Travel blog: Singapore Slung
Bright lights of Singapore (photo: Nick Claxton)
Monday, 21, Jul 2008 10:42
Nick Claxton has never ventured outside of Europe before but a combination of too many years in London, a lack of proper responsibilities and an unhealthy admiration for Michael Palin now means he is spending a year travelling the globe. A terminally-disorganised 24-year-old taking on the world - solo. Here is his 13th blog entry:
So, from Delhi to Singapore - I can't think of many other trips that would be so disorientating!
Singapore was my first step into south-east Asia - a place to restock, re-supply and relax - I hadn't reckoned on the need to readjust. But Changi Airport's gleaming floors, the soothing sound of its indoor waterfall and the sheer lack of people left me mildly stunned.
After a coffee that wasn't simply a half-and-half blend of instant granules and sugar (unlike most in India), I felt I was easing back into something approaching western civilisation so I made the 15-minute MRT train ride into town.
This cost about S$2 (70p) but a good money-saving tip is to get the multi-journey EZ-Link Card for S$15 (£5.50) if you're staying longer than a few days.
Looking across the city from the train, it seemed almost space-age to me after having become used to dirt tracks and drivers winding through bovine roadblocks. As we swooped above the traffic, bright lights from the spotless carriage lit up the lines of orderly cars, queuing patiently on roads which looked brand new. Compared to India, it was pristine. In fact, compared to some science labs, Singapore is clean!
It was more than just the cleanliness though - I had expected something similar to London's thronged pavements that over time I'd learned to love, endure, loathe and escape from. But instead of facing crowds of people, the streets were almost empty as I emerged from the City Hall MRT station.
I enjoyed this relative solitude as I hunted out my chosen hostel - the Summer Tavern in Clarke Quay. The central location appealed - it's just two minutes from the bars and restaurants strung along Boat Quay but still within easy walking distance of Chinatown - and at S$24 (£8.80) for a dorm bed, it seemed a fairly good deal. Still, some more natural light and space between the beds wouldn't have gone amiss!
After checking in, I introduced myself to Singapore with some aimless wandering through the colonial district. But 100 per cent humidity takes its toll quickly - within half an hour I was ducking into one of the many, many malls for some relief.
Here I discovered all the locals I'd missed on the streets - dealing with the weather much more sensibly by blissfully shopping away under the air-con.
Judging from the sheer number of these malls, Singapore fancies itself a city for shoppers. Unfortunately bargains are few and far between, apart from sampling the huge range of food on offer in the lower level hawker centres. But luckily for me, the annual Singapore Sale was in full swing which meant some places had cut prices by a third or more - shopaholics plan your trip carefully!
Further exploration took me to the curiously-domed Esplanade arts centre - where I picked up a few hints on the rather sparse cultural scene - before I visited the harbour side to fulfil the typical traveller photo-op at the truly bemusing Merlion statue.
Eventually, my ambling brought me back into the colonial district and the famous Raffles Hotel. At S$1,000 (£350) minimum a night, you might've guessed that I wouldn't be staying here.
But this temple of British colonial opulence is open to tourists wanting to get a flavour of the Singapore enjoyed by the likes of Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling on their sojourns in south-east Asia.
More clichés beckoned but my meagre budget discouraged me from the worst of them. The Singapore Sling may have been born in the hotel's Long Bar, but the S$25 (£9.25) price tag rather put me off!
Instead I settled down under the curious fans, munched on free peanuts, threw the shells on the floor as tradition dictates and tried not to look too out of place in my shorts and sandals among the be-suited clientele.
I tried hard to imagine the clack of Kipling's typewriter outside, but blocking out the crowds of your fellow sightseers all trying to do the same proved tough!
Admitting defeat, I slowly gave up on my whimsical escape to the world of the wealthy, but not before spending half an hour checking out the small hotel museum which gives a pretty detailed insight into the history of Raffles, its links to literature and how it gained its status as a Singaporean national monument.
The following few days drifted by as I took in museums, watched some films and visited Fort Canning Park for the spice gardens and the old underground British army base (known as the Battle Box, but its not quite as exciting as its name suggests).
However, I eventually longed for something with a bit more of an edge and so switched hostels to the Inn Crowd backpackers in Little India (S$20 for a dorm bed).
With a bit more of an atmosphere compared to the tame - in fact, positively antiseptic - centre of Singapore, Little India proved a good place to hang out with other travellers - especially with the Euro 2008 games starting at an ungodly 2.45am!
These late nights took their toll, and I was soon running out of time in Singapore. But the world fame of the Singapore Zoo convinced me to make one more stop before catching the bus into Malaysia.
Of course, having been running around after rhinos and chasing tigers in Nepal, I was slightly doubtful that I'd get anything new from going back to the zoo experience.
However, I was willing to try the zoo's Night Safari (S$22 or £8 entry fee) as it offered something slightly different. Open only after 8pm, the zoo has a cage-free policy - so no bars to block the view - and uses cunning lighting techniques to illuminate the animals without alerting them to the tourists gawking from the trams (S$10 or £3.70 extra).
But although the darkness and jungle certainly gave the zoo a better atmosphere, it couldn't escape from the drawbacks of every zoo - it's only worth doing if you're not planning on trekking out into the wild for yourself.
After nearly a week of sanitised civilisation in Singapore I was keen for somewhere a bit wilder myself. I'd found things to enjoy in Singapore but after just a week I'd found there was little else to keep me there.
The promise of a few weeks living the budget beach-bum lifestyle meant I didn't look back as I boarded the 6.00am bus (S$25 or £9.25)) to my next destination - the Tioman islands off Malaysia's east coast.
Nick Claxton