After disembarking from a train at 5am, I headed wearily through customs and into Chinatown where I had pre-booked
accommodation. Unfortunately, no one was around to check me in, and after waiting for three hours, I spat the dummy and went elsewhere. Which cost me considerably, since I did not want to trudge around anymore with my backpack and instead booked in to a plush business hotel nearby. I immediately retired to my room for a snooze since early mornings have never agreed with me.
Singapore is a very clean city, built out of concrete, glass and steel and renowned for its hi-tech wizardry. Every feature appeared to have been planned to minute detail, and more importantly there were proper toilets everywhere, and I no longer had to practice my squat. Singpore, otherwise known as Lion City, is a unique blend of the cultures exhibited throughout the rest of south-east Asia, and this was demonstrated to me daily, by the cry of the imam from a nearby mosque early every morning.
Having been rudely awakened every morning, I was forced to make the most of my short time in Singapore, and I began with river boat journey along the Singapore River, where merchant ships once berthed. I then visited numerous Victorian relics and churches from colonial times, blended amongst the modern developments, which accentuated the intruiging mix of Eastern and colonial past. I made the compulsive trip to the luxurious Raffles Hotel, built during colonial times by Sir Stamford Raffles, however I did not indulge in the traditional gin sling, at the long bar, instead hoping to save my money so I could later indulge in a shopping spree. It was easy to walk around Singapore, and I browsed my way through the markets and shops of Little India, Chinatown, Arab street, and culminated my tour in the extravagant shops of Orchard Road.
I did, as usual, enjoy the culinary delights on offer, and divided the rest of my time equally between shopping and eating. I was lucky enough to arrive in Singapore at the best time of year, which meant I could find the best of the bargains in the once a year, great July sales. For this reason, I found Singapore very hard on my wallet and in four days there I spent just as much as I had in four months, travelling through the rest of South East Asia, and so the time had come for me to say good-bye to this little corner of the world, albeit myself and my backpack being quite a few kilos heavier.
