Monday 22nd to Thursday 25 thJuly
Our local corner Indian cafe served takeaway coffee in a plastic bag with a handle in much the same way as we used to carry gold fish home from the funfair when we were kids. What is that about?
Raffles famous Long Bar
Mandy: Thursday 25th July
Coach journey to Malacca from Singapore
Don’t worry I do not intend to comment on or document the whole journey like I did from Luxor to Hurghada……. (I hope!) I’ve got too much else to do during the next four hours…..however all I will say is that as we pulled away from the coach station some sort of film started up on a huge screen at the front with people shooting at each other (loudly!) and as we edged our way along the busy road the driver had one eye on the road and one eye on who was aiming his AK47 at Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thankfully one Asian lady asked him to turn it down and I vowed to ask him to turn it off if I found he continued to follow the plot whilst driving!!
So, on to my notes about our wonderful whirlwind, three night, stay in Singapore……. Glen has already put a limit on how many photos I am allowed to upload! (Sad face) and I fear that if I write too much that may be cut too….. I know that most people reading this will agree less is more, therefore I will, in more cases, just list my thoughts in bite sized snippets. (Smile)
Everywhere is clean and neat with trees and foliage everywhere, on the ground, half way up buildings, on top of buildings, cascading down the side of skyscrapers….. on the side of walls laid out in different squares as part of the design of the name of The Oyster Bar. (Smile)
Chinatown smells of eggs! (Not in a good way).
As we have often been told….”food from a Chinese takeaway in the UK is not real Chinese food” it’s true! There are Duck heads and Chicken feet dishes at every turn….no chicken breast on offer at all!
Why do people advertise that they sell ‘pigs organ soup ‘ with such pride!? Or should I ask ‘why were people queuing to buy pigs organ soup!!!?’
I thought that as I haven’t got any muscles they couldn’t ache after a long days walking….. (Wink) however, youngsters muscle ache has been replaced with mature backpackers joint ache! (Frown) …..oh plus three ‘**** off ‘ blisters on my little toes that I am very proud of (grin) photos on request!
You can eat well and very cheaply in ‘food stall mall areas’ but beer is still a minimum of £3.60
People are small here……. When going to some of the toilets I often thought I was in a junior school children’s block. I am not that tall but I had to bend down to use the wash basins and sit down with a sudden plonk on the toilet! Karen Fenner and Deb would get on well here (wink)
Raffles Hotel……. The Long Bar and it’s famous Singapore Sling! Mmmmm i cant lie…….don’t let anyone make you feel that a trip to Singapore would be incomplete without a visit to have one. At the equivalent price of £17 each i think our trip would definitely feel more complete if we hadn’t gone and paid for a glass of ice with a weak mixture of juice in-between! Also the tradition of eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor gave me a twitch! And they felt horrid when you walk on them! I call it laziness! ….on the other hand do have the free Singapore Sling on the Singapore airlines flight. It is very alcoholic and very relaxing!! (Smile) oh and the free airline nuts were good too!
Drainage!!!!! There are mega drains and gullies everywhere! It didn’t rain when we were there but when it does it is obviously torrential! So very different to Egypt where there is not only no guttering on the buildings but no drains in the road etc. Mind you I think England could learn a thing or two from Singapore re the drainage system….perhaps then Wick would not flood each year! …….Storm drains!!!….. I think that is probably what they are called.
Some advice….Whilst visiting one of the many and various Temples and places of worship….If you see someone sat quietly on their own, eyes closed, making a face by moving their lips and squinting their eyes (i am not being racist) do not disturb them….they may be meditating or praying and not, as Glen suggested, sucking a lemon sherbet (laugh out loud) …..you had to be there!!
There is a BIG difference in the aroma of the incense sticks and spices in Chinatown than in little India. Eggs aside…. I preferred Little India.
Flower garland stalls…. people were buying beautiful flowers and taking them to the shrines inside the temples …..now I would understand it if the shrines were covered or surrounded in beautiful layers of petals or floral displays but no! they weren’t!! so I couldn’t help but think that the ladies collecting them at the back of the ‘room’ were slipping out and around the front and handing them back to the stall holders to re-sell! Sorry that is not a very religious thing to think!
Our corner Indian cafe serves takeaway coffee in a plastic bag with a handle in much the same way as we used to carry gold fish home from the funfair when we were kids. (I know amazing!!) What is that about?….on the subject of takeaways…. some food stalls charged extra to take the food away unlike in England where you would get a discount if you were not eating in.
I have noticed that the people in Singapore have the right idea when It comes to hanging washing out. Unlike Egyptians who hang it on lines parallel to the dirty grubby buildings so it could catch on the walls, the people here hang it out on poles which are at right angles to the buildings and get a good old flap without hitting on anything (smile)
I plan to investigate why some people (both male and female) have a small red Bindi on their forehead whilst others have either none or a white line instead of or as well as. …. This trip is going to be educational…. Lets hope I can actually remember what I learnt when I come back!
If you go into a toilet and there is a cubicle free without a queue i have realised that it is because they are the ones you have to squat over!!! Wait for one to become free and then you have a chance of it being a sit down one!
No matter how huge and ‘first class cabin’ like the fantastic coach seats are on this coach, if you need a pee you might just as well be sat in a small upright seat without a movie screen and state of the arch aircon system!!! :s
Are we there yet?