Singapore. Short but (semi) Sweet

Singapore made it into our itinerary because we had to lay over here between Colombo and Perth. And, since even layovers count as a 'segment' in the Round the World ticket, if you have to stop somewhere, you might as well at least check it out while you're there. Since I stayed back in Sri Lanka longer, Sarah is now ahead of me in our itinerary so I spent my two days exploring Singapore on my own.

I have to say that whenever I talked to someone about Singapore and asked them what they recommended to do here, the answer inevitably was some variation of "Uummm, well, there's not much to actually do in Singapore". I kept pressing, convinced there had to be SOMETHING, and eventually got a few suggestions but none that really interested me. After having now seen it firsthand, I understand why people were hardpressed to come up with recommendations. Turns out that if you don't love to shop (I hate it), aren't into zoos (only occasionally, by which I mean once a decade at most) and don't dig botanical gardens (not even remotely), Singapore isn't for you. It was not for me.

Now, I have to admit that I didn't go into the city with a very enthusiastic approach, and I can grant that that certainly had something to do with my ultimate feelings about it. My red-eye flight from Sri Lanka was short and allowed for just 3 hours of sleep the night before arriving in Singapore and, since I was determined to not crash during the day so as to not throw myself off sleepwise, I spent most of the day in an exhausted fog. It also didn't help that it poured all morning and rained to one degree or another nearly the rest of the afternoon. So then I was exhausted AND wet. Turns out that Exhausted + Wet = Grumpy.

I dragged my sleep deprived self out of the hostel and made the 15-minute walk to the subway station... only to remember I had left my wallet back at the hostel. I was SO tired at that moment that the thought of having to walk all the way back to get it almost made me start to cry. By the time I got back there, it took every single ounce of inner fortitude to not just give up and let myself go to sleep. But I knew if I did I would sleep the whole day away and, as I only had 1 1/2 days in Singapore, that would have been ridiculous. So I forged on and walked back to the subway and finally made it downtown.

I walked around in the rain to see the older parts of the city by the marina (Merlion Park, the famous fish/lion statue) and then headed over to Orchard Street, the famed heart of the shopping district. Now, I don't like to shop under normal circumstances. Throw in throngs of Christmas shoppers and it actually becomes infuriating to me (particularly when I am exhausted which makes everything annoying to me). I found my annoyance growing by the moment so I found a cute little outdoor place set way back in to escape the crowds and get some lunch... and nearly, literally, fell asleep on the table. As it was only 5 or so, I still couldn't let myself go back and go to bed so I rallied one last time and went to see a movie to force myself to stay awake until I could go to bed at a normal hour. At the end of Day One, I was not impressed with Singapore. Basically, it was a city. A very nice city, yes, but not a particularly remarkable one. However, it did have one remarkably redeeming quality for me up to that point: its abundance of bubble tea. I had two. Singapore was looking up.

Day Two was a great improvement. For starters, it was sunny and clear and beautiful. Secondly, I decided to avoid the downtown as I wasn't in the mood to be in a city. My hostel was in the Joo Chiat area, a much quieter, sleepier, more traditional part of town with lots of colonial architecture. I spent the day walking along there, admiring the charming old buildings and meandering about. I found a place to get a reflexology foot massage and decided to check it out. I have seen them all over the Asian countries I've been in and have to confess having my doubts about its value as a therapeutic tool. But I decided to try it for myself and have to say I am now a firm believer. It was surprisingly painful (fist-balling, wincingly painful) at parts but I must admit that I walked out of there as relaxed and loose and limber as if I had just come from a full hour Thai massage. Remarkable.

For the rest of the afternoon, I made my way down to the marina section where there is a park with lots of trees right on the water's edge. Spent a couple of hours sitting on the shore, listening to the waves while reading (and, okay, napping). And then, on my way back to the hostel to catch my ride to the airport, found more bubble tea. Now THAT is the way to spend a day in Singapore.