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Published: June 18th 2008
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Flash-forward: Her almost-inaudible chuckle said, “I know you”. The lady immigration officer handed back our passports and waved us thru. We were back in
Singapore.
Flashback: Some of you may well remember (we’ll never forget) the welcome we received upon entering Singapore for the first time some 33 days prior (see
Singapore: 4½ ). In sum, after enduring 4½ hours in the
“kind” custody of Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), we were “given the benefit of the doubt” and were allowed to enter the territory. Over the next two days we wrote letters of complaint to and sought meetings with various bigwigs in Singapore. We met with an official of the ICA and officially lodged a complaint and just before we departed, en route to Chennai, India, we received an email from the Quality Service Manager of the ICA promising to investigate the incident.
Two weeks into the India experience, we heard from the QSM. His email stated that the ICA
“…regret(ted) the unpleasant experience (and)… have reminded (their) officers to be courteous and tactful when attending to travellers”. We replied thanking him for his attention and laying the matter to rest.
Joon-Kait, the self-proclaimed “Handsomest Singaporean” and Shanna’s
friend, met us at a nearby eatery where we had a great dinner and then a helping of durian - a fruit and delicacy that packs a mighty pungent odor. Afterwards, we strolled thru classy Raffles Mall and on to the waterside where stylish durian-shaped domes housed The Esplanade Theatres and a lion-headed mermaid, the famous ‘Merlion’, spouted water from its mouth. Over the next two days we sampled a wide array of fine cuisine and did the bout of sightseeing we didn’t have the heart to do the first time ‘round.
When we bid ‘adieu’ to Singapore, it was
drama-free and aboard a VIP bus bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. 😊
Thanks to:
😊 Joon-Kait and friends
😊 ICA’s QSM
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Tina
non-member comment
Singapore: Take Two
You actually went back in their territory? Nice to see you two still traveling and having fun. Take care.