Singapore: The Tourist’s Account

After leaving Beijing’s airport (the post below gives a brief account of when I was there) I settled in for the somewhat lengthy flight to Singapore. The day had been my first encounter with Air China, and I didn’t know what to expect from them. I figured a close estimation to Korean Air or Japan Airways would be good enough. I wasn’t expecting anything like Air Canada, though, with its in-flight entertainment system, on the back of every seat.

Sure enough, Air China didn’t offer much by way of in-flight fun. They had a movie play on the overhead screens, but the screens were entirely too small to read the subtitles, so I didn’t bother with it. On the plus side, they made sure we were fed, which was great. Air Canada doesn’t bother with mandatory meals, unless the flight is ridiculously long. Air China gave us plenty to eat, even between Korea and China (which was a short flight), and the food wasn’t half bad. Another pleasant surprise was the level of English the flight attendants used. I hadn’t been expecting that, and I will touch upon it in a later post.

Touching down in Singapore, I was immediately greeted by the wall of humidity, even at 6 AM. Immigration wasn’t much of a hassle, and customs was a breeze as I only had the one bag (definitely the way to go). My unlimited data roaming plan I had set up in Incheon was all set to go, and I immediately sent Shaine (the native) a message on KakaoTalk of my arrival. Then, I sat on a bench and tried to think of my next step.

The hotel said check-in time was 2:00 PM, so I wasn’t sure if I could check in earlier. I decided to go with it, and opened up the Google Maps app on my phone to plot a course to Value Hotel Nice. The quickest way would be to take the subway and then jump on a bus.

I made my way to the airport’s subway station.

If you go to Singapore, you should consider getting the EZ Link card, which gives you access to the subway and bus systems. You can buy one at any subway station by asking the people there. They’re cheap, and they come pre-loaded with money (you pay $12, and $7 of that will be fare money). If you are totally lost, and look it, someone will wander over to you and help you navigate the system. If you have a smartphone, and you have a roaming plan, just charge up Google Maps and it will do all the work for you.

I took the subway at the wrong time. What’s the wrong time? The time when everyone else is going to work and school. The thing was packed. I’ve been on Busan’s and Seoul’s systems during rush hour, but they weren’t as tight as that! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get off. There was a girl who wanted to get off, but she was too timid to say “excuse me” so she rode until there was an opportunity to squeeze out. When the train got to my stop, I just pushed my way through, while apologising and teetering over with my bag.

The bus I got on wasn’t bad, in fact, none of the buses I took were jam-packed. There was always space to stand without bumping into folks.

When I got to the hotel, I checked in, without any problem. I was early, but they didn’t seem to mind, maybe because I had reserved it so far in advance, and I would be there for four days.

What was my room like? It was small. The main room, only had enough room for the bed and a drawer. The bathroom was the same size as the ones I had in Korea. It was clean, cool, and quiet. It was close to the bus stops, giving me access to different locales. The only negative, was there wasn’t a fridge, but I didn’t mind that too much. Unfortunately, I only discovered a massive eating market on my last night there. It was a big food court with many different restaurants, and it was behind the hotel. Oops.

The first place I was to go, was Little India, which was the Indian section of the city. Shaine wanted to take me to a famous restaurant that served fish head curry, called Muthu’s Curry. She had planned the day’s activities, so I agreed to meet her at the subway stop and eat some fish head for lunch.

While I waited for her in Little India I scrutinised my surroundings:

Singapore is a tropical country, and the flora definitely suggests this. There are palm trees, as well as other large trees white people correlate with Indian jungles. When you look outside, it looks nothing like Canada, is what I am saying. In contrast, looking outside in Korea, you don’t see anything remarkably different from Canuckistan, other than all the mountains.

Singapore also has a lot of tourists. It’s the place to be, since it’s always summer. So many European tourists. They were all over the place. So many…rich people.

