At the Perth airport 4 nights ago I found out the Singaporeans might not like the fact that I have no return/onward ticket. After only 1 1/2 hours sleep the night before, I managed to get some sleep on the plane.
Arriving in 'Singas', I was worried, but it turned out to be for nothing. I freshened up first, as I was meeting a girl, Siti, straight out of the gate (at 6am), who was going to show me around for the day.
So that meant when I passed through Immigration and Customs, the rest of the passengers had already been through.
A brief tense moment at the Immigration desk where I explained why I had no onward ticket. He told me to write my email on my entrance card, stamped my passport, and that was that!!!
Customs was even easier! I got my pack, and I had to wave a customs guy down, because they just weren't interest! didn't look in my bags at all - just asked if I had alcohol and how many bottles. I said just the 1, they said that was fine. The whole process through Immigration and Customs took about 5 minutes!
I met Siti, and we immediately jumped on the MRT (mass rapid transport - the train), and went to the Malay sector for pre-breakfast dessert. We wandered around the markets - and I mean PROPER markets, with all kinds of weird and wonderful meats, seafood, and fruit and veg. We had a couple of desserts - a really bright pink one, and a little green ball that explodes with juicy goodness in your mouth.
We got a couple of drinks, a longan tea-sort of cool drink, which looks a bit like flat coke with longan fruit in it. And a milky drink with seeds and all sorts of stuff in it, which was delicious! Yes, it had seeds! For those of you who don't know particularly well, I hate seeds!
We had a bit of fun and spiced up the longan drink with some duty-free OP Bundy. Rum at 8am - crazy!
The rest of the day consisted of viewing both Hindu and Buddhist temples, and one where supposedly Buddha's tooth is housed. I don't know how authentic it is, but they certainly believe it! They've put it in this enclosed room with a viewing window, and the 'tooth' itself is housed in a which which has been made from 480kg of pure gold! Even the golden floor tiles are worth $5000 each!
The day was also comprised, of course, of plenty more wonderful food, and a few beers. It's strange - Singapore has some of the strictest laws around, like a $300 on the spot fine for littering, no chance of appeal, but street drinking at any time of the day is completely fine. My kind of place! hehe
Had a volcano Ramen for dinner, which, as the name suggests, was bloody hot, but totally full of flavour! A funny thing happened. We'd put a bit of rum into a bottle of coke. Siti said she sometimes put a bit of chilli powder into her drinks to spice them up. So I poured a heap of chilli powder into the bottle. However, when I next opened it, it friggin' exploded all over me!!! Far worse than the mentos trick. Hilarious!
Miraculously, we weren't kicked out of the restaurant. Then we went next door for dessert! I just couldn't do it, I was too full, but Siti faithfully put away a large portion of dessert. I don't know where too though! Asian have brilliant metabolisms......
Then we went to meet Agie, my first ever gracious Couch Surfing host, and her house mate, Rhia. I was very grateful for their generous hospitality, but for two nights did my best to sleep on a couch 2/3 my length.
My first morning in town and I went to Palawan Beach on Sentosa for a sunrise swim. I had nachos, fish balls, pork wontons, and a garlic bread for breakfast, washed down with a half litre can of beer - just because I could. Breakfast of champions!!!
I wandered around the island for awhile, and found myself at the high ropes course. No one was there, so I had a bit of a climb hehe. Then I heard what I thought was an alarm, and did a runner! Down the road I heard it again, and realised it must've just been some weird insects or something. Would have been hilarious seeing me spooked by bloody insects and scrambling down the side of a high ropes course to take off!
I went to meet Jirin, a lovely girl from Indonesia studying and working here. Another fellow Couch Surfer (or CSer). She had a free ticket for me to the National Museum, and so we spent just over an hour enjoying the exhibits, including Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. It was stunning!! As was another painting by some other dude called 'Summer Nights', a painting of two women dancing on a partially moonlit beach, a gallery of people in full silhouette looking on, and waves crashing behind them. Just a brilliant work of art!
From there we pretty much spent the day running around the city in the rain. We went up Singapore's longest escalator, which runs up the outside of one of the buildings on Orchard Road. From the rooftop garden we saw another building across the road with a pool on the roof. I decided I wanted to swim in that pool.
After a bit of searching, we realised it was the Somerset hotel. As soon as we walked in, I realised I wasn't going to be able to just waltz right up and take a dip. So I said to the concierge I was interested in finding out more about the place for future stays in Singapore. He showed me a really nice room, the gym, and of course, the pool. Whilst I was chatting to the guy, Jirin was taking photos of the pool. She absolutely loved the bit of harmless pretend it took to get up to the pool. We jumped on a bus just to see where it ended, and along the way she pointed out a place where they make alcoholic ice-cream. Two of the world's best things in one - of course it's on my list!!! I'll probably check it out today. :0)
I told Agie and Rhia I would cook for them to say thank you for hosting me. Wasn't really the best idea. Rhia was out shopping, and when I'd asked Agie what she didn't eat, she said pork or seafood. So I figured a nice ginger chilli chicken stirfry would be quick, healthy meal, and easy given the lack of oven or grill.
