Single in Singapore

What do you do when you're really pissed with life and all you wanna do is get away from it all? Well....you get away from it all! I was working on the same project for ages which was getting really boring and my personal life was...well...frustrating. So on an impulse, I searched for the cheapest tickets to anywhere outside India. Bangkok or Singapore - I had to make a choice. After a deliberation of a few minutes, return tickets to Singapore were purchased, I had a look of glee on my face, and finally I had something to look forward to!

While I waited for the flight on 27 April 08, I met a really annoying chick who just wanted to yap with me about things I didnt wanna know. Where she was from, what she did in Singapore, how much time it took her to get from her native place to Mumbai to catch the flight, yap, yap, yap. She even gave me her phone number to call and come visit her sometime during my trip. I thankfully wiggled my way out of giving her mine...saying it was a Mumbai number and would be an ISD call for her so I'd rather call her. Phew!

I'd done enough research on Singapore by now to figure my way around places. The moment I got off at Changi airport, I walked to the MRT (metro) terminal and bought myself a EZLink pass. These are access cards that you can use to pay for the MRT and public buses, at a discounted fare. More information at www.ezlink.com.sg

I had booked rooms at a hostel called City Backpackers at Kallang for a week. I chose this place because of the rates and its proximity to the Kallang MRT. It's a 2 minute walk and in fact, you can actually see the MRT station from the hostel. Was a small place, I mean what do u expect for SGD$18 a night, with enough common bathrooms and toilets, AC rooms with 6 people sharing one room, a reception with lots of brochures to read from, internet, TV and DVDs, books and a couple of bean bags.

On the first day, I had decided to go for a Chinese Orchestra that was taking place at the Botanical Gardens. Now I must suggest that before you go to Singapore, you check out the Singapore Calendar of Events to see if there is anything special to do so that you waste no time on Day 1. The Air India flight from Mumbai reaches Singapore at about 1000 hrs so I had the entire day with me.

Oh by the way, Singapore in summer is as hot as Bombay so beware! It’s a humid place and you should carry a handkerchief / tissues at ALL times, coz you are bound to be sweating.

So my first day was not too hectic and the next day I planned to go to a beautiful island called Pulau Ubin to the north of the main island of Singapore. If you are into nature, this place is a must-see. But if u must see it, it must be at the right time. Chek Jawa in Ubin shows its underwater fauna and flora only during the lowest of tides. And on days when the tides are really low, you will be provided with free guided tours. To get to Ubin, you have to take a Bumboat from the Changi Jetty to the Ubin Jetty. A bumboat is a small boat that will ferry you across with a maximum of 12 passengers. Here's the bumboat I travelled in.

This place has three ecosystems – mangroves, forest land and the ocean. Each has its own unique flora and fauna. Once you reach Ubin Jetty, you can hire a bicycle for SGD$4 for about 4-5 hours and cycle your way along the island. Make sure you also ask the cycle owner for a lock and key for when u need to park your cycle and walk ahead. Eat up before you reach Pulau Ubin coz there are no real eateries here. And carry a lot of water with you coz your last chance to stack up on water is where they give the cycles on rent.

Tip: There are many restaurants close to the Changi jetty that serve really really good food, right near the bus stop. Have a late lunch there after you're through with Ubin.

The next day I went to Singapore Zoo in the afternoon. If you want to visit the zoo + night safari, then it’s best to go in the afternoon at 1500 hrs and you can finish the entire tour by about 2200 hrs. Great place for animal lovers. Visit their site for facts and pictures. My favourite part of the zoo was when I saw the orangutans being fed by the zookeepers. The animals in this zoo are so close to you, you feel like playing with them. Of course, common sense prevails and you don't! I wonder when Indian zoos will be as good.

Now this is something that the official Singapore tourism site boasts of – the Kaya Toast at the Chin Mee Chin Confectionery. It is the best Kaya toast I ate anywhere in Singapore (oh and the toast at the airport sucked the most). Kaya, also called srikaya (from the word meaning "rich" in Malay based on its golden color) or coconut egg jam, is a coconut jam made from coconut milk, duck or chicken eggs which are flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar (courtesy: Wikipedia). Even the tea has Kaya in it. This place is in Joo Chiat which is the traditional Katong area in Singapore and has some very beautiful old buildings that you can walk around and enjoy.

Joo Chiat is a wonderful place to walk around, with its old architecture. At night, however, this place is popular for its prostitution and you'll see many hookers on the street. So depending on your comfort, choose the time of the day you wanna visit here.

Joo Chiat has many Gujarati people living there, almost like an ethnic quarter. I saw a Gujarati school, a place called Shah Backpackers, and quite a few Gujarati shops. So Gujjus, you should make a trip to this part of Singapore.

