January 26 - 30
Drinking water on a train will get you a £250 fine, smoking on public transport will cost you £500 and if you drop litter you'll be forced to pay £500.
No one will dispute the fact that Singapore is a "fine" city. It has a reputation the world over for its strict approach to law and order.
With such massive penalties for making any form of mess it is little surprise that it is the cleanest city on earth.
Before we arrived someone suggested it is so clean you could eat your dinner off the floor. Yes, it's clean - but that is just disgusting.
As one of Asia's tiger economies, Singapore is one of the richest - and priciest - countries in the region.
When we crossed the border from Malaysia the price of a half litre bottle of water trebled from 20p to 60p.
Singapore only gained full independence from Britain in 1963, but has surged forward economically in leaps and bounds since then.
Today builders are hard at work on the latest new skyscrapers in the Marina Bay business district.
Each September the roads beneath the towers are turned into a Formula One racing track.
The night race around the city's glittering districts has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious on the motor racing calendar.
In truth, when we arrived we expected little more from our stay than the sky high prices and petty rules which have put this tiny former British colonial outpost on the global map.
But after four days here we were left wishing we didn't have to move on.
For tourists, this is probably the coolest country we have been to - there's loads to do as long as you have the budget to spend.
While travelling we have had to live frugally - setting ourselves just £25 a day each to spend in Malaysia and Thailand to make our money last.
But this isn't a place for such restraint. So we spent Singapore $75 (around £40) each on tickets to the Universal Studios theme park.
The park is on Sentosa - an island separate from the Singapore mainland - which is also home to a number of other tourist attractions.
There are some huge rides at the park but our favourite was the Transformers 3D rollercoaster.
For those who haven't been on a 3D coaster - where computer-generated objects pop up around you on the ride - it is very hard to explain just how good they are.
The rides tell a story rather than simply hurtling you round bends and they offer a truly immersive experience.
And in keeping with our budgetary escapism, the following day we went to the Singapore zoo.
Unlike other zoos most of the animals are not in cages.
Monkeys were swinging freely from the trees right above our heads - and lemurs walked across the footpath in front of us seemingly oblivious to our presence.
The lions, tigers and other dangerous animals were obviously not allowed the same freedom. But we were separated from their enclosures only by a moat and rarely by a pane of glass.
During our stay we also visited a Singapore history museum and a Prisoner of War museum which told the stories of the thousands interred during the Japanese occupation of World War II.
During the war, the people of Singapore were convinced they were safe and their colonial masters would repel any attacks.
But when the Japanese invaded the city state swiftly fell and British troops were forced into a humiliating surrender in February 1942. For three dreadful years the people of Singapore were forced to live under the dreadful and oppressive Japanese regime.
It was the British failure to protect them that led to independence movements in the post-war era.
And it's with our trip to the museum that our Singapore tale ends - there was loads more to do but we simply didn't have time for it.
It's a city state we would happily return to - we missed out on the night safari, the world's biggest observation ferris wheel and the world's largest aquarium. And that's before we mention the beaches and the Tiger brewery.
There's much more to Singapore than strict rules.
Drinking water on a train will get you a £250 fine, smoking on public transport will cost you £500 and if you drop litter you'll be forced to pay £500.
No one will dispute the fact that Singapore is a "fine" city. It has a reputation the world over for its strict approach to law and order.
With such massive penalties for making any form of mess it is little surprise that it is the cleanest city on earth.
 |
| Singapore: Me and Kelly-Ann at the Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa Island in Singapore |
As one of Asia's tiger economies, Singapore is one of the richest - and priciest - countries in the region.
When we crossed the border from Malaysia the price of a half litre bottle of water trebled from 20p to 60p.
Today builders are hard at work on the latest new skyscrapers in the Marina Bay business district.
Each September the roads beneath the towers are turned into a Formula One racing track.
 |
| Me outside the Universal Studios theme park |
In truth, when we arrived we expected little more from our stay than the sky high prices and petty rules which have put this tiny former British colonial outpost on the global map.
But after four days here we were left wishing we didn't have to move on.
 |
| A baboon plays with a stick in its mouth at the excellent Singapore Zoo |
 |
| One of the lions at Singapore Zoo. The animals did not have traditional cages - and it was only a moat separating us from this predator |
While travelling we have had to live frugally - setting ourselves just £25 a day each to spend in Malaysia and Thailand to make our money last.
But this isn't a place for such restraint. So we spent Singapore $75 (around £40) each on tickets to the Universal Studios theme park.
 |
| Tiger economy: The high rise towers in Marina Bay, Singapore. Each year the streets below host a Formula 1 Grand Prix |
 |
| Iconic building in the Marina Bay area of Singapore |
There are some huge rides at the park but our favourite was the Transformers 3D rollercoaster.
For those who haven't been on a 3D coaster - where computer-generated objects pop up around you on the ride - it is very hard to explain just how good they are.
The rides tell a story rather than simply hurtling you round bends and they offer a truly immersive experience.
And in keeping with our budgetary escapism, the following day we went to the Singapore zoo.
Unlike other zoos most of the animals are not in cages.
Monkeys were swinging freely from the trees right above our heads - and lemurs walked across the footpath in front of us seemingly oblivious to our presence.
The lions, tigers and other dangerous animals were obviously not allowed the same freedom. But we were separated from their enclosures only by a moat and rarely by a pane of glass.
During our stay we also visited a Singapore history museum and a Prisoner of War museum which told the stories of the thousands interred during the Japanese occupation of World War II.
During the war, the people of Singapore were convinced they were safe and their colonial masters would repel any attacks.
But when the Japanese invaded the city state swiftly fell and British troops were forced into a humiliating surrender in February 1942. For three dreadful years the people of Singapore were forced to live under the dreadful and oppressive Japanese regime.
It was the British failure to protect them that led to independence movements in the post-war era.
And it's with our trip to the museum that our Singapore tale ends - there was loads more to do but we simply didn't have time for it.
It's a city state we would happily return to - we missed out on the night safari, the world's biggest observation ferris wheel and the world's largest aquarium. And that's before we mention the beaches and the Tiger brewery.
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