What to say about Singapore!!! Well...the border crossing was strikingly controlled, efficient and smooth and we came to expect nothing less of this bizarre place! 'Control being the operative word!' Personally I found it all abit much - you were told when and where to cross the road and got fined if you crossed in the wrong place, you can't eat and drink on the tube or in the stations and it makes everything seem so uninteresting! Bearing in mind, we've been used to the rest of Asia where anything goes but even so, in London, taking the tube can always be described as an experience! In Singapore, we got excited about anyone rebelling and having a drink on the tube or cheering if someone crossed the road in the wrong place! Team Smedders defiant stand! What did you expect?
Finding budget accommodation proved to be a challenge too, the first place we arrived at (Mayfair) ended up with me in tears! We walked in to the entrance and a sign informed us to use the phone to enquire about availability - once I got through I spoke to a guy who spent about quarter of an hour explaining where to find a key to the dorm room. We just found it abit bizarre that the keys were on display, on the counter just off the main street! Hmmm! Alarm bells started ringing yet? Anyway on reaching the room, we opened the door and it was literally 4 filthy mattresses on the floor, one next to the other with no gap between! After a minute or so to compose myself, we got up and walked out!!! Funnily enough!
As these things go, we ended up landing on our feet not so long later in a place called the Inn Crowd in the heart of Little India! Very funky with brightly painted walls, boasting the cheapest beer in Singapore and movies to watch at your leisure so after all the stress and strain of the Mayfair, we got ourselves a couple of cold ones and watched 'Hitch' on DVD from the comfort of a sofa! Heaven!
Sightseeing commenced with spirit the next morning starting with the Changi Chapel and Museum built by the POW's during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in WWII. Very moving - the most moving bit being the patchwork quilt designed and made by the wives of the POW's all with their own little messages on them. Travelling has definitely been the best history lesson we've had! We headed back into town then and Paul enjoyed a Rugby Sevens tournament being played on the Padang while I tried to find some shade to write postcards! They don't even provide benches in Singapore! Paul took a defiant photo of me sat on the pavement! Hee Hee! Then onto the fun bit of the day - the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari! (As usual we left it all abit late and ended up at the zoo 2 and a half hours before closing so bezzed round like lunatics!) It was great seeing the white rhinos and the stunning white tigers but there still wasn't alot of space for the animals as we'd been led to beleive infact the polar bear didn't look happy at all! But would you living in the tropics? It really made us appreciate having seen some of the animals in the wild! The sealion show was GREAT though - very funny and they even had otters cleaning up the rubbish! Might get one when I get home! ONLY JOKING!
The Night Safari was excellent and a completely different experience! It gave the impression that the animals had alot more room but the dark makes everything abit deceptive! Lions roaring in the dark though - scary! We saw tapirs running around, leopards up close and personal, and huge bats about 10cm away from our faces! Most amusing with the little toddlers sitting infront of us thinking that everything was a 'moo-cow'! Awwww!
The next day we did our own walking tour in the morning which was great actually! The weather was beautiful and Marina Bay is a great part of the city! There's some great architecture and a great skyline all set on the water which makes it really stunning! I walked past an English Pub and craved the 4 P's (for the Northerners though not the marketeers) - Pie, Peas, Pub & a Pint! In the afternoon we headed to Sentosa Island and to the much talked about aquarium which was RUBBISH! Sorry for anyone who loved it but I think the one in London is much better and the one in Lisbon too! We were led to believe it was huge but the travellator literally lasted for about 5 minutes and the tanks the fishes were in were really small!!! Booo! We headed to the Dolphin lagoon after and this managed to redeem the situation abit - it brought tears to my eyes when one of the dolphins kissed a little girl on the cheek! Aw!
Well our time in Singapore finished off in style in Little India on a Sunday night! We were beginning to think that Singapore didn't have a heart but this is definitely where it's at! The streets are crammed (very male-oriented), the restaurants overflowing, the shops selling everything imaginable AND overlooking all this energetic action of course had to be the Singapore police! Grrrrr! But anyway it was such a great atmosphere and we joined in after a few beers and some great Indian food!
So how would we sum up Singapore - hmmmmm! Everyone there needs to drink more Singapore Slings!!!!!!!
PS Please note that for the record, Paul Smedley Bsc(Hons)MCA Dip aka GOD, does provide input of the humerous variety (apparently!) into the Team Smedders(TM)Travelpod World Tour Productions (Copyright 2005).
PPS In other words, he doesn't like the fact that I'm getting all the credit! Hee Hee!
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