Tiger balm; dates and palms

We spent our second and last night in Singapore with a circuit on the Hop-on, Hop-off bus, alighting beneath the Singapore Flyer, first for a delicious composite meal from a few of the stalls at The Food Trail, then a circuit on the Flyer to view the city under lights. Saturday morning saw us hop on a couple of trains to the Haw Par Villa, a fascinating display of a thousand statues representing several Chinese legends, constructed by Mr Haw Par, who made his millions from his invention of Tiger Balm and who wanted to give something back to the city that had allowed him to exploit his initiative and luck. Built in the 1920s, it surrounds the house he built as a gift for his brother and, in accordance with his wishes, is still open daily to the public for free. Fascinating.

Then on the MRT again to Orchard Road for a quick lunch at the Wisma Atria, a large shopping and office complex (as they all are along Orchard Road) and which contains a couple of floors of traditional food outlets. Back to the hotel, picked up and dropped at Changi Airport where we booked into our expensive (AUD12) for an eight-hour stay in the Ambassador Transit Hotel within the airport. We managed to get a few hours sleep which was just as well, because we boarded our first flight at 1am Singapore time and finally arrived in Casablanca at 3pm - a total of 19 hours travelling. Our hotel is fascinating. Originally a private home, it retains all its traditional Moroccan features; mosaics and ornate carving, an internal eight-story open atrium which is adorned with more ornate carving and art works. Our room is huge, with settees running along the walls on two sides, a separate three piece ornate lounge suite, desk and, most important, a big canopied bed with ornate metal and lacework. I will have to buy some dates tomorrow so Elizabeth can pop them into my mouth as I lounge with my hookah (presuming they allow you to bring hookahs into the hotel). We finished the day with a quick stroll of our immediate neighbourhood and a delightful meal of a lamb tajine and Moroccan salad, washed down (for me at least) by a sample of the local beer. And who said Morocco was dry! Tomorrow: off to explore Casablanca in earnest and a visit to the only mosque in Morocco that is accessible to non-Muslims.