Settled in the hotel, we stepped out and more or less across the road to a food centre. This one was clearly intended to look like a hawker centre, but it had a "big commerce" feel about it. I ate two dishes: some smoked duck and pork with rice, then lots of veg and tofu from another stall. I was eating vegetables that I've never eaten before, some tangy, some crunchy, interspersed with tofu in every configuration possible – balls, in a slice of sweet pepper, in flavoured slices. Mum had a very safe-looking prawn and vegetable noodle soup dish. Thoroughly overfed, we waddled down the main road, loosely in the direction of the Raffles Hotel. Passing it, we saw a single police officer off his motorcycle and beckoning to various lanes in a huge intersection. Everyone was very obediently stopping or moving on his command. He was allowing a large cavalcade of white vehicles and state cars to turn left. He then jumped back on his bike and continued to the entrance to Raffles. We were walking that way to follow our route "round the block" so we quickly came across the entourage pulling into the turning circle. It transpired that the queen of the Netherlands was paying a visit. We have a photograph of all the police bikes parked outside the hotel. It seemed all of the officers were invited in as well. There were more than 10 motorcycles parked up on the main road!
The walk back was uneventful except for picking up a drink at a 7 Eleven store. Two for the price of one on Pink Dolphin bottled drinks. One was peach flavoured with added vitamins. The other was enriched with… collagen! Well, that will put paid to any early onset wrinkles!
Too tired to pester locals in the bars and no hotel bar, so I will retire now. Breakfast at 0830 tomorrow. I will be wearing sandals all day, I think. We plan to go to the marina and Chinatown.