If anyone ever asks you if there's things you don't eat, please be specific! Turns out Agie doesn't eat vegetables! So she just ate the chicken.....
I did really like the girls - we plan on catching up again, probably to see the Singapore Slingers verse Phillipine Patriots basketball game next weekend.
Yesterday was another sunrise swim at Sentosa, this time at Siloso beach, with a Bee Hoon (noodle dish) breakfast.
Then I stumbled on 'Malay Street', an eatery near Universal Studios. I was in heaven!!!
I had mixed pig organ porridge, which was so delicious!!! It consisted of pork, sliced pig tongue, and fried pig intestines in an asian-style porridge, which is different to our style. A little more gelatinous, and hell of a lot tastier!!!
Whilst I waited for a particular stall to open, I sat down and started my diary. I was waiting to try a very specific thing - a century egg....
For those who don't know what a century egg is, it's basically a duck, chicken or quail egg that has been treated in brine and a few other things and left to kind of rot for several weeks to several months.
Well, my plan was to get just a single century egg, but it doesn't work that way here (except for stick foods). So I got a Penang Lor Bak set, consisting of Taiwan sausage, tofu, fish balls, prawn fitter, yam fritter, and of course, a century egg. And as is usually the case, the only thing left on my plate at the end was the cucumber garnish!
How to describe a century egg? Hmmmmm....... I reckon it looks like a dead alien's head, with green slime shit for brains. The albumen, usually white, is dark brown, but translucent, kind of jelly-like. Then there's a thin layer of semi-solid grey/green yolk, followed by the yolk itself, a gooey green mess - the bit of left over yolk on my plate looked like someone vomited bile directly onto my plate. Or a baby with gastro sharted.....
Surprisingly though, it tastes pretty good!! It still tastes like an egg, although not as fresh, but with more flavour.... It didn't have much of a smell at all - seriously, the only really off-putting aspect of this dish is the visual one. But it truly is a vile-looking dish; mainly because just about everyone on the planet knows what an egg is "supposed" to look like!
Even a few of the locals in the line around me said they didn't eat century eggs. Will I eat them again? Of course!! Hopefully I'll win a few bets doing it, or at least cause someone to throw up - especially if I let some green sludge run down my chin! hehe
I went to the casino, just because I could. In Singapore there are two casinos, and are only a few years old. The government has decreed that foreigners get in for free, but Singaporeans must pay $100 for every single 24 hour period they want to gamble.
The casino was nothing special. They had a smoking section, and seriously, it made me gag, so I high-tailed it out of there!!
There's only one bar, and it hadn't opened yet. The only cool thing was that I managed to get a photo a white lamborghini on display that you weren't supposed to take photos of.
I met THE coolest kid at the Hard Rock Cafe!! Was sitting chatting to the bar when this little kid rocked up, plonked himself down next to me, said, "Bartender, can I have a water please?", then got all excited when Michael Jackson's Thriller clip came on.
I asked him where he was from. He said, "I know. I look Chinese, but sound Indian, right? Well, my parents are from China but we live in India, so that's why I look and talk like I do".
This kid cracked me up!!! We had a bit of a conversation, and I chatted to his parents. I asked them - and him - if was ok to get a photo with him, which I did. He was 5, and totally cool!
Same day, I also discovered my new favourite beer. It's called Pirate beer. Comes in a 500ml can (which a lot of them do here), is a blonde style, so doesn't taste really yeasty, but is 8.5%. And only $5 per cold can from the 7 Eleven. I reckon a few of the beer-drinking Arena gym girls would love it! hehe
I went to hunt down that alco-icecream, but when I came out of the adjoining station, a bunch of highschool kids were playing basketball. I just couldn't resist....
So I joined in with them, and had a ball! My team won a few, and we lost a few. There was a 17 year old kid who was well over 6 foot. One kid, Kevin, asked how old I was. I said nearly 34. He said just like my dad! Cheeky little shit....
After that I met Ren, a truly decent guy from the Philippines. But he went to a good school there, and speaks with a kind of American accent. We chatted for awhile, then I went to meet Jirin at Sentosa for some live jazz music. Ren was too tired, and another person pulled out too. But it was a really nice night.
Got lost coming off the train back to Ren's, but eventually made it, and heavenly bliss!, I got to sleep in a bed for the first time in a long time!!!
Today was all about writing my blog, which I've now obviously done, then off to find a post office. I reckon I'll track down that ice-cream place too....
Ren said we're going to a pool party tonight, so that should be good. Looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of locals.
I'll probably stick around Singas until the 13th, when I'll head across the border and start hiking. Now that I know where an internet cafe is, I'll post a couple of more times before I go.
Won't always be this long - just so much has happened!!!
I'll keep it to weird/wonderful/tasty foods, great/funny experiences, and brilliant people met. Actually, I reckon I'll just go with the flow and write what I feel at the time.... hehehe
Sounds like you are having a blast! I enjoyed the reading and can't wait to here what you have been up to next!
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