling, virtual reality rides we decided to turn around and head home. There was an option to catch a gondola to appreciate the size of the park from an elevated site but in all honestly, we were buggered. The day was action packed, great company, wonderful memories and a day well spent just mucking around, allowing all the pre stresses to just take a back seat and as we caught the train back into the massive shopping centre – it felt as though the past few days of Tahiti and the departure dramas were all left on the roller coaster rides!