A day in Singapore
Trip Start
Jul 16, 2007
1
126
139
Trip End
Jul 15, 2008
Singapore,
Singapore
Friday, June 13, 2008
Today is my full day in Singapore so time to make the most of it. Starting with the make your own breakfast in the hostel - lucky I remembered my 'our mate' marmite to accompany the eggs! Kate and Donna, two girls from my dorm and I decide to head through the city to Sematosa Island, a small island on the south of Singapore. We think the best way to explore the city is to walk....well it seemed a good idea even if the island was off the bottom of our map! We cut through little India and out into a park. Picking up a map off the tourist information man we joke 'we are lost already'. Very sincerely the man replied with a strong Indian accent, 'Don't worry, you are in a safe place here'. I don't think any of us were questioning our safety until he said that - but kind of him.
Negotiating our way through the park we come out by the river and Clarke's Quay. Following the road south we now head into China town via a Mars Ice Cream. In this heat this is bliss - can you eat in the street here? - no one else is! Time for a more authentic snack than Mars. A must try for Singapore is meant to be the Chile Crabs, so I try one of these off the street vendor as we head further through China town - pretty tasty. Further south we continue in the midday heat into the unknown territory off the bottom of the map - we're all getting pretty tired. It gets to 1.30pm and a women points us on, and on and on. As we walk past some houses called 'Harbour Front' we think we must be reaching the right area. And on, and on, and on! We see some port cranes, a good sign and finally someone points us to the cable cars behind a huge shopping mall (air con - yes!). It's about 2.15pm by the time we get our tickets across to the island - I think my 3.30pm tour of little India may be being missed! We take the lift to high up in a skyscraper where the cable cars pass through picking up passengers. Hopping in we get birds eye views of South Singapore. A bang and a definite tilt to the left did not increase my confidence in travelling so high up on Friday 13th! We can see what people are up to on the huge cruise liner below us and watch the building works expanding the theme park style island we are now entering. As we touch down on the island we see the hive of activities available. We follow 'The Dragon's Path' down to the beach - it's crazy. A fake style beach (after the fake path of fake dragon bones, skulls and fake rocks for the waterfall) full of Singaporeans playing volleyball and relaxing. It's buzzing along the fake bays. We stop (finally!) and watch over a long cool drink. Watching the volleyball competitions I feel like I should be in Miami!
Refreshed we continue on and head over a small bridge onto a fake island. Climbing up the sea wall blocking out the real world from this fantasy creation we look out and see the oil tankers and ships as far as the eye can see. It's like reaching the edge of the world in the Truman show and realising there is more the other side. All very bizarre. However time for some more fun now - luging! Donna is keen to have a go and how could I resist after my near death collision with a lamp post in NZ!!! For those who have not read or forgotten my NZ bit, luges are like plastic toboggans on wheels which you race as fast as possible downhill along the circuits using gravity for speed. Great fun. And there's a special offer for 3 goes, what a shame. A few minutes and we're on the cable car up to the top of the track. At the top there are 2 lines, one says 'ride 1' which has an enormous queue, the other 'ride 2', no queue... I persuade the others to rebel and go straight for 'ride 2'. It turns out they both go to the same track, just the first time you have the instructions and safety briefing. So I'm trying to quickly explain to the other 2 how the luges work whilst blagging our way in. 2 flaws to the plan;
1) Our tickets clearly say 1 of 3. 'We were here this morning' I quickly say.
2) 'Where is the black marker on your hand?' the instructor asks (we find out they mark our hands the first time down the course). Sweat, I promptly reply. The heat has caused it to rub off.
I though that was quick thinking myself, but I don't think they bought it for a minute, however they weren't sending 3 girls away and quickly gave us the briefing and let us go.
The race is on. Well not really, I've done it before and the others haven't, but there is the added challenge of avoiding the kids as you hurtle past. Great, straight back on the skyride chair lift, through the tree tops back to the top - bizarrely we find ourselves in the chair behind a bride (in full white gown) and groom having photos. We wonder if she is going to try luging in her gown! Another fun run ready for run 3.
This time we are trying to get ahead of an Indian man and his large slow family. 'chalo' he shouts at the wife and kids. Too late, they are ahead of us. Around the first corner there are 4 slow luges spanning the width of the track and only a small gap. There's no way to break in time so hope for the best as I startle the family and shoot through the middle. That's it, the father's not waiting for his family as he joins in the race with me and Donna as we hurtle around the bends. Donna just beats him on the finish line, how funny was that! Tired out we get the free shuttle back to the cable car and head back by MRT this time! Buying a fresh delicious Mango back in Little India we kick back in a street side café chatting to some locals watching others busy themselves among the markets. Not a bad taster of Singapore in a day.
