Food Glorious Food!

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We had an uneventful Air Asia flight to KL. It was good to be back. It’s one of my favourite Asian cities. Our flight arrived at midday and we were due to catch the overnight sleeper train to Singapore at around 8pm. So we had a few hours to kill. We collected our train tickets from the train station and put our luggage into storage. All done very efficiently, not what we were used to at all. We had a firm plan. Borneo’s food choices were not great, and we were hungry. We had been in Borneo for nearly 3 weeks and had a lot of catching up to do. Where better than back to Chinatown? It would also give me ample opportunity to stroll through the markets again with the hope of picking up some good fakes.

If you remember last time we were in KL, Stu was still suffering from his tummy upset, so I had explored on my own. Now of course he was much better and also feeling hungry. We had lunch in the food court in the central market, under a sign that said ‘no spitting allowed’ - as if we would. (Many locals enjoy this behaviour - I may have mentioned it before). BBQ pork and noodles, followed by huge portions of fresh melon and mango coated in sugar and chilli, followed by Asian pancakes and doughnuts, followed by dinner of clay pot chicken rice, with a few sticks of chicken satay in between, just as a snack of course. We were so full at the end of this time, that we didn’t really do much shopping, just a few t-shirts, oh and a watch that cost around £1.50 and lasted about 1 month!

The train journey was going to be exciting so we thought, and we were bound to get some decent sleep, the Malaysian trains are very comfortable. Or so we thought. Indeed it was clean enough especially compared to the Vietnamese variety and we had a roomy space to sleep. We had a few games of cards and a coffee or two and thought we should hit the hay. The rest of the cabin was already sleeping. It was a noisy affair. Snoring and flatulence was the music of the night. The journey was very bumpy. Unfortunately sleep did not come, until about 4.30am. At 5am we were woken by customs officials who had boarded the train checking our passports on the Malaysian side at Johor Bathru. Alas, no such luxury on the Singapore side. We all had to get off and were lined up on the platform while sniffer dogs barked and did their stuff. It was all a bit tense at such an early hour and little sleep, and that guilty feeling that hangs over you, for no good reason. Anyway, all cleared, back on the train and onwards to Singapore city.

Singapore is a small country on the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. It has a population of around 4.5 million mainly made up of Chinese people, but also Indians and a few Malays. It has strong links with Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles in it’s history with British colonial times. The name Singapore means ‘ lion’ ‘city’. It is a strange place with a melting pot of cultures co-existing. It is spotlessly clean and chewing gum is illegal. It is not a pretty place. On the way in on the train with passed through suburbs of identical blocks of flats. However, touring through the city shows it is full of culture and character.

It was just after 8am when we finally disembarked and headed for Little India. We had chosen to stay in the Fragrance Hostel. It was our first real hostel experience. We had stayed in them before, but always had a private room. We couldn’t afford it in Singapore. It was the most we had spent on accommodation so far. The Fragrance was a modern looking place. Spotlessly clean, but so was everything in Singapore. It had a/c, comfy bunks, big lockers, but it also had Bernie Leo. Now he was the guy who manned reception and seemed to run the place. He was rude and unhelpful. We arrived weary, dirty and tired early in the morning, hoping for an early check in or maybe a shower. He just looked at us and pointed to a sign, ‘no check in until 3pm’ He may as well have said ‘computer says no….’ that was how helpful he was! So we were left to wander the streets of very, very hot and humid Singapore.

No problem, there was so much to do and see, and eat. We went straight for breakfast in Little India. A small Muslim restaurant opposite the Fragrance became our local for the next 4 days. We ate a most delicious creation called a Massala Dosai. It was an Indian pancake filled with spicy veg and curry sauce. It was sooo good. Having curry for breakfast was kind of weird but very good, also you could only eat with your right hand (no cutlery), loads of fun! We explored Little India a bit more, and it was exactly what I imagine an Indian town to be like, busy and bustling with lots of noise and colour, and great smelling food, the main difference being the amazing cleanliness of Singapore, I guess.

Everyone had told us that Singapore was so expensive, particularly food and drink. We found that if you searched and explored and were willing to give most things a go this was not the case. We travelled everywhere on foot or by the super efficient, clean and cheap train system. We ate only at hawker’s stalls or street kitchens where locals ate. In fact the authentic and very spicy chicken curry and pratha we ate in the afternoon was just the ticket.