When Shaine finally arrived, we had our first official meeting. It was great to finally meet someone in person after being in contact with them for nearly three years. It was different than the SeoulTube gatherings, because the two of us knew each other fairly well. That being the case, we were able to hit it off right at the start. This manifested itself when it was revealed I knew the layouts of the streets better than she did (thanks to aforementioned scrutinising of said surroundings).

At the restaurant, we ordered our food. It was an Indian restaurant, and it served authentic Indian fare. It was my first time eating food off a leaf. We ordered the small fish head curry, but were surprised by the size of the “small” dish.

Taking up much of the centre of this photo is the “small” fish head curry dish. It could have been a meal in and of itself.

Before you say “eww! Fish head?!” (my family), allow me to explain. It was the head, and part of the neck, of a large fish. There was a lot of meat on that thing to pick off, and the meat was really good. She found the curry to be spicy, but my Korean tongue didn’t notice anything (if you’re accustomed to Korean food, then the spice won’t register at all).

The entire meal was tasty, but there was too much to eat in one sitting. It would have been okay if the fish head dish was half the size, because as it was, it could have fed 4 people by itself. Alas, we also had a few other dishes as well. We did our best to finish everything but even in the hour we sat down, eating, we knew it was a losing battle. Our stomachs were simply not gonna be able to stuff all that food in.

After lunch, we decided to go downtown to hit up a few locations. One of the locations we hit up was the Mint Toy Museum. It was a museum. With toys. And, it was awesome. Koreans don’t appreciate the notion of collecting stuff, for whatever reason. As a geek who enjoys collecting a variety of stuff, this museum was my ideal definition of HEAVEN (being an atheist, I need a good substitute, and that museum fits the bill.).

It had everything. Star Trek. Star Wars. Comic characters. Disney. Beatles. Manga. Toys worth $14,000. Original Disney movie posters from the 1930’s. It also had a section devoted to racist dolls (I have ample video footage, and will share later).

After resting our feet, we went to a Starbucks (my first time, I do believe) and sat at the waterfront, chatting. A bit earlier, we had visited her university, where I had the opportunity to shoot a few cityscape shots. At the waterfront, I was able to do the same.

We had also stopped into a massive supermarket that had food from the different cultures making up Singapore (Chinese, Malay, India, and Eurasian). It was there I bought some Turkish Delight.

I remember reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was eight or nine. When Edmund asked for Turkish Delight from the White Witch, I always wondered what it was. It must have been awfully good for him to backstab his own family. The film adaptation only piqued my interest as it gave me my first look at it, but it wasn’t onscreen for very long.

When I saw it on the shelf, I figured I had to get it. When we went into the supermarket, they binded our backpacks’ zippers so we couldn’t shoplift, and my wallet was in my backpack. Like a shmoe, I asked Shaine to purchase it for me, and I would pay her back (but, like a shmoe, I never did. Sorry).

If you haven’t tried it before, allow me to describe it. It’s a gummy candy doused in powdered sugar. Now, you know. I thought it was okay, but was expecting something a lot more (since I had been building it up in my mind for the past 19 years). Shaine didn’t care for it, at all, and made it clear she would rather spit it out then swallow it. If you like spearmint leaves, or candies of that sort, you’d like it. After being wasted by walking so much, a few pieces of Turkish Delight restored my energy levels.

Eventually, the sun went down and we got up to leave. It was a good chance to take pictures of the buildings with their lights on. It was also a good chance to get away from all the corporate rich people (the douchebag types who make toasts over the continued success of their corporations while their trophy girlfriend/wife stands by their side with a plastic smile frozen on her face. Y’know. That type).

Singapore at night is a classy place. Some of the architecture is from the colonial period in the 1800’s. Some of it is hip and modern.

The picture on the right is the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Three towers make up the hotel, and rooms do not come cheap. In fact, they are probably the most expensive. The T-beam at the top of the towers is an observation deck, and a swimming pool. It would be the next day’s destination.

