Singapore is a city, at the same time a country and on top of that its capital.
Singapore is very close to the equator, so that the almost vertical sun exposure in combination with the tropical climate (the palm house at the zoo has that temperature for a reason) create some kind of gigantic sauna.
From the pleasant flight, where I got to know a very lovely family, I stepped into this sauna.
The bus got me to a ‘close’ place in the city, from where I started walking towards the hostel. Giant skyscrapers, magnificent buildings and even a McLaren P1 (I think my jaw dropped) got me an impression I would verify later: Singapore is filthy rich!!
But back to me an the weather. So, in this gigantic sauna I walk for 2,7 kilometres my way in full clothing and with all my luggage.
I must add that this luggage is not some you would pack for a 10-day-Southeast-Asia-Stroll, but the one for more than a year abroad…
Finally, I arrive at the hostel and have to be told I have booked the wrong period. I am one day early. If it was the change of the month or the changes in my life, I can’t say for sure. So I get the room for one of two night to myself…
Now I finally realise, what air conditioning is actually worth!
Originally, I wanted to spend only one day in Singapore, as it is said to be expensive there. Now I had one more, which made for some ease at planning my route though the big city.
I went discovering on both days then, as I wanted to know what Singapore is about and to get a taste for the Asian food.
Come along!
Blossomlet on the side of the road.
Is this from the riddle with the man in the red/blue/green/yellow house? 😀
In Singapore, you can always spot the ever-present difference between huge, modern and down-to-earth/ historic buildings. Though shabby none of the areas I visited had looked…
To eat until satisfied for little money is hardly possible in countries like New Zealand and Australia. At small hawker stalls it is quite easy. That way, both, the culinary desires and the wallet get happy.
I mostly visited the many hawker centres, simple food courts featuring diverse cuisines.
Fried Kway Teow. Many textures and tasty flavours.
This is what it looks like in the Maxwell Food Centre.
This serves as a confuzzling picture.
Singapore’s landmark, the Merlion.
Not a P1, but my dream car. The McLaren MP4-12C.
On night I tried the omnipresent fish balls. They taste like fish and are a little denser than jello.
Durian. The high-praised fruit. I got to taste it in the shape of ice-cream. Tastes like fart and fruity. It is said to smell VERY MUCH like fart as the whole fruit. 😀
Bak kut teh. Very tangy.
Here the making of my favourite beverage: Freshly squeezed sugarcane juice!
And whoever goes for the adventure of the little food stalls, will find oneself far from forks. Here your skills with the chopsticks get challenged.
I once more left the ‘simpler’ districts of Singapore, to walk into riches and pomposity again.
On Sentosa Island you find so much of it, it starts to feel weird. But well, supply and demand…
Little snack on the run: Fried carrot cake. Doesn’t include sweetness or carrots, but was all yummy. Even when you have to handle those lumps with chopsticks…
Marina Bay Sands. Presumably the most eccentric building of exclusivity. Next to a shopping mall it holds a hotel and who knows what more.
Inside the hotel lobby.
Behind the structure you find the gardens. At that point, I asked myself what would be special about this. Too much wealth makes things seem cheap.
Singapore is a colourful Asia-Mix. As a ‘westerner’ you are often sole in the masses and you can feel properly a stranger. Just like travels are meant to be. 🙂
Singapore is very rich, so you can’t find as much authentic Asia in this small area.
I have found myself inside countless (perfectly air-conditioned) breathtaking shopping malls. Any individual of distinction can satisfy their materialistic needs there. The more iconic the place in town, the more noble it is.
Thanks to English being an official language among others, communication was not hard at all.
Now I am sitting inside my room in Penang, Malaysia, and ask myself whether the fat cockroach, which just zoomed across the wall, will come out behind the cupboard at night…
The bus ride was a hard case, by the way. The proceedings at the border from Singapore to Malaysia were no big deal, though. You get out of the bus, get your exit stamp and drive across the bridge. Then you carry your luggage past the Malaysian authorities and you are there.
But I hope the 3 hour delay didn’t trouble the others as well. At least the seats inside the bus were comfy. 🙂
The underground, which I should have chosen over the bus in the beginning, is a good way to cross the city.
I am hungry, but before I can dive into the culinary amusement I need cash. Wish me luck, I will report back in time. 😉
