Our very early breakfast came through. One last American breakfast before we depart from this heavenly island. Soon after we departed for Ngurah Rai International, though this time it wasn't Jaga who was driving us. Too bad as we got used to that guy.
It was off to Singapore for us. I visited the city during my last Asia trip in 2004 and honestly wasn't impressed back then. The city seemed sterile and boring. Hopefully this time around would be better, but there were early warning signs. I was carrying a carton of fantastic clove cigarettes purchased in Indonesia and some cigars from the Philippines. Normally this would present a problem, except that Singapore has... NO DUTY FREE ALLOWANCE FOR TOBACCO. None, zero, zilch, nada. So what is the solution here? Pay $7 per pack in duty or allow the products to be destroyed. Damn Singapore. Truth is I only booked one night in the city because the flight from Bali back to KL was damn expensive. But unfortunately we had to leave the airport.
Upon landing and exchanging $50 US into Singapore dollars, we headed straight to air-side luggage storage, where for a measly $1.07 you can leave a lose item (like a plastic bag) with things you may not want to bring into Singapore (like Tobacco products, excess alcohol or perhaps chewing gum). From there it was on to our hotel in Geylang (the red lights district, but that was not the reason to pick the hotel) to check in and do some express one-day sightseeing.
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| Fountain of Wealth |
What's there to see in Singapore? Well... there is the zoo and the aviary and some temples and museums I suppose, but Singapore is mostly famous for its shopping. It's low VAT rate, low prices for electronics, low margins and tons, and I mean TONS of exclusive stores. How many Gucci, Armani or Louis Vuitton do you think Singapore has? Dozens of each, starting in the airport and finishing on its big shopping street.
The society is absolutely obsessed with material possessions and money. Not really surprising: Singapore sports the highest proportion of US dollar millionaires in the world (about 15% of the families in Singapore fall into that category). Unfortunately this means there is really very little to do in Singapore except eat, drink and shop. Even its most recognized symbol (besides the Merlion) is a "Fountain of Wealth", where apparently if you walk around it a few times, you'll become rich.
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| Impressive skyline with a foot bridge |
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| Colonial buildings in Little India |
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| The original Singapore Sling in the original Raffles long bar. Is it worth it? At $30 do the math... |
The skyline is no more impressive than any other big Asian city, probably quite a bit less. And despite the plethora of mixed cultures and religions present in the city (Chinese, Indians, Malays and Whites on the culture side and Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and all in between religion-wise) there is a shortage of interesting historical or religious sites to visit. True, you can get a lot of great food at reasonable prices (though don't count on getting reasonable priced drinks anywhere), but Singapore is a one-day city. In fact, this reputation is well-earned. Singapore even offers free bus tours of the city for transferring passengers with more than 5 hours free time on their hands. Simply go to Terminal 2 or 3, inquire at the information desk about a "Free City Bus Tour" and voila! You can sign up and be taken on a 2 hour ride by bus which will pretty much cover every interesting site and sight in the city.
Weather was horrible, hotter than hell and more humid than inside of a belly of a humpback whale. This was not conducive for good mood in any way, shape or form. Singapore Slings at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel didn't help much either, although the gigantic bowls of free peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor did a little to alleviate the boredom and malaise.
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| Peanut shells in Raffles bar: the highlight of Singapore fun |
Good night Singapore. Let's hope I never have to transfer through here again.
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