Sing Sing

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So I arrived in Singapore at around 6 in the evening to find temperatures of 30 degrees and clear blue skies. Its an amazing city - very clean and modern. The underground is nothing like London's - its clean, efficient, cheap and air-conditioned. The hostel is really good - very clean and friendly and managed to get a bunk in a quiet spot. I spent my first evening wandering around Little India - just like it sounds (I imagine, never having been to Big India). Lots of incense burning on stalls selling beautiful garlands of dried flowers and fruit and vegetables, some of which I couldn't identify - mostly because they didn't come wrapped in plastic with a big label and sell by dates all over! Had a curry in a little cafe, though I couldn't identify anything so just selected by pointing at the counter. Not sure what it was but it tasted delicious and I've had no ill effects. I ordered an iced Milo to drink with it but bizarrely what I got was a hot Milo with some ice thrown in, still it tasted OK once it cooled down.

Bought myself a camera yesterday at 100 quid cheaper than at home, though that won't make it any easier for me to work out how to use it. Last night I went to the night safari at Singapore Zoo - I thought it might be a bit cheesey but it was really good. The boundaries and fences just seem to disappear in the twilight and so it seemed that you really were up close and personal with the animals - they have all the big mammals, tigers, lions, elephants etc plus loads of birds and bats and furry things and a fair few beavers for some unexplainable reason... the lion is the symbol of Singapore, though nobody is very sure why as there have never been any here - doesn't stop them putting up loads of images and statues of them everywhere though.

So today I went to Chinatown and visited the Museum of Chinatown where they showed the history of Chinese immigrants to Singapore. It included replicas of the cubicles that families lived in when they first arrived. Really tiny rooms (about 8 ft square) and shared kitchen and toilet facilities. I say 'facilities' but they were very basic - the replicas were very life-like - right down to including a bucket of poo under the toilet seat!! Anyway even in very difficult conditions personal hygiene was apparently very important and a girl could get her facial sorted as soon as she landed...

I treated myself to a reflexology foot massage but to be honest it was absolute torture apart from when she massaged my knees which made me laugh because it tickled - and I never realised I had ticklish knees. The background music didn't really make for a relaxing experience either - they must have been playing their Hits of the 80's CD with Village People YMCA and Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby blaring out.

I was very pleased to see that the marriage arranging business is thriving - Pips, there may be hope for us yet! Sadly I'm leaving here tomorrow and so will miss the Dumpling Festival - bugger! However that won't stop me from enjoying some of the other delicacies to be had in Chinatown..mmmm Pig's Organ Soup.

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Photos

Lion
Lions and Tigers and Bears... oh my!

Match.com
Single girls form an orderly queue behind me

Chef's Special
suddenly struck by a bout of vegetarianism...

Comments

[Jo]

Receiving loud and clear
Hi Carole It's working and you've got me very envious already - give or take a few pig's organs. Have a brilliant time and keep sending the updates. Jo xxxx