Sweating in Singapore

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Well it sure is humid in Singapore. People think that because you're from Townsville you can handle this type of weather, but they're wrong. I went out at seven o'clock in the morning and after ten minutes my head dripped with sweat ... oh well, this is almost on the equator.

Finding my hotel was fun. The subway is really easy to use and took about 40 minutes to get into the city. The hotel is at Clarke Quay, which has lot of resturaunts and nightlife, but no one seemed to be able to give me directions. Plenty of those guys on bicycles with passenger carts who wanted my money, an English tourist who had only been here for one day, and a waitress who ended up pointing me in the complete opposite direction. Not much fun walking around in circles carrying 28kg on your shoulders, but I made it in the end.

The first morning I got up and went out at about 8am ... barely a soul around apart from the cleaners and some birds eating last night's scraps. The sky was fairly hazy and the sun was a dull glow in the sky... I didn't think Singapore had much smog and pollution, but that's what it felt like. I read in the paper later on about the forrest fires in Sumatra in Indonesia, and how the smoke was blowing this way. I walked down to the waterfront and to the Singapore Flyer (a giant ferris wheel), then stood under the pods and watched them slowly turn around (yeah, I really know how to have fun). Turns out that when the wheel first opend it rotated in one direction. After a while they realised this wasn't good feng shui, so they changed the rotation to the other direction. Hey, if it's good for business, why not.

There is heaps of construction going on here ... lots of roads and buildings. Apparently one third of Singapore's population is foreign, and it looks like Indians make up a large part of that. But I'm told there are plenty of jobs to go around and there are hardly and homeless people... not bad for a city of five million people.

On Friday I went out to the Botanic Gardens, which also has an orchid garden. All throughout the city there are areas of trees and open spaces, so you don't feel as stuffy as places like Hong Kong for example. The Botanic Gardens were nice, and I even learnt that the banana tree is part of the ginger family of plants (I'll store that away for trivia night). The orchid garden was amazing ... so much colour and variation. I tried to takes pictures of things I hadn't seen before, but I never had a hope of remembering all the names. And instead of a hothouse they had a coolhouse, where there was plants and orchids from colder mountainous regions. I had always intended on seeing the gardens, and am so glad I did. They also had lots of palm trees (obviously), but unless it was a golden cane or foxtail, I had no hope of recognising it.

On Friday night I did a walking tour of China Town and learnt a bit of the history and lifestyle of those who lived there. Things really only changed in the 1970's, and before that the living conditions weren't the best. Chinese people came here looking for work, but the pay was poor and some even became slaves. Our guide took us to the main food street and suggested we get a meal there after we finished .... as she said it I saw a cockroach crawl on the ground behind her. I ended up getting some bakkwa, which is barbecued pork (can be chicken or beef too, I think). Although it was really oily, it was so yummy. The guide also pointed out a carpark where an old chinese cemetary used to be. Apparently in Singapore you can only be buried in a plot for fifteen years, after which you are exhumed and put in a smaller spot. Land is so precious here that it needs to be recycled for almost anything.

And there are hardly any old cars here ... there is some scheme where you buy a permit that then allows you to buy a new car. Somehow these permits are auctions off, and the end result is a limit on the number of cars on the streets, and also a reduction in the older polluting cars. Singapore is one of the leading exporters of used cars.

On Saturday I went to the Changi War Museum which is near the current Changi Jail. It's not that big, and our guide was really good at explaining the history and significance of what happened. Before I got the train to come back I got a milkshake. The train arrived before I finished it so I continued to drink it on board ... no one else seemed to be doing the same though. After a while I saw a sign that said there was a $500 fine for eating or drinking in the stations or trains. Ah, no wonder the trains are so clean, and why everyone kept looking at me. I casually slipped it inside my bag and hoped the video cameras didn't spot me. Whoa, Nick the law-breaker.

I got a taxi out to the zoo on Sunday morning, and the driver liked to check is text message while we were doing 110kph... he did swerve a bit while he was reading it. The Singapore Zoo is the best I've seen. You get so close to the animals with some climbing through the trees right above your head. It felt so much like being in a Jurassic Park movie ... so cool. There was a thunder storm after about two hours so the animals went under cover for a bit, but before that I managed to see the elephants do a show. They are so impressive and I got some good video for Vanessa to see 😊

Well I've had my first Magnum icecream of my trip. It's a thing I have, and it's usually the white Magnums ... this one was an Almond Magnum. Mmmm. Just thought I'd mention that.

By the way, the subway (or MRT) has funny little tunes playing to remind you of how to act. Imagine music from a 1950's American television ad with an uplifting tune. While waiting for the train, it was "The train, the train, the train is coming!". When on board it was either "Move, move, move aside. Love your ride!" or "Give up, give up give up your seat. For those in need. Love your ride!"

Well now it's on to Spain, starting in Sevilla. I worked out that I'm going to be travelling for more than 24 hours by the time I get a 14 hour flight from Singapore to London, wait 3 hours for a flight to Madrid, then get the train down to Sevilla. I'm really not looking forward to the travelling but I am hoping the weather won't be as humid as this. Arrgh! Mind you, the rain has cleared a bit of the smoke, and I think I may even be seeing a piece of blue sky.

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Photos

City skyline
Apparently it's smoke,not smog

Penguins
I wasn't meant to see these guys until Antarctica

Comments

[Charlie]

heat
sounds hot. maybe like Darwin. it sounds like you are enjoying yourself. great. i had to concrentate to read your blog. too many beers.

[Sam]

Having fun in Singapore
Hey Hey : ) What a wonderful blog! (Try re-reading it when your sober Charlie!!! ). Sounds like you are really enjoying your experience. In my very limited travelling, Singapore was one of my favourite places, but we had fresh air and blue skies with no sign of any smog when it wasn't raining. Your photos are awesome! Can't wait for Spain.