Ramble
Quest - Barnstorming Singapore.
I spend some time in my old haunts near Little India, hanging out in the temple for about an hour, just watching people, snacks at Mustafas, lunch at Zhujiao where I found my old juice vendor with the cheapest drinks with the least amount of ice. I couldn’t find my neem stick guy though.
On the MRT I see a first – a teenager is drinking some juice from a straw and he drops his trash in the train car. Both are almost unthinkable here. An anomaly or the end of an era here?
I visit both the Malay (Robinson Road, don’t believe your guidebook) and Singapore (Suntec City) Tourist Centers. I don’t get much information out of either one but I get what I need. The bus to the Cameron Highlands is a better bet than the train and the first bus over the Causeway leaves about 6:30am. I also spend some time indulging in some favorites that are good to get here: mooncake, white tea, durian, and pepper crab. I also go out with Henning and Justin to experience some nightlife: faux blues at OD’s near the Indoor Stadium, and ear thumping, trendy club Asia’s in Chinatown. Neither is my cup of tea but I do enjoy walking around late at night.
I’ve been introduced to Nathan R. through mutual friends. He’s a great guy and originally from New Zealand, so I learn a lot by visiting with him. His wife owns a cute café near my old workplace and the backpacker hotels (96 Waterloo) called the Kiwi Kai Café. After a visit there, Nathan and I go up to Mount Faber for what I think will be my last good view of the city for awhile.
Boy am I wrong! My last day here Henning hears from his friend Michael, who recently got his pilot’s license. He invites us to go buzzing around in a little four seat Chestnut, taking off out of Selangor airport. OK-la! We surrender our passports at the entrance to the military airport and meet Michael at his flying club. Then we’re up in the air with very little indeed between us and the clouds. We pass the reservoirs, fly over the Causeway, then turn south over Bukit Timah, down to Sentosa, St John’s, and Kusu Islands. We pass an island that Michael says is used as a storage dump. Then we parallel the shoreline for a fabulous view of the downtown. Michael scares us a bit with some wing dips and we hit a bit of turbulence on the way back. Still, this was a great experience that gave me the perfect last look at Singapore.
My plans for an early night’s rest are dashed after we pick up some of Henning’s Irish friends at the airport and have drinks and roti afterwards. I’m not complaining over the lost sleep though. I’ll take all the going away parties I can get.