Also, the laksa is Singapore's famed traditional dish, so if you're here, you should try it. While I feasted on some Katong laksa, I asked a few locals what was different from this kind of laksa and a regular laksa. I was told that the main ingredients remaining the same, the Katong laksa is a more localized version, which is less oily and has a few different spices. It sure was tasty.

My tip: Eat breakfast at Chin Mee, walk around Joo Chiat, take lots of pictures, tire yourself and then have the "Famous Katong Laksa" a few shops away from Chin Mee.

The rest of the day, I spent lazing around. I walked to the beach (which is quite far, about a 30-40 minute walk) and slumped at a beach side bar with a beer in one hand and a book in another. Trust you me, it was really hard putting that book down when I had to leave.

After the beach, while walking back to the MRT, I passed through the Malay Village. A big shopping area with delicious looking food and traditional clothing was across the Malay Village. If I wasn't full, I'd have grabbed something to eat there.

For dinner, I was to go to a nearby food court where you get amazing food for just SGD$2-3. Two Thai guys had just moved in to my dorm and I took them along. They were very sweet guys and soooo shy!

The next morning, I had to meet dad's friend who lives at Jurong and I had lunch with them. When I came back to my hostel, a new girl from Holland was in my dorm and we hit it off instantly. We decided to go to Clarke Quay for the evening to have a few drinks. A lot of people had told me about the Swissotel and so we decided to check it out. At 741 feet, you must go to the New Asia bar at the top floor. The view is spectacular, but the bar is expensive. So we just took some pictures from the top.

Back down below, we saw the Merlion, took some pictures and then headed towards a bar to have the famous Singapore Sling. It's a really sweet cocktail that none of us liked. But well, somethings you just gotta do!

The next day, I decided to see Chinatown and Little India. Chinatown is, btw, the best place to shop if you're looking for little mementos to give to people...at great bargains. I had a good authentic Chinese lunch of pork and rice.

But the best thing I saw here, while walking the by-lanes of Chinatown, was a place called "The Time of Tea". This place not only sells various Chinese teas, but also has classes on the art of making tea. I got a crash course by a sweet lady on how to make tea. Here it is, picture by picture.

This is the place - "The Time of Tea"

Step 1: Pour warm water in the tea-making bowl to heat the ceramic bowl.

Step 2: Pour the hot water on the drinking ceramic bowls as well. The idea is that not only the tea, but the bowls should also be hot.

Step 3: Drain the water from the bowls, put in the tea leaves and pour hot water into the bowl. Make sure that the hot water does not fall directly on the tea leaves, but on the side of the bowl. This saves the leaves from getting burnt.

Step 4: Keep for 2 minutes and serve! Your tea is ready.

The teas that were available there. Ranging from SGD$25 to 100.

It was lunch time and I went to a small Chinese restaurant. Since I couldn't make much sense of the menu, I asked for a recommendation. The waitress suggested a rice and pork dish and asked me if I wanted it in soft rice or hard rice. Well, I figured...who wants to eat hard rice? So I ordered for soft rice. And turned out, soft rice is what we call kanji!!!! Add to that some chopsticks and I was lost. How the hell do I have kanji with chopsticks???? This is what my plight looked like, until I asked for a spoon!

After Chinatown, I went to Little India with my Dutch friend. Looks pretty much like India. So I'm not posting any pics!

That night, we went out for some drinks at Boat Quay and had some good Satay dishes on Satay street. This is an entire street that becomes a food joint from evening to 2 am. There are many stalls that sell assorted Satay dishes - chicken, shrimp, beef and pork in one big platter. We filled ourselves with Satay and beer and then went to Clarke Quay again, coz that seemed like the more happening place. Once there, I had to do the reverse bungy. It was scary at first, but then it was 2 minutes of good fun. Then we were off to drinking. Met some guys who gave us company as we went clubbing. There's a bar called the "Clinic" which is a wierd but funny place to be in. You can sit in wheelchairs and drink off a plastic bag that's kept on a pole next to you, with a tube hanging out of it. Except, the place is expensive and a drink can set you back by SGD$50. If you're a girl, trust me, stop being proud, accept the free drink offers.

The next morning, my friend and I went to Sentosa where we saw the aquarium and the dolphin show. The rest of the day, we lazed on the beach and didn'd do much. Sentosa pics are aplenty online. Check them out.

Finally, it was time for me to leave and I took a few pictures with my dorm roomies. The cute Thai guys and a good friend I'd made on the trip. One of the boys even gave me a 2 Bath coin for me to keep. Here is the last picture taken.

And that was the end of the trip. At the Singapore Changi airport, I think I was the only Indian that was not carrying a plasma TV back home and even the airport staff was surprised! All in all, it was a great trip and an amazing mind freshner.