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Published: December 27th 2005
The Merlion
Symbol of SingaporeRussell - Well here we are back in Singapore, though we are arriving by train this time not plane. The train ride down was uneventful and even a bit of sleep was achieved. First stop as you arrive is the Woodlands train stop in the north of the island. Here you have to get off the train to have your luggage searched and passports stamped before getting back on the train for the ride to the southern tip of the island in the centre of Singapore city itself. I have to say my mental image of Singapore was of one big city. I asked one of the trainee solicitors who came from Singapore once whether there was any green parts of the island but he told me no, if you want countryside go to Malaysia. But I have to disagree. Although it is an unmistakably urban landscape it does appear quite green in parts. It even has it's own bit of rainforest left, a very small bit!
We arrive at the Malaysian train station (no other trains arrive here) and head for the MRT, the Mass Rapid Transit. This is the hyper-modern train system which covers pretty much all the
Singapore harbour
Modern city-scape island. Unfortunatley we didn't know which way it was and despite asking the train staff for directions (Out the door, along the street, three blocks and on the left, I think he said) and were even given a map, we still had to rely on the little compass sewn into Lins' bag to work out where we going.
Once we had our train ticket (By the way travellers it now costs S$5 to get EzCard as the returnable deposit is only $3 and you get $7 credit on a $15 card now, but it is still worth it I think if you are staying a few days), we went and checked into our pre-booked hotel in Geylands. The hotel was clean and comfortable and good value considering we booked it through the internet rather than pounding the streets. First job, get our laundry done. You may remember in Taman Negara they couldn't wash when it rained so our extremely muddy clothes were quite pungent, even through our bags. We eventually found a laundry who agreed to wash them for $39 (about 13GBP). This is by far the most expensive wash we have had, but frankly this woman earned every
Sir Stamford Raffles
Bronze statue outside the museum penny!
After this we went shopping and most importantly to find me a suit to get a job when we arrive in Sydney. We had seen an advert for a place that sold made-to-measure suits for about 50GBP so we headed for the Plaza it was in. The moment we got through the door we were grabbed by an old man who wanted to know where we were from. "Britain" Lins said. "Really, Yorkshire?" "Er, yes". How did he know? It's not like Lins sounds particularly Yorkshire, but he had a talent for it obviously. He herded us into his tailors shop which turned out to be the one we were looking for! Very weird. After being shown some fabric etc. we agreed on two suits and we were given a price. Well it wasn't 50GBP! More like 250GBP! We shook our heads and after some lower quality material was brought out (after all they are for work not a wedding) we agreed to pay less than 100GBP for them, Lins being the main negotiator. After I was measured we were assured my suits would be delivered to the hotel before we checked out.
We continued our shop,
In the pub
Russ with his pint. Yes, a pint, at last! but we didn't buy much (Lins - speak for yourself. I got shoes, handbag and ear-rings!). Basically Singapore is an affluent place and prices are designed for affluent people. It is probably slightly more expensive here than the UK. Though of course here, everything is negotiable! It was the last push before Christmas and the lights, decorations and Santas were out in force. Somehow snow and oriental Santa doesn't quite make sense but everyone was having a good time. We headed for the excellent Singapore Visitor Centre for some information and planned our next two days.
Day two, on the recommendation of Mrs Sarah Schofield, we decided to head for the Zoo and Night Safari. The Zoo isn't on the MRT line so we had to go by bus (no problem, same ticket) which terminates at the zoo entrance. The zoo is the best one I have ever been to (yes I know I've only ever been to Chester and London) as the animals actually seem really close. It gives you more an impression of being a safari park than a zoo which you are wandering around in. We saw the Elephants that could paint! They also make paper
from their dung as there is so much undigested matter in it (aren't you all glad we didn't send Xmas cards now!). It was a fantastic day, but it paled compared to when night fell.
After dark you can go to another part of the zoo called the Night Safari. Here they have nocternal animals in much the same way as the day animals. They put food and salt-licks out for them so that they stay in lights, which are designed to mimic moonlight. It is kind of eerie but just the most amazing experience. We got to watch fishing cats, fishing and leopards being fed from a very long way away! The best bit was probably the bat enclosure where flying foxes and fruit bats are flying around your head in a big aviary. They hang from the branches so that you have to duck not to hit them! There are also some shows going on; the animal show demonstated some of the skills the animals have, such as owls flying around in darkness, the keen sense of smell of racoons and otters that could sort recycling! The Borneo tribal fire dance was also amazing with demonstartions of
blow-darting and fire-eating. It really was the most amazing night.
Our last day we had to check out of the hotel, dump our luggage and discover some of the history of this island. We first headed for the Merlion that protects the harbour here. Singapore is amazingly modern, with skyscapers, modern trains, and wealthy residents. But in all this they still have their history and local customs, and to protect them the Merlion is their guardian. We looked around the ultra-modern arts centre and then decided it was time for lunch. We saw an English pub and decided to wallow in some home-sickness. They served pints!!!! I had a full english breakfast, with proper sausages and beans!!!!!! You may think this was a bit of a waste as we were supposed to be experiencing Singapore, but this is Singapore. Unlike much of the rest of the area which plays down the role of the British in their development, Singapore celebrates it. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles is revered as a genius who created the wonder that is modern Singapore. Before he came Singapore was an insignificant fishing village called Singapura, but now it is a world force. Like the rest
of Malaysia, which Singapore used to be a part, it is seperated into three main ethinic groups Malay, Chinese and Indian, but the British are credited with its success in no uncertain terms. So a pint and a full English was perfectly acceptable as part of the local culture!
After lunch we went to the Museum of Asian Civilisations, which was excellent, and I learnt a lot about Islam amongst other things. Considering the fear this religion seems to invoke in the west these days, a few more places like this explaining the basis of the religion are needed I think. It also covered Buddism, Jainism, Hinduism and Chinese history. There was a lot to take in. I have to say though in it's history of Singapore itself it skips over the whys and wherefores of their independence from the Malaysian Federation. In Malaysia you get the feeling they were kicked out, but Singapore seem to suggest they walked - though really give no details. A touchy point maybe?
With our historical tour over and feeling a bit exhausted from the heat and walking we decided to try and find a cinema to hide in. Unfortunately all the
tickets for Kong were sold out and we didn't fancy seeing anything else, so we returned to shopping and managed to snatch a couple of bargains before heading to the hotel to pick up our bags and hopefully the suits and go to the airport. The hotel reception claimed they hadn't recieved any suits for us. A bit of panic started to well as they called around to find out if they had recieved anything at their other hotels in Singapore. Whilst they were doing that Lins found the suits in the luggage store, hung up with staff coats. "Oh" said the receptionist "I thought you said soups" !???!
We were whisked on the MRT to Changi Airport where we first began our SE Asia adventure. Our flight to Sydney was on time and we had 8 hours of flight to contemplate. As we were taking off at midnight and arriving at 10am we could expect some sleep and a bit of brekkie before we needed to find out if the amazingly simple Austrialian work visa system had worked and we could start our working lives again on the other side of the world.
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