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Singapore, Singapore

Gosh we have never ever slept as long as we did last night. We had discussed how long we would sleep before crashing out and decided to leave it to how we felt when we woke regardless of the time. We did wake about 5 times and drink lots of water and go to the rest room but our bed had such a gravitational pull we just went with it, figuring we needed it.

After 18 hours total we got up at 10am and headed down to the buffet breakfast and were overwhelmed by the size of it which was similar but larger than Kuala Lumpur, but with better hygiene I hope. There are several different islands amongst the tables and along the edge of the room are different cuisines – Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, European, and Fusion. The food is really a lunch as well as breakfast having a full range of curries, soups, steak, salads as well as what you may find on a Continental or Full American or English breakfast. They all had chefs in them ready to cook extra fresh items to order as well as what was already there tempting you.

We did it justice calling it brunch and then made our way out to have a leisurely shopping expedition in the city known for good pickings. The hotel is connected to three different complexes or malls either by air-conditioned or covered walkways and escalators which is one of the reasons we chose it. The incredible heat and humidity in Kuala Lumpur which had us sweating within 30 seconds of stepping outside left a lasting impression on us so we went for LOCATION, Location, location this time. Not to mention the grotty area out of the centre of things at the “Marigold Hotel” (nickname from the movie) we stayed at.

We were surprised to see a Harvey Norman in Singapore and checked prices which were similar to home. As well as hundreds of clothes and accessory shops there are quite a few cafes and little coffee and tea shops which are all quite pricey.

Singapore has a distinct feel of being very English-western and upmarket and not such an Asian city. We are in the Marina Bay Area on Raffles Boulevard and whilst there are plenty of people around, its no where near as crowded as the busy cities of Europe or KL. The shopping malls are very modern and more spacious too than KL.

The whole city beginning and including from the airport is very user friendly for the English speaking tourist with signs everywhere, about everything – stand to the left, wait for this, how to do something, please don’t do this, and do do that. It seems to have a calm sense of order to it, especially after the chaotic atmosphere of Paris.

The rail from the airport and around the city is being upgraded and is very modern and clean. Most of it is underground and they call it the MRT – Mass Rail Transport. Its very cheap – 1.20 gets you a long way, and you wait behind glass for your silent train to appear. There are signs where to stand, digital updates on times of the current train and next train and regular timely announcements on the train on the next station, where you have to transfer for which destination etc.

After our browse in one of the local malls we took the MRT up to the end of the famous Orchard Road to see what that had to offer. It took us ages to find our way out of the one Mall, which the MRT arrives underneath. They are HUGE complexes – multi level and they go several underground as well as above and you just walk from one to the other underground or above ground. Shops, shops, shops and more shops. I really don’t know how they all survive.

We window shopped a little and had a quick look in others but sizes again were an issue with nothing for the larger European so we made our way back to the hotel to prepare our plan for dinner. We had spoken with one of the hotel staff in the morning who recommended we check out a big bazaar which was only on for the Ramadan month, a few stops on the MRT away. We also had read an article on hawker favourites and had a special chicken one to try in area near the recommended bazaar.

It gets dark a lot earlier here than Europe – around 7, and it was dark when we got off the train at Payar Labar. The neighbourhood was residential and not as upmarket as our hotel but we braved the dark streets to find the market close by. It was essentially a Muslim market with lots of clothes and other cheaper asian goods and a few very basic looking food stands which were just were not game enough to try. We also felt very conspicuous being the only Europeans in sight so we found a taxi stand to get us to the chicken place.

We got to this famous place only to be told they had sold out and come back tomorrow. Great, just great – we were in the middle of an Asian suburb, the taxi had gone and I was having a food breakdown again. There were a few places around on the street but I didn’t just want any food, I wanted special food! I felt a tantrum coming on but restrained myself and eventually we settled on a mini hawker corner – goodness knows where at 9:30pm and had Chilli crab, beef and rice.

The crab was nice enough, not something I would drool over the experience but well cooked and flavoured – just hot enough for me to handle. The staff and people around found it very amusing the way I cracked open every part of the crab and cleaned out the meat, leaving only empty shell fragments. When the man came to take the plates away he asked “you like” to which I replied by looking at the plate of remains in his hands and saying “I think so” to which he opened his gappy mouth wide and roared with laughter. They do seem to be a happy bunch here.

We managed to hail a passing taxi to take us to the station and got home safe and sound, albiet a little disappointed at not experiencing a real hawkers market. This is one thing I have found on this and other trips – that you read about this great place or that great place to eat, however they are more often than not designed for a person with a vehicle and or lots of money for taxis across town, being difficult to get to by public transport and away from the main tourist hubs. It kind of sets up a false expectation – perhaps there is an opening for me there – food critic – guide for average tourists in easily accessible places?

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