Singapore to Tokyo...

I'm now in Tokyo... but wanted to bring you up to date with the last few days. My birthday meal at the Raffles Hotel was fantastic - my fillet mignon was perfect - and it was great to have my parents there.



Over the course of the weekend we walked over 21 miles - and my feet are suffering! But we saw some great places. Here's some of the highlights... L to R: Mandai Orchid Garden; Expo MRT Station (the other Norman Foster designed budiling); The Cannery; & Clarke Quay



And some shots from the Singapore Botanic Gardens...



And finally, to answer your question Mary... It was made illegal to sell or import chewing gum into Singapore in 1992 as a result of huge maintenance costs associated with removing discarded chewing gum from train seats, pavements etc. The Regulation of Imports And Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations were slightly amended recently to allow the import of "therapeutic chewing gum" - i.e. to help you give up smoking. The maximum penalty for breaching the ban is 3 years in prison or a S$200,000 fine or both - which came as shock to my two colleagues who had both illegally smuggled the contraband into the country. I, of course, had no qualms in accepting some of their illicit goods as eating it is technically not an offence...