Getting into the Sling of things
The Singapore Sling is the famous cocktail of Singapore, so what better way to kick off the trip than with a Singapore Sling on board the plane at 11am, as I wouldn’t be able to afford one in Singapore. Singapore Airlines has to be the best airline in the world (actually, officially, I think it is just that)
So 10 hours and a few glasses of wine later we touched down in Singapore where Mum and her friend heading straight off to London. I took the crazily efficient, shiny clean metro to my hostel which was in the little India district, just like India but cleaner and without people harassing you…so maybe not that much like it at all then.
The hostel was nice and had air-con which was great as it was still 30 degrees when I arrived in the later afternoon, a big difference than freezing cold home but need to get used to the heat as the Middle East is just as hot! It was nice to be in a hostel again and be part of the backpacking world and I immediately meet Hayley staying in the bunk below who invited me out for tea with a couple of English girls. That’s the great thing about hostels, instant friends with something in common. So began our little team for the next few days.
Hayley, a english chick on a 5 month or so round the world, coming to the end of her trip and about to head home and start uni. Lizzie, with a northern accent making her way home from a working holiday in Australia, by going through Asia and Hannah, also english, just been dive instructing in Malaysia for 5 months on a dessert island. The next day we were joined by Rula, a kiwi chick at the beginning o her O.E heading to Europe. She was pumped about traveling and never really been backpacking before, also was super excited about Asia and new stuff which was great and kept the rest of us less cynical!
Hayley, Rula, Hannah and Lizzie
So Singapore is like the Hollywood version of Asia, clean and shiny and very much state controlled. The amount of social marketing is hilarious, signs every where telling you how to act, what to do, what not to do. Everything from not stealing to treating women right, to not smoking, not pushing, being nice, eating well, taking public transport…really it was pretty crazy. I guess the trade off is clean streets and a higher average income from NZ, Singapore is more developed than home I think in terms of cost of living and things. While it does lack the edge of the rest of Asia and character and ridiculously cheap street food its a very cool place to spend a few days and I had a lot of fun.
The first night with Hayley, Hannah and Lizzie we headed to Chinatown to the street stands where you sit at tables along the street and there’s lots of cheap places selling yummy Chinese food. I had noodle soup with prawns for around $4. It was so nice to be sitting outside and not being freezing cold!
After dinner we walked around Clark Quay where the flashest bars and restaurants are, like I am talking crazy flash, an amazing plastic bubble roof type thing covered the area with lights and water features with themed bars. If only we didn’t look like dirty cheap backpackers and had more money!
So a nice evening and good way to start the trip. Managed to stay up to midnight, avoiding any jet lag. Excited about the coming months!
Tags: Singapore, TRAVELS 2008
admin
[…] finally I got a phone later on and sorted out meeting up with Hannah, a chick I meet in Singapore last year. She works in London something to do with music management and bands and research and […]