look of the city. I was already impressed with all the ships that were waiting to pass through the Bosporus in Istanbul to get to the Black sea, but this was nothing compared to what was lying on anchor in the bay of Singapore. I have never seen as many ships in my life before, it must have been a few hundred ships there. Most of them being well over 200m in length. After our sight seeing tour through Singaporean Airspace we finally landed and disembarked. Got through customs no problem, very friendly and the airport, looking like any airport anywhere in the world. When I finally got my bag and wanted to leave through customs I was picked out to be checked. No complaints from the customs official and I was meant to live.
After the ATM in the Airport I went to the the MRT (Metro Rapid Transport) station and got
an EZ-Link pass which is a very handy ticket that you can use when getting on and off the Train and you can recharge.
By the way, it has already turned into Monday afternoon over here in Singapore by the
time when I arrived.
So, I got on the train and was heading towards town. It was, as expected a very clean and
orderly train, aside from one Spanish guy, who apparently couldn't read the “reserved for elderly/disabled people” sings. After a few station you have to change from the local train to the commuter train and that was when it hit me. 30 degrees and 80 % humidity. Not quite what I left from back in Dublin.
On the way into town, I realized I was quite lucky to arrive at evening rush hour as the train into town was only moderately filled but the trains that came from town and headed east towards the airport and the suburbs were packed and people were left outside at the stations.
The ride was ok, so. The buildings being small and two floor duplex apartments quickly
grew and became high rise towers while the train moved into town.
The Hostel (Green Kiwi
Backpackers Hostel) was near the station that was on the same Metro line, that I was on.
To be honest I quickly adjusted to the harsh change of climate and walked up the Lavender
Street and passed the Hostel, only to turn around and walk back. Apparently jay walking (crossing the road without a traffic light) is illegal in Singapore, and I wasn't sure if not sticking to the rule meant “hung by the neck until dead” I waited for the light to turn green.
When I finally got to 280 Lavender street I went straight into a nice looking place and put my bag on the ground to check in, only to realize that the hostel was at 280A which was just a tiny door between the buildings that would lead me upstairs. Instead I ended up in a massage parlour with many fish tanks. I was wrecked but really didn't care for a message. So I went up the stairs outside and met up with my Friend Basti who was sitting in the common area of the hostel. Long time no see. Which surprise, he already checked me in and paid for the outstanding amount.
Basti showed me the room and asked me if I needed a shower. But seriously.. with 30
degrees and 80 % humidity what's the point? So we headed straight out.
I arranged to meet up with a friend, Antonio, who I haven't seen for a good few years, and
who is currently spending some time for work here in Singapore.
Over the local free Hostel Wifi we arranged to meet him at Tanjong Pagar Station Exit A and it all worked out perfectly.
He didn't wait more than 2 min for us.
First task for him, was to bring us to the local Guinness dispenser unit. And I have to say,
it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Then we went to get some food on to Antonio's favorite local food place. It was a row of little sheds that sold, either food or drinks with a few plastic chairs in front of it. This little seating area was covered with tropical trees which stood in the midst of soaring 60 – 70 floor apartment blocks.
The food there was great and I would guess pretty authentic. We had spicy shrimps, fried
rice, tam yom soup, some deep fried mini octopus and plenty more stuff. A couple of beers with this while the temperature has by now cooled down to a comfortable 27 degrees.
This was a great start into our short stay in Singapore. Antonio mentioned we could head up
to his flat and get a few beers on the way. On the 31st floor (which was half way up the building) there were some openings in the side of the building and the floor was arranged as a roof terrace (with a few floors above it). But you could look out to the side and see Singapore harbour. Life could potentially be worse.
Somehow the jet lag made me think it was still 8 pm and we could have continued for while. So we hit the town for a couple more drinks with Antonio and we soon realized that Singapore is not a cheap place. There are also some places that increase the cost of a drink by the hour through the night. As we are on a bit of a budget we thought to call it a night and made it home safely. (Taxis are cheap, though).
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