Singapore, life in the big city

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We spent just a few days in the island/city/nation of Singapore. It's a nice, shiny, clean, glass skyscraper, Cartier/Gucci pucci kind of place. It's so Western that it leaves one wondering "why leave home?" Maybe if we'd been roughing it in the jungle for weeks on end I would appreciate it but at the time, not so much. Though I did savor a veggie antipasti salad of roasted bell peppers, kalamatas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and buffalo mozarella all drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette in a restaurant called Spageddi's. I can thank a brief rain storm en route to the botanical gardens for that impromptu stop. You can eat tasty rice and noodle based dishes all day long (and for dirt cheap) but veggies are harder to come by.

But, alas, with much chagrin, I must report that we made a HUGE, naive, stupid tourist mistake. We checked into a hotel and paid cash and didn't get a receipt - mistake number 1. Then the hotel clerk knocked on the door and said she needed a passport. Our first night in Singapore, and knowing that it has harsh rules and regulations, we figured that the government requires a passport to keep track of visitors. So we hand my passport over without even asking why. (DUH!)

The next day we go sightseeing and Toby returns to the hotel around 7pm when they tell him that we didn't pay for the room and if we don't pay they won't return the passport. Toby explains that we paid cash but the clerk says that the clerk that was on last night claims we didn't. Argh! She called Toby a liar and when Toby said "Fine!" and dropped a credit card on the desk she said that he "threw it at her" and called the police. She told them that a "hostile man" was being threatening to her and she wasn't comfortable. Toby apologized if she felt threatened even though he did nothing and said that he would leave and send his wife instead.

Now, keep in mind that this is the place where they warn you upon entry that they execute drug traffickers and they cane teenage vandals (neither of which I really have a problem with but just making a point that they are hard core and you don't want to mess with them.) So I show up and the police are there. I explain in detail how we paid with two S$50 bills and got change back and later the lady at the desk knocked on the door and asked for the passport. The police tell me that of course the most important thing in Singapore is to keep your identification with you at all times. Why would we just hand it over?! I know, wah, wah, wah, we're total idiots! I tell the woman at the desk we paid and we're getting ripped off and I'm going to write to Lonely Planet and every travel web site we can find to let them know how this hotel cheats people. She tells me that she'll sue me for defamation. I say fine, I'm telling the truth. Finally, I say that I want to see the person who says we didn't pay her face to face. The desk clerk says to return the next day at 6 when the clerk is back.

So after a strained 20 some hours, we go back to the hotel expecting the worst. We walk in and the older lady who was on staff the night we checked in instantly tells us how sorry she is. She got us mixed up with someone else and she was under a lot of stress and made the mistake. She gives us the passport and a S$50 bill. We try to give her the money back and explain that we understand and we don't want her money. She did seem really frazzled that night. We kept trying to console her that it was okay but she just wouldn't take the money back. I really did feel sorry for her even though we'd been put through so much.

So, that was a long story and a good lesson. If they hadn't been so honorable, they could have made us pay twice for the room. I can't tell you how relieved we were. We really thought that they set us up when we paid cash and didn't ask for a receipt. But it all worked out in the end. Whew!

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Photos

Night view of the river
There must be at least 20 open air restaurants along this stretch of river. The poor employees beseech you to stop and eat and you feel really bad turning them down, especially those restaurants without a soul in them though they are working so hard. Competition is a cruel master.

Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling was invented here at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. It's terribly touristy to drink one here but you just have to drink a Sling in Singapore and why not at the origination point? However, the hotel went through a massive renovation a while back and the Long Bar was "relocated." It doesn't feel like it's from the colonial era, more like the Madonna era.
I had one but Toby opted for beer because, "they're too sweet with the pineapple juice." It really wasn't too sweet like those you drink at home but it went down much too quickly for the price.

I'm enjoying the big "O"
Naughty, aren't I? ;-)

Bonzai banana palm
Never seen this before. Cute isn't it? I think the guy is too. :)

kids coreographing dance
Between an underground train station and the esplanade mall, there were kids break dancing, practicing bicycle tricks, and these two were choreographing an MTV style performance.