Back in Singapore, Taking It Easy

Getting back to Singapore for just a few days before heading up to Japan and South Korea, I decided to just take the brief stop to relax, as I had already seen most of what I wanted to see before. I liked the city the first time, but there weren't that many really impressive sights or areas, with the food being one of the primary attractions. I really liked the feel of the Kampong Glam area, the Muslim district near Little India and close enough to the tourist center, so I found a cheap hostel there, and the place was very nice and quiet, making me think that I should have stayed there during my first stop in the city. In the hostel, I walked in to find a man about 35-40 years old, looking extremely frustrated as he banged away on his tiny laptop, unconnecting and reconnecting his iPod in apparent frustration. In his South African accent (which I really like), he asked me if I knew anything about that sort of technology, obviously very frustrated with what was going on. He had just bought the iPod and computer in Singapore, and he explained that he had shattered his last two laptops in fits of rage, and the guy, with long sideburns, moustache and goatee and the perfect bad-ass biker image, didn't seem far away from repeating the process. After about an hour of work, we got things connected properly, in between him telling me stories about his travels, his motorcycle club/gang that he just joined - apparently the second one behind Hell's Angels, and his job working on offshore oil drills all over the world. He was a very interesting character, and also a guy who you always want to have on your side, so I had fun talking with him, even showing me his newly purchased motorcycle around the corner. Later, I heard him complaining/threatening the manager, saying that one of this bunkmates had attempted to steal his shoes, though he let them know that he'd take care of it. Little encounters like this always add some excitement and intrigue to even the most routine days.

Coming from some of the chaos of Malaysia and, moreso, Indonesia, I think I appreciated Singapore more this time around. It's clean, safe and extremely easy, like a benign introduction for Westerners into the Asian culture, without just being thrown into the mix. It is a little more expensive than Malaysia, but the great variety of food is still relatively cheap, and I was also a little more accustomed/acclimatized to the heat and humidity, so walking around the city was a little more relaxing. In addition, returning to a city that you've visited before, you have an idea of what to expect, what areas you like and don't like, etc, so it is almost like coming home in a sense, already knowing how to navigate the subway, the layout of the city and other important things when first arriving in a new place.

As before, I found Kampong Glam to be an attractive, quiet neighborhood just on the edge of all of the action of the city. And in the midst of Ramadan, this was more true than ever. In the warm evenings, I walked up and down the streets, relaxing in the sedate atmosphere in front of the mosque, walking up and down the wide street sandwiched by two or three story buildings lining each side of the street, side by side, traversed by strings of green and white lighting giving the area a festive, though not obnoxious, feel that I really liked. Walking around the back of the mosque, I found a Ramadan market with food stalls day and night (during the day for the non-Muslims), and I also found a pretty street leading out from the mosque, filled with street cafes and sidewalk seating, lined with a few rows of elegant palm trees. This was obviously also a bit of a tourist area, but it was not overdone, still retaining the friendly feel of the quiet neighborhoods surrounding it.

During the day, I walked around a bit, finding a travel agency to buy my Japan Rail pass, a great deal for unlimited train travel only available to foreigners and only available to be purchased outside of Japan, so that was my crucial task during this time in Singapore. I also sent a small box home from the post office, getting rid of a few of my souvenir shirts and things I wouldn't need anymore, happy to let go of anything from my heavy bags. On the way back from the post office, I saw one tall building standing above the rest of the area, so I figured I'd try my luck to see if I could get up to some sort of viewing platform or at least just look out the window on the top floor. I walked in the mixed residential/office building and headed straight for the elevators, acting like I knew what I was doing. I went up to the 39th floor (out of 41, though the top two were blocked), but I found two office entrances with no one around, meaning that I couldn't get to any of the windows. Disappointed, I headed down, but I saw an advertisement in the elevator for some new high rise apartments that were being displayed on the 38th floor. So, I took the even-numbered elevator back up and found the perfect spot on the 38th floor. There was a huge showroom with information on the developments in the area, and I explained that I actually wasn't interested in buying and just wanted to see the views, so they allowed me onto the wraparound deck, providing amazing bird's-eye views of most of Singapore. Eventually, one of the workers who had nothing better to do came out and greeted me, pointing out a few of the sights and areas and serving as a free tour guide, as well as telling me about the plans of developing the area.

Basically, it seems as though Singapore suffers from a bit of an inferiority complex. Things are great there, with cleanliness, safety and wonderful food, but being a tiny country trying to make its mark on the world economy and tourist industry, they are always comparing themselves to others, trying to make the world's tallest or the world's biggest or anything that will put themselves on the map. In this same vein, much of the developers plans mentioned making things like Hong Kong's harbor, which is apparently the vision of these builders, creating an urban metropolis surrounding the bay, though I couldn't help but think that they'd be better off just trying to create their own, unique cityscapes and neighborhoods. Other than the observatory and more great food stalls, Singapore was fairly quiet and pleasant this time around, allowing me a day or two to prepare for my next two big destinations.

(A wonderful meal at one of the many food courts of Singapore. This is a Thai dish of basil, chili and ground beef, with a few leaves of lettuce for wrapping. For those that know me, it really doesn't get much better than this in terms of flavor and simply the ingredients used.)

(Kampong Glam, the Muslim district of Singapore, was once again my locale for a few days, and the streets were lit up at night in celebration of Ramadan. There was also a wonderful calm/feeling of tranquility in the evenings here, and it was a nice break from the hectic pace of travelling.)

(Singapore's signature meal - chicken rice. It is basically a Chinese type meal with a sliced chicken breast and a few spices served on top of white rice with soy and chili sauces for dipping. As simple as it sounds, it really is great. Also great was the freshly squeezed limeade that I couldn't resist.)

(After sweet-talking my way up to the top of an office building, I was treated to magnificent views of the city below from a wrap-around deck/observation point on the 38th floor.)

(The area of red roofs is the mostly Muslim and Malaysian community of Kampong Glam, with the gold mosque in the middle of it all. My hostel would be just slightly off to the right of this picture.)

(Cruising the streets behind the mosque revealed more picturesque areas that I had missed during my first visit.)

(In one of these shops, I stopped to watch some soccer highlights and won a 25 cent bet with a random tourist who was trying to convince me that the goalkeeper was Belgian. I remembered many details of the World Cup match being presented, and eventually he finally agreed that the guy was actually Dutch, like I said, and I won my money as he shamefully faded into the tourist mass from whence he came.)

(Colorful shutters down by the riverfront in downtown Singapore.)

(Again, the old and new of Singapore. Same old type of picture, slightly new commentary.)