Singing in the rain in Singapore

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I can't believe it worked, but like clockwork, all the flights were on schedule and we were waiting at the appointed spot when Karin and Charles emerged from the internal subway system in Singapore Airport.

What a wonderful sight, seeing parents and son reunited after six months. The strange thing was, it didn't feel like it has been six months and within seconds we were jabbering on about flights, blogs, Sri Lanka and Dubai. They had a quick peek at both places, and according to both, Sri Lanka is a place that is definitely worth visiting.

Karin and Charles had taken three planes since leaving Dusseldorf airport, and this was no mean feat for the previously 'afraid of flying' Karin. As she pronounced herself cured, she exulted the delight of travelling with Emirates and in a 'big plane'. We remarked that if she could survive Ryanair, then anything was possible and always going to be a step up. Charles sprinted to the exit to pop a cigarette in his mouth. Having survived the four hour flight without any nicotine, his first smoke in Singapore was surely a sweet one.

After commenting on how fabulous Singapore Airport was, we descended to the basement and took the MRT subway system into town to the same hostel Philippe and I had stayed in five days previous. The subway system is brilliant and very very efficient. They say that Singapore is a 'fine' city, because you can receive a fine for just about anything. Stepping over the yellow line on the platform is apparently a big no-no. As is throwing cigarette butts on the street, and chewing gum is outlawed in the country. Whatever they are doing, it seems to be working. Singapore gives the impression of being a very clean, well run country.

After checking in at the hostel we went off in search of some food to satiate our hungry bellies. Around the corner we found the all-you-can-eat 'Steam Boat' restaurant. We were at a loss for what to do, but a kind employee explained everything to us in English. We basically had to boil our own food at the table. He brought a selection of meat to the table and told us we had to try it. We cooked our way through prawns, live crabs, random fish and several meats and then the 'employee' bid us farewell. We were very confused until I figured out that he didn't work there, he was a customer that was eating with his friends, he was just being extremely friendly and accommodating to us inexperienced foreigners. It was a theme that was to resurface regularly over the coming days.

After dinner we returned to the hostel and Karin and Charles got their first taste of sleeping in bunkbeds (albeit in a private room). Philippe and I were bunged into a four person dormitory with a Balinese snorer from hell. I really missed Mitsy as I sat there praying that the Balinese guy would accidentally fall out of his bunk bed and need to go to the hospital with a minor injury.

The next morning we planned to see a bit of Singapore. First though Philippe and I chilled out as Karin and Charles had a much needed sleep-in until nearly midday. After eating croissants from a nearby bakery we headed back onto the MRT metro that had brought us from the airport yesterday. First stop was at Raffles Quay, where we found our way to the Lau Pa Sat food court. As we entered the building a mix of pungent aromas attacked our noses. It was a world apart from anything I had ever seen, and it all looked so tasty! I was so excited at the amount of choice in front of us. It was my local Chinese Takeaway Menu multiplied by fifty, and I wanted to try everything. And it was so cheap! In the end Karin and I chose some, relatively safe, spring rolls and the boys returned with Chinese Hamburgers. Including four cokes, the total price was the equivalent of about eight euro!

After that we tried to make sense of the map and headed off towards the harbour. It was covered in festive buoys and looked as though a giant snowstorm had descended on just that one section of water. We also caught sight of the Singapore Formula One track, but then the rain started and we had to seek shelter and the track was quickly forgotten.

We ran through the rain through the streets of the Colonial quarter of the city and eventually found ourselves in a humongous electronic super mall. We had been thinking about buying a new camera for ourselves as our first one has taken quite a battering in recent weeks. After comparing prices and makes and models we were eventually persuaded to buy an excellent little camera by a very talented salesman. The camera has so many functions that I'm surprised it can't microwave food, but Philippe is very happy with his new toy!

After a quick coffee break to rest our tired legs we meandered our way back over the bridge towards Chinatown to enjoy a few beers by the river before dinner. Once we had had our fill, we studied the map and made our way towards the centre of Chinatown. All of the restaurants seemed the same, so we picked one that had plenty of pictures of the food on display. After being amazed and disgusted by some of the meals on display (barbequed pigs trotters, deep fried tripe, pig brain anyone?) we picked some safe options (beef all round!). The food in this country has been so tasty so far, and this meal was no exception. We compared chop-stick eating skills and soaked up the buzz and the lights of Chinatown's main thoroughfare.

As night decended we decided that we had a good impression of Singapore and were ready to move on to our next city, and indeed next country. We got a reasonable nights sleep and were up early to find our way to the bus station to take us to Melaka, Malaysia.

We were ten minutes late for the 11o'clock bus, mostly because we couldn't cross any of the roads here because traffic is a bit manic. We reserved the 1:30 bus and took ourselves off to yet another food court, where the food was, yet again, sublime.

We boarded the bus, and were pleased with its air-conditioned comfort. A short while later we were crossing the bridge that links Singapore to the Malaysia peninsula. One passport stamp later we were let out of Singapore. A little bit up the road we had to off-load our luggage and queue again. The Malaysians had a good think about whether to let me in, because I got a stamp in my passport in Machu Picchu and they “can refuse entry if an unofficial stamp is present in the passport”. I bit my tongue from telling them where to go (given that 12 countries since then have had no problem with it), and just smiled sweetly and apologised, pleading ignorance and thanking them for letting me know.

It worked, I was in, and we could get back on the bus.

The story continues in Malaysia...

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