Postcard from Singapore

First stopover was in Singapore - to try and break the trip because most flights into Colombo arrive at midnight, or later, which is a real drag, especially if you are tired from a flight from Sydney. Stayed at the Park Royal on Pickering, a designer hotel that has 15,000 square metres of tiered green gardens and water features living on and around its sides -i t looks like the workld's largest vertical garden. 

The Sri Mariamman, a Dravidian style Hindu temple, is the oldest in Singapore (1829) and is just down the road, and well worth a quick visit.

Close-up of ghee-burning lamps left by early morning worshippers

More of the same lamps, but arranged on a bed of flower petals

Inside the temple itself there are many warning signs for things you can't do, typical Singapore I suppose, including this sensible notice to not encourage pigeons. It looks like someone added 'all other birds' as an afterthought, so as not to be hard on just one species...

Just two guys out for a walk in the woods. The ceilings are a maze of illustrations telling stories

An Indian deity and one of his favourite horses