Journal:

Singapore, 26 Dec 2001

We flew on Singapore Airlines, who I now consider to be the best airline that I have flown. The food was very good; the service was outstanding; and best of all, we had individual LCD screens with a choice of movies, games, news and other entertainment. All-in-all, the 10 hour flight was a lovely experience.

Singapore is an island at the southern end of the Malaysian peninsula. It is a much bigger island than I had expected, occupying 646 square kilometers. The island consists mostly of urban sprawl, having over 3 million inhabitants. Singapore has a reputation for being a very clean and orderly city. Heavy fines for littering and a ban on chewing gum help ensure it's cleanliness.

Singapore, 27 Dec 2001

We are staying at a functional little hotel in the Little India area of the city. We decided to treat ourselves to a twin room (instead of dorm rooms) with en suite bathroom and a television. For this luxury we paid roughly US$18 a night each. At 5.30 in the morning, we discovered that the hotel is quiet close to a mosque. We discovered this after being woken up by the daily chanted prayers, which are broadcast from the mosque over a public address system. Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds... I quiet enjoyed hearing the incantations as I lay semi-conscious on my bed.

According to our guide book, one of the two things that Singapore is known for is great cuisine. Singapore is billed as being where the East meets the West with regards to food. The varying Malay, Chinese, Indian, and western influences are obvious as one surveys the restaurants and food stalls. However, our first examination of the menus unearths such culinary delights as curried fish heads and chicken feet with noodles. We decide to leave adventure for the foolhardy and eat our food at Kentucky Fried Chicken and a pub.

The weather today was appalling, with a tropical storm in the area. We have not had a spell of decent weather since we left Darwin almost two months ago and I wonder if we will every see the sun again. I am a little depressed about the bad weather. This feeling of depression was probably brought on because of a fall that I had earlier in the day. I slipped on the wet surface at the top of a small staircase and proceeded to fall down each step, injuring my wrist.

According to our guide book, the other thing that Singapore is known for is shopping. Large areas of Singapore consist of a succession of huge malls. We spent most of today, going from shopping mall to shopping mall along Orchard Road. The sheer number of malls and the large crowds of people shopping in them really are incredible. The most notable aspect of the malls is the frigid air-conditioning, which contrasts sharply with the humidity outside. Our day of shopping was nicely rounded off with a few drinks in a bar. A beer at a bar costs a very reasonable US$3 during happy hour (between midday and 9pm) and US$6 after 9pm.

Earlier I wrote that our hotel room was functional. Well the ceiling is not very functional in stormy weather. We returned to our room to discover that most of our possessions were soaking in the river that was our floor. In future, we will be more calculating in the placement of our possessions, especially those susceptible to water-damage.

Singapore, 28 Dec 2001

The weather forecast predicted that the tropical storm would be with us for the next couple of days. This morning there were overcast skies but no precipitation. We decided to make the most of our respite from the rains by walking into the center of Singapore, taking a riverboat tour of the Singapore River, and then taking a bus tour of the city. The boat tour was reasonably good, but the bus tour was a bit of a waste of our time. One strange phenomenon that we encountered each morning was the fact that there were so few people around. The reason for this was not apparent to me; perhaps it is because the people are slow to arise, or perhaps it is because of the holiday season.

The overcast skies of the morning were transformed into glorious sunny skies by the afternoon. Now, instead of complaining about the rain, we complained about the heat and humidity. Typical!

We decided to venture from western food today, as we enjoyed a meal at a food stall in Chinatown. The meal cost a whopping US$1.50, lending further credence to the fact that Singapore can be a lot less expensive than the guide books claim. But I must admit that it was a case of 'one gets what one pays for' with small portions and no attempts to debone the meat. Actually, for Davie, it was more a case of 'one has no idea what one pays for' as he consumed what he labelled "some fish dish".

Singapore, 29 Dec 2001

We enjoyed glorious weather again today for our final few hours in Singapore. I spent the day enjoying a look around the downtown area and final visit to the shops before getting the bus to Malaysia.

Spending:

US$145 for 3 nights

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