5th September

Since we arrived a day ahead of schedule in Singapore we had two full days to visit the island. From a person who regards major cities with scepticism I liked the small island’s very distinctive character. Despite this though there are very few things Singapore excels in; shopping, eating and strict rules.

Orchard Road is a synonym with shopping in Singapore. Characteristically amongst the various shops the quality and professionalism of the shops varies from the low grade downright cheap like the Lucky Plaza to the more sophisticated malls like Ngee Ann City. At Plaza Singapura there was a wonderful book sale with about 5 huge tables full of older (approx. 5 years) books at $5 each. I was extremely tempted to stock my library from there but as it was the first day of the holiday I restrained myself.

Electronics are always the order of the day and the variety of shops ranges from market like stands to full blown stores like Best Denki. Since we are not used to buying tech gadgets from market stands that could have been selling $1 slippers, I was naturally reluctant of buying the video camera from there. The shopkeepers do not look very reassuring and sometimes over-annoy you for you custom, but this might be just a Westerners impression in an Asian country so don’t put too much weight on it.

One thing which takes time getting used to is that most items do not have a price tag attached. Since I hate being pestered by shopkeepers I tend to hesitate to ask the item price. Most probably the reason for not putting up a price tag is to allow bargaining, however the two times I tried to bargain I was offered no second price over the first. Mind you I’m not a good haggler by any standard.

As planned I brought the camera, case and tapes from Alan Photo Trading at Sim Lim Square. I had already agreed a price by e-mailing him which was better than all the prices I saw in Orchard Road. Like most of the other shops Alan’s shop didn’t inspire much confidence however he was listed as an official distributor on Canon’s site so I put my mind at rest.

The least common cause of death in Singapore must be dying of hunger, since every few paces you’re likely to find some sort of food establishment. I think that Singaporeans are chronic eaters since most of the shops were always full of people during anytime of the day. What’s more amazing is that from the small set out of the 4.3million inhabitants very few looked overweight.

Despite the multitude of different dining options we regretfully had breakfast at an American Coffee shop and dinner at a food court with some of the worst food of the whole holiday. I’m quite disappointed with myself at not finding and trying the Singaporean chilli crab which is one of the most famous dishes in the country. This was the first case of shop overload we had during the holiday, with so many options we finished choosing the worst.

I think the Singaporean government goes out of his way to stand out when it comes to making rules. Amongst the strangest were the chewing gum ban and heavy fines when not flushing a toilet. Needless say smoking is prohibited in most places and the littering carries heavy fines and public humiliation (corrective work orders – CWO) for previous offenders. (More laws)

The law enforcement unit is very serious about adherence to rules and people do actually pay attention to them. While at Kuala Lumpur airport we were approached by a woman who gave us cigarettes 4 packets of cigarettes because of Singapore cigarette import laws. People risk heavy fines, public humiliation and in extreme case even the death penalty for disobedience.

3rd & 4th September

The uncertainty of stand by travel helps you appreciate aspects of travel otherwise taken foregranted. On Thursday afternoon we decided to fly on Friday instead of the planned departure on Saturday. It turned out to be a bold move because at 21:35 we were waiting at the gate of flight BA17 to Singapore. As soon as the check-in assistant called our names at the standby desk in Heathrow our cheeks touched our ears. This overjoy and Handbook for butterfly watchers were essential to alleviate the hour delay at the gate and the remaining 3 hours delay on board the aircraft due to an engine problem.

The BA 747-400 is huge compared to my previous flight experiences. We even had a TFT monitor for each passenger which makes me wonder what joys await the wealthy passengers in club class. Apart from sleeping and reading I killed the 13 hours watching parts of Kill Bill 2 and The Laws of Attraction (3 stars) as well as an episode of friends.

We arrived in Singapore at around 20:00 and to play it safe we rode a taxi ($35) from Changi Airport to the Strand at Bencoolen Street. Taxis have a wide variety of additional surcharges depending on the day and time so the price tends of vary accordingly. We could have taken the metro which is much cheaper at $1.20 and, Dhoby Ghaut stop is just a short walk from the Strand. (Dhoby Ghaut has one of its exits in Plaza Singapura, for the sake of those looking for it on a map).

The strand is a basic reasonably priced ($75 for a double room) clean hotel located in a perfect area for shopping. It is just 10/15 min away from Orchard Road and about 5 min away from Sim Lim Square.

Word of the year: Snafus