If there’s one thing I should mention, it’s the slight paranoia of the Singaporean government (and that’s no big secret). I was aware of it, before I went to Singapore. Singapore isn’t a place you want to get in trouble in. Got drugs? Expect a death penalty. Got chewing gum? Expect a hefty fine. Spitting? Fined. Littering? Dish out $500. There are cameras everywhere, watching, making sure you don’t do anything wrong. On the subway, there are signs telling riders to report suspicious people and bags to the authorities (Indonesia is nearby, and there’s terrorist activity there, but I am unsure if the warnings are connected to that). Gambling and casinos are off-limits to its own citizens. The presidential grounds are protected by guards carrying machine guns outside its gates. I know some US politicians have compared the government to that of a dictatorship. The democratic processes of the government have been criticised non-stop, and in cases, that’s warranted.

Dictatorship, or not, it’s not the police state everyone compares Korea to. Where Korea has a heavy police presence, everywhere, I wasn’t aware of too many police officers in Singapore. I guess when the country is one city, you don’t need a lot of officers patrolling the streets when there are so many cameras watching people. If you go to Singapore, and play by their rules, you won’t have any problems. You might get a chuckle out of the warnings of fines plastered everywhere (in fact, there’s a novelty t-shirt sold there, that says “Singapore is a fine city” and then goes and lists all the various fines you have to pay for breaking one of the many laws).

The next day, I met Shaine at a market. The rain was coming down by the bucket load, and people were scurrying about trying to find shelter. Luckily the city must have a good drainage system, as no water was building up, like Daegu usually had during the 장마. She took me to a food court, where we ate a late lunch. I had laksa, for the first time. I enjoyed it, although I thought the shellfish in it could have been done away with. I also ordered some dumpling noodles, because I was starving.

After chowing down, we went to the library where her university was located. Her classmates were enjoying some fermented bean curd dish, for the coming Chinese New Year. It was really good. Sort of like a creamy mix between tofu and yogurt and peanut butter. At least to my tongue.

We had decided we would go up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel to take snazzy cityscape pictures. Luckily at this time the rain had stopped and we were able to go up after paying for the ticket. The photo at the start of this entry was taken from the observation area. It was really high up.

She wanted to wait for the sun to set, to make the tickets worthwhile, so we waited several hours. Unfortunately, like most of Singapore, there weren’t any benches to rest on. People sitting on the ground were told they couldn’t. Eventually, we realized that you couldn’t sit against the glass, but if your back was against the wall, on the side, that was okay with the security (if you are sitting next to the glass, then you are blocking photo ops for other people).

I managed to take some video of the sun setting. I will speed it up so it looks really cool and throw it on YouTube, at a later date. Once the sun set, all the shutter bugs came out to take pics.

After we had exhausted our energies, we walked about around the area and then called it a day.

The next day, I went around the city by myself. The weather was kind of crummy, so I thought I would check out the museums. I figured the National Museum would be a good starting point, so I went there first. There was a display of famous European painters taking place, so I paid the extra dollar to go see that (original Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, etc).

The National Museum is massive. You really need an entire day to see all the exhibits, even half a day wouldn’t suffice. The main exhibit shows the history of Singapore from its beginning to the present, but this is split in two. One path takes you through the “Personal” path, while the other takes you through the “Events” path. The personal trail shows you Singapore’s history through first hand accounts (this would be like learning history through regular people). The events one takes you through all the major events of Singaporean history (whereas this would be like learning history through the major movers and shakers). I decided to go through the Personal Path, and I didn’t even get a chance to go back and do the other half, since it took me 5 hours to clear that one! When I go back, I will do the Events Path.

You have a little machine that is your tourguide. When you get to an exhibit, you punch in the number and the machine narrates everything through voice actors (or historians). That way, you can see the museum at your own pace and can tune out the people around you. It’s an effective way to do it. The only problem is the vast material to go through at each exhibit. You can easily lose yourself in there.

After completing the personal circuit, I went to check out the paintings. They had arrived from whatever European museum was their home, and were swarmed by art connoisseurs of every colour. It was funny seeing all these famous paintings in person. I’ve seen them in books for so long, I never thought I’d see the originals (least of all in Singapore).

