Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Getting through the Thailand-Malaysia border didn't take long. The lone security guard ushered us through without checking our bags at all! The guard was sat in his chair looking rather apathetic, so after the checkpoint to check our passports, we were on our way again, heading into Malaysia. In the van, I could read my book or try to get some shut-eye. The lack of sunlight into the early evening left me with only one option.
Some time later, around 8pm, we stopped somewhere in Malaysia at a bus depot. I found out I had about a couple of hours before I transferred to another bus to continue onto Singapore. I was glad of a friendly Malaysian chap who pointed out my watch was wrong since although being directly south of where I had been, there is a time difference. Therefore, I had one hour to stretch my legs and eat, not two!!
Just as I was crossing from the depot to the eating area, I noticed a cat eating some discarded food on the floor. Just behind the cat was a rather large rat, waiting for the cat to finish. Although I found it amusing in a way, I couldn't help but wonder what lovely food lay waiting for me.
The food area reminded me of the old Ellesmere Port market, tarmac ground, high warehouse style ceilings, the front open to the humid Malaysian evening air. An Indian man whose stall I came to first must have taken pitty on this weary foreigner and assisted me in broken English as to what I should have. It was a decent curry with what I can guarantee was a leg of chicken. They do not seem to use knives to cut food over there, so I attempted to use my spoon as best I could! Although I knew the man would accept US Dollars for payment, I did not know the exchange rate. When it came to paying, I quickly worked out an approximate rate, based on the price of a Coca Cola in the man's fridge. Glad he wasn't ripping me off, I duly paid and thanked him, and left to find my bus.
After buying some supplies for the journey ahead, I was led to my bus. It was a luxurious, air-conditioned coach with plenty of space. I'd heard stories of people crawling into the baggage compartment just before setting off so they could steal from your luggage. I made sure my bag's zips were both safe, and secure, then settled in my seat for the overnight journey to Singapore.
After a nice sleep in my reclined seat, I woke early the next morning to bright sunshine as we approached the Malaysia-Singapore border. The time since around 6pm when Peter left at the Thai border had been the longest without talking to someone I knew. Being a lone traveller is not so bad, since you're never alone, not really. I suppose you have to put yourself out there a bit more, be slightly more extravert than you would normally be. You find yourself striking up conversations with people, when in the UK, you simply don't operate like that. I found that had been the case for the past 2 months of my travels. Singapore was my last destination in South East Asia, and all I had to do to get there, was make my way through customs. "Customs? I'm only entering on a bus", I thought.
On collecting my baggage from the bus, I got chatting to an Irish lad, Steven. He was due to fly onto Australia after Singapore and had a few more days than I did. One benefit of knowing someone, is that you have someone to talk to whilst waiting in the gigantic queue to get into Singapore. Reading the various multi-lingual signs on display, I was now aware Singapore was a zero-tolerance nation. If you're caught with drugs at this point, you will not be going home for a very long time. The checks were thorough and professional, the complete antithesis of the single guard at the Thailand-Malaysia border!
Once complete, we were back onto the coach and heading into Singapore. It was around 7am and the sun was shining brightly. The roads were pristine and clear, with manicured bushes at the side of the road. The people were dressed smartly and the cars were modern and new.
At the coach drop-off point, neither I nor Steven had a guide to Singapore or a map. I had given my copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Milena as she would need it more than I. Without any Singaporian dollars either, the first thing to do was to get to a cash point. There were a couple very close so after getting currency and asking where we could buy food (many Singaporians speak good English, especially the youth), we headed to the nearby food mall.
With our backpacks weighing quite heavy on our shoulders, we were glad to find the mall after ten minutes or so and sat down amongst the early morning customers, outside one of the shops. I ventured to join one of the queues to ask for one of the various breakfast soups on offer. Since they spoke broken English, after some pointing and repeating a phrase from the menu above the shop, I was met with an affirmative response and was handed a seafood noodle dish. By this time, I had become a master in the art of the chop stick, so had no trouble devouring the dish, along with a fresh sugar cane drink from the shop next door. I watched the lady as she took the sugar cane and ran it through a mechanical press, squeezing out fresh sugary goodness.
