Sizzling Singapore

---

Yet another Deja vu for me - what seems like an age ago on my first backpacking adventure, our first stop was Singapore. Many backpackers dismiss Singapore, for a South Asian country, it is very westernized and expensive, but for me, I love it and due to the direction I traveled in, it is still my cheapest country to date which is a plus. Singapore is so clean though they finally legalized chewing gum a few years ago, non toilet flushers are not tolerated and littering is a big no no, yes they are strict but it makes it a nicer place to explore so surely no one can see this as a bad thing.
Anyway I arrive at the airport to see me, well my name anyway being furiously waved by an airport worker, after eying him suspiciously wondering whether he wanted me to throw me in some kind of interrogation room I decided that curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see what he wanted. well turns out there was a problem with my bags, while I was in Singapore they were not, luckily it was noticed quickly and were on the next flight out - I was inundated with apologies and bought to the front of the customs queue being evil eyed by what seemed like hundred of people waiting in line and they paid for me to get a shuttle to my hostel. I was told that my bags would be at my hostel at the latest by the next morning, as it was early evening and I was tired after the nine hour flight and was just going to crash out when I got to the hostel I wasn’t that bothered plus it seemed that the airport worker was more upset about the situation than I was as it looked as he was about to burst into tears, I decided not to get worked up about and just head to the hostel. As the shuttle company told me my shuttle was ready, it was then that I realized my problem - I was wearing jeans in order to fit everything into my backpack and I walked out of the airport to be greeted by 34 degree heat and the humidity was unreal. It has been a while since I was in a hot country and I didn’t know if I was able to cope so I quickly found refuge into my air conditioned shuttle bus.
I was the last one to be dropped off and when I arrived a my hostel, the inn crowd, I was greeted my the friendliest hostel workers I could of imagined plus I had a surprise waiting for me, my bags with a letter of apology. I cant explain what happened but there must of been some kind of mix up and my 'lost' bags arrived at my destination quicker than I did, no complaining by me I had my clothes and didn't have to carry them, a free shuttle and a walk through customs, I was overjoyed but tired and I crashed down for the night and didn’t wake until the next morning.
Up and at them early the next morning, I only had two days in Singapore which was enough for me as I decided that the main tourist attractions such as Sentosa and the zoo and night safari, I already did and couldn’t justify the expense of going again even though they are worth seeing if its your first visit to Singapore. I decided to walk around and see what the city had to offer, there was soon a stop to that plan however when I walked outside and the heat nearly floored me, there was no way I could walk around in that heat so I decided to head to Orchard Road, the shopping Mecca, not because I love shopping, I don't even like shopping and there was no way I could afford anything let alone make space in my backpack but I went for the air conditioning. There are over 200 shopping malls in Singapore with more under construction, considering on how small a country it is this fact amazes me - trying to get out of some of them requires a high IQ and a whole lot of patience and the shops range from your designers like Gucci, Prada etc to your homegrown favorites such as topshop and M&S to the random dollar stores selling everything you can imagine. of course I arrived in Singapore when the great Singapore sale was on, just so you know I hate sales, I am unequipped to deal with hundreds of people grabbing clothing and usually end up waiting to hunch myself in a ball and cry until somebody saves me, however Singapore like everything it does did it with order and calmness, well I suppose they have to as this sale doesn't last a week but over two months, Singapore is without a doubt, a shoppers paradise. After I found my way back onto the street which was a feat that none of you should under estimate I went over to the tourist information centre and decide to book myself on one of the open bus tours as it was still too hot for me to consider walking around, the bus ticket was valid for two days and only cost 4 pounds so I thought it was worth it rather than dying of heat exhaustion. The bus tour went to all the places that I wished to explore such as the Arab quarter, Chinatown and little India - as soon as I disembarked the bus at each of these places my senses went into overdrive, colours smells (some nice some rancid) and people rushing around their daily business. I wondered around doing the walking tours and slowly acclimatizing myself to the heat. I'm a people watcher and I would much rather being out on the streets seeing how people live than in a museum so this was great for me.
On my final day in Singapore, I went to sort out my onwards bus to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia before boarding the bus again, today I went to the botanical gardens to check out the orchids - it seemed like there was a million of them before stumbling across a walking tour telling people of the housing in Singapore. As Singapore is so compact, 85% of Singaporeans like in government owned tower flats, this for many is the only option as to buy a condo you have to have to be a millionaire many times over, in certain places like beside the embassies most condos are between 30-60million Singaporeans dollars which is out of reach of the average Joe bloggs - however there are of course restrictions on the government owned housing - you have be from Singapore or be an asset to Singapore (the guide didn’t focus much on this but I assume that you must own a business or have a lot of money invested in Singapore) but you also have to be married, under no exceptions will housing be given to a single person so the guide told us that there is a joke in Singapore that people to not marry for love but for a house - not a joke I found extremely funny but I suppose humour is different in each country and they would be unimpressed with my sarcastic wit (though I myself cant imagine such a thing). So I found myself once again back in Orchard road and had a quick look through but managed to control myself and didn’t buy one thing, had my dinner down at the harbour at Merlion square, the symbol of Singapore is the Merlion, half fish and half lion - I asked many people about this but was never given a straight answer as to why a merlion - is suppose when I get back and have time I will have to google it. I then decided to head back to the hostel as it was an early start and a 7 hour bus journey onto Malaysia, it was when I got back and started packing that I noticed my camera - I had not taken one photo of Singapore, this could not be. after having my camera at all times attached to me I couldn’t understand how I hadn’t notice this fact before now and I couldn’t let it go so off I went to take some photos going to most of the places I had visited in the last two days, my this point it was early evening so it was at least a bit cooler but it means that most of my photos are night shots. I haven’t really figured out how to take the best night photos yet so I apologize for the quality of some but I couldn’t not take any - I walked for miles but finally got a few shots of the things I wanted to, to reward myself I stopped into raffles hotel on the way back for a Singapore sling - yes I know I’m a backpacker but certain things have to be done and if it makes you feel any better I looked a state especially as most people were all dressed up for the occasion but it was the perfect end to my stay in Singapore.

---

Photos

Sultans House
this was formally the sultans house, painted in the royal colour. it has now been made into a restaurant