After all the walking and standing I  had done that day, I needed to rest, so I went back to my hotel, as my legs were becoming numb. I meandered along the way, taking pictures of different things and seeing more geeky shops begging me to spend all my money.

The next day would be my last. It was the eve of the Chinese New Year, so I decided to hit up Chinatown. The place was pretty packed by tourists looking for photo ops. The sun was out in force that day, so I was trying to duck under over hangs to stay in the shade. It was a place bustling with a lot of activity and colour.

Families of Chinese ethnicity were bustling about, getting food for their Reunion Feasts. As I walked, I took a lot of photos and videos. A few stall owners wanted to sell me stuff, but I gave them a polite “no thank you” which they accepted without further pressure (seriously, just say that and they will leave you alone. In Korea, they don’t take “no” for an answer).

The highlight of the day was heading to Shaine’s family’s place for dinner. I had been invited a few days prior and had accepted. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since my only experience with these sort of things is Korean by nature. In Korea, when I go for Chuseok or Seollal, families are initially shy around me as they are too scared to use English in my presence (they are also unsure if I am comfortable around Korean culture and food and fret nonstop that I am not enjoying myself). In Korea, I have the luxury of using my Korean skills to open communication during these traditional gatherings. However, the only words in Mandarin I can speak are “hello” and “thank you” (and apparently “how are you?”). And while Korean culture was historically shaped by Chinese etiquette, the connections are more vague these days. So I was privately hoping I wouldn’t do anything unseemly while I was there.

But it was a relaxed affair and her mom cooked up a storm for everyone. Singaporeans call it steamboat. Others call it hotpot. In Korea, I identify it as shabu-shabu 샤브 샤브(which is Japanese, I think). We talked while we cooked (and tried to find) our food. Laughs were had, as were good times. Eventually we ate until we couldn’t, and we retired to the living room, where Mulan II and Just for Laughs Gags were playing on the TV. We spoke some more while Pepper, the dog, acted hyper around my hand.

Eventually it was time to bid adieu to everyone. Shaine walked me to the bus terminal (where, along the way, I crushed a giant snail. I thought I had stepped on a large chicken egg. The snails that come out in the night are massive. And crunchy). My plane was leaving the airport at 12:15 AM, so I needed to go to the hotel and pick up my stuff. So I said goodbye to my former blogging buddy (I don’t think she still keeps a blog), and did exactly that.

The trip back to Gangeneung was a slow and tedious affair. Nothing bad happened; it just took a very long time. Next time I go to Singapore, I should invest in a direct ticket. The flight between Beijing and Singapore is over six hours, which isn’t all that bad (for a Canadian). But I had a seven hour layover in Beijing, and that was annoying. I landed in Incheon just past 4 PM, and cleared customs at 5. The bus to Gangneung left at 6, but it was Monday night. Seollal (lunar new year). The traffic? Let’s just say a stretch of highway that should’ve taken 20 minutes took 90. I didn’t get back to my apartment until around midnight, making it 24 hours of travelling.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time in Singapore. It was great to get out of Korea and see another corner of Asia. It really opened my eyes to certain things (which will be listed in follow-up blogs). It was great being in a place, like Canada, made up of a multi-cultural population (Koreans really don’t know what they’re missing). It was great to finally meet Shaine, and then be introduced to her family. It was nice being in a location alien from my Canadian and Korean experiences.

Should you go? Definitely. It’s easy to get around, as is evidenced by the elderly white senior citizens taking the public transportation. English is one of the official languages, and is the common language between the different ethnicities. The heat makes it easy to pack for (and I took too much). Stuff in the country isn’t as cheap as it is in Korea, but 1000원 is more than $1 SD. If you’re the type of tourist that likes to be pampered, you can experience the good life in Singapore. If you’re the type of tourist who likes to eat out of authentic food stalls in the midst of hundreds of hungry folks, Singapore’s got you covered. Whether it’s Lamborghini and Rolex or backpacking and hostels, the city caters to both traveling styles.

Make it happen!