SINGAPORE

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After arriving rather late, I made my way in to the city on the SMRT (still the most efficient and user friendly train system I have ever used) to Bugis Backpackers. Here I learnt a valuable lesson: just because they have a sign at their door and at the reception desk that American Express cards are welcome, don't take that as gospel! The friendly old lady who greeted me would only accept cash in Singapore Dollars, of which I had very little. She directed me to a money exchange place around the corner, so I ran there only to find that it was closed. As there were no other exchange places in sight or in Bugis Village, I made a dash down into the SMRT station to withdraw some cash on my Travelex card. Another hurdle. The ATM only consisted of $50 and $100 notes - I only had $25 in the account! Luckily I found another ATM which issued $20 notes, so the dilemma was resolved in a mere 30 minutes. After running around in the humidity that clings to Singapore, I was eternally grateful for my air-conditioned room.

The hostel itself was quite good - very clean and a good location (right next to a SMRT station, in the heart of Bugis Village and only two blocks from Little India).

After having breakfast in a Chinese food hall, I made my way out to Changi Airport and boarded the Tiger Airways flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

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