We were finally able to convince Bernie Leo to at least let us shower, by now we were so sweaty….And we dumped our bags and headed back out.

But we still had to wander the streets until 3pm. So we headed to the famous Orchard Rd. It was full of designer shops and smartly dressed locals. We were still searching for the Rip Curl Ultimate, without luck. It was exhausting stuff, we walked for miles.

We wanted to see the sights. Raffles Hotel is an iconic structure in Singapore and we fancied a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar. When we found out that they cost over $20 each we decided to have a tiger beer or 4 in a Chinese kitchen around the corner for the same price. It had also started to absolutely tip down, with a tropical downpour, providing some relief from the heat.

Feeling a little squiffy we headed back to Little India, and stopped off in a pub called the Prince of Wales. (We had learnt about the Grand Slam win just a few days earlier from a Scottish student studying in Borneo and thought we should celebrate) and ended up buying a few of those really expensive beers we were trying to avoid. Oh well, we had a good night and we were just about to spend our first night in a hostel.

At around 11pm (it had been a long day!)With our best efforts we crept in and tried not wake the 2 girls sleeping in our room. We did this by turning the lights on and saying ‘schhhhh’ really loudly to each other a lot. They had their revenge however, they must have had an early flight as alarm clocks went off at 4am, lights went on and bags were packed. Ahh…. but peace after that…. No such luck. Sharing our floor was a group of teenage school kids from Brunei who were up around 6am and spent the next 2 hours running up and down the corridor, slamming doors, giggling chatting on their mobiles. In fact they did this every morning we were at the hostel and also until about 11.30pm each night.

The next day was Easter Sunday and we browsed some more. We visited Chinatown, where we went in a Buddhist temple and saw the tooth relic?!?, and I was made to wear a shawl to cover my shoulders, in pink, it made me look as though I went to Howells School! Then, we ate more yummy food of course, spicy ramen and dumplings.
Sunday night in Little India was party night. The streets filled with people, but men only, and me. Some were just chatting in groups, others were drinking, others were shopping, and many were holding hands or arm in arm. Apparently it is just a sign of affection between friends, not a gay thing. I’m not sure where the ladies were. This went on until late. We joined in the fun; it never felt threatening in any way. We ate in a crowded food hall - again hands only, chicken biryani….. The fact that I have managed to remember everything we ate shows you how good it was (and I am an Ovenstone after all….)

Night 2 in the hostel was less comfortable, mainly because this time we were joined by an elderly Chinese man who provided us again with that night time melody we now so well, snoring with intermittent wind! Earplugs to the rescue!

We had heard great things about Singapore Zoo, so decided to give it a go. Now I am not a fan of non domesticated animals being kept in captivity, unless they have been rescued from a worse fate or are for the purpose of conservation. On the whole it was a pretty good experience. The animals have large enclosures with minimal bars and cages, and the public can get up close without being intrusive. A fair effort at teaching the visitors about important conservation and animal rights issues was made. The site was so big however, it was a tiring day, and we have loads of photos to bore you with.

Our last night the hostel was much better and a lot of fun. The 6 bed dorm was full. All people around our age, coming from Indonesia, Norway and Denmark. Everyone was really nice, and there were no bad habits. It was a pleasure. In fact, I have to mention 2 people that became our friends for our short stay. Antonio, was in fact from Norway, despite the Mediterranean sounding name. He was living in China and travelling for a few weeks. He was really nice and joined us for breakfast most mornings. He was full of useful info and advice. Then there was Daniel, from Jakarta, who took a shine to Stu, and played him his favourite music by Westlife and the like, apparently he thinks he looks like Josh Groban…whoever he is?! I think he was just being friendly, Stu was concerned he had alternative sexual preferences.

We had a flight to catch to Bali at 8pm on the Tuesday after Easter. Obviously a late check out was not an option, so again we had a sweaty afternoon walking around in the heat and humidity. Again we found plenty to do to fill the time.
Singapore is an easy place to travel around. The people are interesting and polite and helpful. It’s a real mix of cultures living relatively harmoniously side by side. It is more expensive than the rest of Asia, but it’s a very different place, and if you look around, it is possible on a budget. We really enjoyed our time there, and gained a few pounds I’m sure!

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