Travel blog day two - Introduction to Singapore

Asia » Singapore » Chinatown
September 13th 2010

Published: September 14th 2010

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aaronbrownsound

China Town view of downtown

A picture of what it looks like walking to public transit.

Introduction to Singapore

Even though I was complete exhausted I only got about 4 hours of sleep. The time change definitely messes with your head. I woke up at 6am and there was no hope of returning to my much needed slumber. Instead I got ready for the day and left for work.

My apartment is in China Town near the downtown area of Singapore on Club Street. This area is full of bars and nightlife and I'm excited to see what it has to offer in the next two weeks. The MRT is their very cool and seemingly efficient public transit system. It is easy to figure out and everything is, of course, in English. I've been told that Singapore is the softest introduction you can have to Asia. Now I know why.

For lunch I had some Chinese food at the airport with a co-worker named Joe. The noodles came in a huge bowl with a giant spoon. I'm not sure how you are supposed to actually eat this meal, but it would certainly not be the meal to get on a date. Let's just say it's a good thing I wore a black

MRT

Public Transit

shirt. I learned a little bit more about living in Singapore from Joe including: sin tax on things like alcohol, cost of owning a vehicle is very high, strict penalties for drug trafficing often including death, extremely safe place to live, expensive place to live.

After work I went out with two co-workers for food and drinks. I ended up at, of all places, an Irish pub eating brats and drinking a liter of Paulaner Hefeweizen. It's such a small industry that we know many of the same people. Many stories were shared. Then we left and went to New Asia which is a bar on the 70th floor of a hotel. The elevator only takes about 30 seconds to go 70 floors. My ears actually had to pop due to the quick pressure change. I had a lychee martini with a breathtaking view of the entire city.

Soon after arriving the jet lag kicked in and it was time to walk to my apartment. I kind of got lost and quickly remembered how it used to be like before I had my iPhone and GPS. I accepted my lack of direction and just wandered around

Paulaner!

Now THAT'S what I call a beer!

the downtown area. I saw many cool things along the way and took lots of pictures. There are lots of bright lights and neon signs for the shops and bars. I am surprised at how densely packed in the different shops are and how many were busy at 9 pm on a Monday night. I can't wait to see what it's like this weekend out on the town. It could be trouble.... 😊

I got home and, accepting my dependancy on technology, downloaded an app called OffMaps which let's you use your gps without being charged for data. I have a feeling this will come in handy. The iPhone is a GREAT travel device to travel blog, have music, utilize wi-fi in a portable way, keep notes on travel details, and read a book when there's downtime. I've also been using the Ativa 2gb mp3 player from Office Depot. It was only $10 and it works like a shuffle. Highly recommend buying it while it's cheap.

I just looked into learning how to scuba dive in Singapore using the PADI referral program. Hopefully I can start this week. Exciting things are ahead!