I engaged one of the younger shop assistants in conversation, who was more than happy to help us with a possible hostel location, and how to get there. So, rather than get a taxi, we decided to mix it with the locals and get the bus downtown. Just to reassure ourselves we were about to get the right bus, we asked a young lady at the bus stop, who confirmed in a slight American accent we were indeed on the right track. She was kind enough to tell us our stop name, including some significant landmarks and where to go from there. After getting on the bus, we paid in currency, but most people were using a swipe card when they got on and again when they left the bus. I couldn't help but be impressed by the standard of living of the island city-country. In the couple of hours I'd been there, I'd experienced clean streets, good food, helpful citizens and a quality public transport system! Surely there must be a catch.
On getting off the bus, we wandered through town for about another hour, looking in some shops and going into various hotels to enquire about accommodation but we were redirected to another part of town, Little India. Before we got there, we saw a YMCA on the map we'd been given by a hotel concierge, which was just around the corner. The prices seemed reasonable for Singapore, so we went for it. We were glad to get a bed and a room with a shower, so after getting cleaned up we left to explore the city.
Equiped with a decent map, we left the hostel and into a Singapore basked in sunshine. Singapore is warm year-round and is mostly sunny, and armed with this information, I ensured I had used plenty of sunscreen! We wandered along the streets, through the parks, past various museums whilst Steven and I chatted about where we'd been so far and what we thought of Singapore. Steven was 18 and from Ireland, and was mature for his age, so we got on well. As we got closer to the main shopping streets, we were walking through a park where there was a gathering of people, singing a repetitive chorus and performing a type of martial art. I immediately recognised this as Capoeira, a martial art originaly developed by African slaves. I took some photos and we watched for a while as it looked quite good fun! The idea is that two people spar in the centre of a circle formed by the others, who sing and play music. The obvious difference between this type of kumite and that in karate is that the emphasis in Capoeira seems to be on a more acrobatic, non-contact style. I'd never seen this live before, so it was great to see.
For the rest of the day, we walked around the city, looking in the shops and eventually heading to Sentosa island by cable car. Sentosa has a multitude of attractions, from the zoo to the dolphin bay, the insect and butterfly kingdom to the 3D cinema (lots of fun!), with the statue of a Merlion as the city's emblem, holding centre stage in the island. However, when we arrived at the island, we found we'd arrived far too late for any of the attractions, since we didn't really know what the island was about until that point! So, we made plans to go there early the next day, since it would be my last day in South East Asia and I had to be at the airport by the evening.
As I mentioned earlier, the public transport in Singapore was quality - that was just the buses. On walking into my local metro station, it was like something from the 80's futuristic movie, Total Recall; very 21st century. In comparison to the London tube system, this was better on every level. At one point, there was a network of escalators bypassing each other, which reminded me of an Escher painting.
The next day we went back to Sentosa, and although was quite expensive, saw lots of the attractions but as time was against us, I needed to get back to ready myself for the airport. Not before buying some presents from Chinatown, including a statue of Fu, Lu and Shou, the Taoist concepts for Good Fortune, Propserity and Longevity. It seemed an ideal purchase, since I had seen since these figures time and again throughout my journey.
After saying goodbye to Steven, I jumped in the taxi, waiting to take me to the airport. This would end my time in South East Asia, and although I would no longer be continuing on to Australia, I would be at home where my family was and where I needed to be.
On arrival at Gatwick airport, we were the first plane to arrive that morning. Still in my flip-flops and loose fitting clothing, I stepped off the plane around 5am to a cold, heavy rain. As the attendants ushered us up the grey, metallic steps into the airport, it was as if the dream was over, as if none of this had happened at all. A snap-back to reality and an uncertain future for the coming months.
Even so, nothing can change the fact that I have my memories of the best two months of my life.
- comments