Me, Singapore, and Jack Jones

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The start of my solo trip! I arrived in Singapore three days ago, the first time I'd been in a country where I did not know the name of a single other person in it. Scary stuff.

The hostel was in a great location, but I was surprised to find my 10-bed dorm contained 10 bunk beds, all of which were full. Despite this, it seems the manager had an aversion to light, or at least other people having it, as the only switch to our dorm was in his office and constantly fixed to the OFF setting.

Singapore is a city-country, located on an island as close to the equator as I've ever been not on aeroplane, and so it is very hot and humid here. It's also really clean and westernised, and serves as the perfect introduction to Asian cities. It's funny being so obviously the ethnic minority when you walk around the town.

With Eleni having taken our (ok, her) digital camera, I set out to buy a new one, and if there's one thing Singapore is famous for, it's shopping. So I combined strolling through shops with visiting various sites of the city.

Fort Canning Park is a hill in the centre, inside of which are a large number of rooms and tunnels which housed the British leaders as Japan attacked in the Second World War, and it was here that we made the decison to surrender. (I first learned about that in Australia, as they weren't happy we surrendered as it meant they were next on the Japanese to-do list).

I visited Chinatown and Little India too, enjoying the food on offer in each. I have a feeling that for the next month or so my meals are going to vary very little, but it could be worse.

Sentosa Island is a fantastically tacky island, covered in plastic statues and touristy gimmicks. The centrepiece is without doubt the Merlion (that's right, half mermaid, half lion!), that looks out over Sentosa. I don't even think it occured in any legend, I think they just made it up.

The highlight was the musical fountain, as the children's-tv-presenter of an MC pranced around in front of a giant pool which sprayed hundreds of litres of water a minute up into the air to music, coloured by a well-timed light show. Then the many sprays crossed to form a wall of water, onto which a short film was played, with a giant green monkey conversing with the MC in what can only be described as a "Children's Musical Fantasy Dream". The finale saw burst of flames erupting into the air, with the distant merlion's eyes turning into green lasers. Cheesy it was, but I couldn't care less; I was too busy using my new camera to film as much as I could of it!

Most people agree that you can't really spend more than a few days here. This evening I'm moving on to Bangkok, for the next leg of my adventure, and perhaps a clue to the whereabouts of the lauded Golden Carrot...

Laterz x

P.S. For those who weren't sure, "on me Jack Jones" is rhyming slang for "on my own" 😉

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Photos

A mosque
In Little India...

Clarke Quay
Singapore's best nightlife

My first photo!
This is me buying my camera in the photo shop, taken by the guy who sold it to me. When you travel by yourself, you don't often have anyone to take a photo for you, so I've thrown this in for those of you who miss my face.

Comments

[Andrea]

I always think my best company is my own company anyway
Hello Enrique!! You are very brave! Singapore looks very TALL. And the quality of your camera is EXCELLENT! What I want to see now is a photo of you drinking snake's blood in a dodgy corner of a market in Bangkok. But stop there. Please oh please dont talk to anyone about maps, and wind up shark fishing with a bunch of 'back to basics lets reject the modern world types and find ourselves' just because THE BEACH is nice. haha get it!!!!?>>??? Have fun!!! Andreaxxxx