Singapore
Trip Start
Aug 20, 2007
1
59
76
Trip End
Jul 04, 2008
The plane landed on the brilliantly lit runway of Chinga Airport. The humidity of Singapore was thick. The new shiney Toyota Taxi delivered Joe Burton(met him in the taxi line) and I to the crowded Prince of Whale Hostel. No room in the inn, so we lugged our luggage to a couple other hostels. No luck until the 3rd one, Fragrance. It is located in Little India, a busy part of town jammed with restraunts and open air markets. Joe and I met a few other travelers and tapped them for info on what to do, where to go, the costs, and the like. As I experienced for myself Singapore has a wide range of eats. I stuck with the cheapest eats, which was a huge improvement from the staple of tuna and P/J sandwiches I was eating in Australia. Comunicating is not an issue for english speakers, since it's the national language. Public transport is streamlined with a busy subway that can deliver you to most sections of the city quickly without hurting the budget. Going out on the town can put a dent in the wallet though. Popular restraunts and pubs are at premium prices about the same as L.A. One thing that stands out about Singapore is the lack of gum being sold in the convenient stores and the mass of Indian men walking down the streets affectionately holding hands. They are not gay though with homosexuality being frowned down upon by the Indian culture. They just love to hold hands. Every Sunday night after a long day of going to religious ceremonies the streets and public areas of Little India are jammed with Indian men. The activities are sitting around talking or bartering for better prices at the open air markets. No women are allowed though. It's only thousands and thousands of Indian men, some of whom are holding hands and all sporting well trimmed mustaches.
