Singapore - the Beginning of Another Long Trip

Indonesia has recently been on the top of my travel list with its attractive combination of volcanoes, rice paddies, deserted beaches, good food and lack of large numbers of tourists (Bali being the exception), and since I was able to get a great deal using SkyMiles to Singapore, I figured I'd take the chance to see a few other parts of the region and work my way down to Indonesia by bus, ferry, planes, my superb swimming skills...whatever. Regardless of how you manage to get there, Singapore is a long way from Atlanta. My route took me on a 14.5 hour flight to Tokyo (luckily I had the exit row to stretch out), a 5 hour layover in Narita airport, and then a 7 hour flight to Singapore. Without any real complications, I arrived in Singapore at 1 am local time, getting through customs just in time to miss the cheap bus into town, since the subway doesn't run past midnight. So, I waited for another 70 minutes for the next one and got to my small, windowless room and into bed by about 3:30 that morning.

I spent the next morning exploring the area around my hostel - Little India. Full of small shops, colorful, pastel storefronts, aromas of curry, a few Hindu temples and even a nice-looking mosque, the neighborhood was a nice introduction to some of the culture that I'd soon be experiencing. Unfortunately, the accompanying heat and humidity also greeted me immediately upon leaving my hostel. Being just a few degrees North of the Equator, Singapore obviously has the intense tropical sun, added with something like 80% humidity, so it doesn't take long to start sweating, especially when carrying heavy backpacks. I also switched hostels to a location closer to the subway station, in an adjacent neighborhood called Kampung Glam, the home of the local Muslim population and Singapore's largest mosque, the Sultan Mosque. Literally around the corner from me stood the majestic gold plated, bulbous dome, typical of the type of mosques in the area. Later that day, I heard my first (of what will probably be many) call to prayer - a sort of drone chant spouted out through the loud speakers of the mosque, reminding all the faithful within earshot that it is one of the five times during the day at which they are supposed to pray.

For me, the main draw of Singapore is its food. Acclaimed for its mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures, the resulting assortment of noodles, rice, curries and bread is hard to beat, many considering it one of the premier food destinations worldwide. In addition to the variety of the food, the nearly ubiquitous food centers around town provide endless variety at very cheap prices. These hawker centres/food centers are somewhat comparable an outdoor food court at a mall in the US. It consists of a sheltered space with anywhere from 10-50 vendors under the same roof, all selling local specialties at their tiny stalls for just a few dollars per meal with plastic tables and chairs in the middle of it all. Glorified street vendors, subject to the strict hygiene standards of harsh Singaporean law, all gathered in localized areas for ease of consumption...pretty amazing. My first meal was a Muslim-style murtabak which is basically a flat, thin omelette with some sort of bread/flour mixed in to make it a little bit flaky, drizzled with bits of ground beef and accompanied with a coconut/potato curry for dipping, all eaten under the shadow of the Sultan Mosque. Followed by various plates of noodles and chili sauce from the local food center, the food portion of my trip was off to a good start.

As for the city, I wandered through the heart of the downtown area, along the river, finding some impressive old colonial type buildings, a spiky, domed theater that looks like half of the Epcot Center implanted in the ground, a huge ferris wheel (larger than the Eye in London), and the city's symbol, the merlion, which is exactly what you might guess: a half mermaid, half lion statue on the waterfront that spouts water for no apparent reason. With no chewing gum, no spitting and other harsh laws, the city is certainly clean and safe, though it didn't quite have the uptight feel that I was expecting from this attempt at a utopian society. The vast mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Middle Eastern and Europeans all seem to live fairly happily together, accepting the strong arm of the government (at least on the surface).

(My first meal in Singapore - the formidable murtabak with curry dipping sauce. As you see, ground beef is a nice addition to anything. ANYTHING.)

(A colorful set of apartment blocks near Little India.)

(The picturesque mosque in the heart of Little India. Not to be confused with Little Italy.)

(The intricate facade of the mosque, with lots of Arabic script meaning absolutely nothing to me.)

(The little kid doesn't seem bothered by the heat, but trust me, it's brutal.)

(One more view of the mosque and then on to lunch at one of the hawker centres. Mmmm.)

(A street scene in Little India. That's about it.)

(The famous hawker centre. I didn't actually eat at this one. I know; it's hard to believe that I had the will power to pass through one of these without at least grabbing some noodles for a snack.)

(The Parliament House and a few of the larger buildings of the downtown colonial district. The Singapore River runs just behind this building. I could make a clever joke about the river 'running' in spite of the heat, but I won't.)

(The bridge that eventually lead me to the Merlion, though not as quickly or as easily as I had hoped. Hint: if you ever see this spot, turn left at the street ahead, not right.)

(The Merlion itself, spraying water into the harbour, with the Esplanade Theater in the background.)

(Finally, the Sultan Mosque, just around the corner from my hostel. I think you can actually tour the inside, but I was not suitably dressed. Apparently a wife beater and cut off denim shorts don't cut it for the Muslims. Would I really wear that??? Would you???)