Having heard that Singapore is a shoppers’ paradise, Nancy could hardly wait to “hit the streets” and go shopping along Orchard Road. But it was not what we expected: All along the road are high rise office buildings, the first few floors of which are shops. You can do the few shops on the ground floor, but to continue, you must take an elevator. Because each building has so many shops- and there is no way to know what is in each, the shopping experience is very detached. It is not at all like browsing along Las Ramblas in Barcelona, or along the Champs Elysees in Paris. It turned out to be less fun than shopping Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.

What proved to be the most enjoyable experience was an afternoon spent at Sentosa Island, a lovely resort/park area crammed full of ‘do-able’ activities. There are several ways to get to this place: for the physically challenged, especially those in wheelchairs, they recommend taking the ferry, but the most scenic and spectacular way is to take the cable car across the harbor. This provides outstanding views of the city below you, and is a most pleasant interlude in itself.

Unfortunately, there are a number of stairs at the end of the ride, and it was necessary for me to go hunting a few lads who could carry Nan up the stairs in her wheelchair. But we did it, and none of the fellows who helped us, both on arrival and on departure, would take any money. If anything, two of the young men thanked us for letting them help!

When you get to the end of the cable, you step off and onto this modern resort island just south of the city proper. There white sandy beaches, and lush tropical fauna. You can adventure parks and stunning landscaped gardens. Of course, there are pubs, restaurants, spas, and a variety of museums.

But it was the Underwater World, Asia's largest tropical fish oceanarium, that provided us the most memorable experience.

It is not a cheap afternoon- we took a taxi to the cable car entrance, then paid for the cable car ride. There is an entrance fee to get into Sentosa, and a separate fee for many of the attractions. When I found out it would cost a substantial additional sum to get into the Underwater World, I was more than a little ‘ticked off’. Afterward, however, I would gladly have agreed to pay even more than we did, as it was well worth the entrance fee.

I got some exceptional photos of the underwater environment they have created. Since there is little chance we will go scuba diving, the pictures made up a unique photo album with shots unlike any others we’ve taken.

And if you are traveling with small children, you should not miss it under any circumstances. The kids we saw there had rapt expressions on their faces the entire time.