Singapore Slings

Trip Start Sep 10, 2008
1
20
71
Trip End Sep 03, 2009


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Singapore  ,
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I was meant to go to Georgetown in Penang for a few days. I arrived after a long bus ride from the beautiful countryside. I was expecting a town with a nice beach. What I got was a dirty big city, no beach in sight. I was not impressed. We were dumped off the bus at a bus station. The bus apparently no longer stopped at the bus station it used to, which was within walking distance where all the hostels were. It was in fact at the other end of the city. I joined some other backpackers, who all looked equally as lost as me, and eventually we worked out were we were. We were bombarded by taxi drivers touting for business, but managed to shrug them off long enough to ask a local woman where the bus stop was. Making it into the centre of the city, I found out that you could get a two hour ferry to Langkawi. Quickly checking in an Internet cafe that I would be able to book a cheap flight back to KL, I decided that I was going to get the hell out of Penang at the first given opportunity.
Penang Temple 3
Penang Temple 3
And so that`s how I ended up in Langkawi, walking along white beaches wearing hiking trainers because I`d managed to leave my only other footwear, a pair of sandals which would have been far more practical in this situation, on the stairs of the hostel back in KL in the rush to catch the bus. I lounged around for a couple of days before it was time for me to cross the border into Singapore. Meeting a fellow backpacker on the train down, we had a look round the city, and therefore in fact, the country as Singapore is so small. After saying bye to John, I met a couple on the "Singapore flyer" (basically the London eye but bigger and in Singapore) we headed onto the famous Raffles hotel, where of course we had to partake in a Singapore Sling, the ultimate cocktail, (well we shared a couple between us as they're pretty pricey at 12 quid a glass!). I made up for the cost by eating as many free monkey nuts as humanly possible, although I never quite got used to the fact you're meant to throw the shells onto the floor, giving a rather crunchy effect as you walk around the bar. I created my own little mountain under my chair, I was quite proud of it actually.

Before heading out of Singapore, I had time to look round the Chinese market, where I promptly got ripped off. I made the fatal mistake of buying a wall-hanging before looking round the rest of the market and discovering that they were selling very similar ones everywhere for a sixth of the price. Mesmerised by the greens, golds and reds and Chinese calligraphy, I was caught out whilst buying some chopsticks. Tempted with promises of superior quality, and don`t tell my manager I`m selling it to you for this price (which takes on a whole new meaning once you`ve left the shop) I was seduced.
Slideshow Print this entry