Monday 14th JanuaryI had fallen into somewhat of a routine since I had arrived in Singapore, and the days usually started off with a large coffee that they served in pint glasses at the Coffee Bean cafe near Mark's flat. I spent a few hours updating my journal, which had been neglected over the previous few days. Singaporeans must love their coffee as, in addition to the ubiquitous Starbucks, there are about ten more chains and innumerable smaller cafes that sell fantastic cakes, muffins and pastries, in addition to the good coffee which I had missed in India. All of this was particularly unhealthy, but that didn't stop me stopping off for regular snacks.
Mark had suggested that I take a trip to an island off the north-east coast of the Singaporean mainland. To get there, I took the MRT to close to the ferry terminal, which itself is near Changi Airport. The MRT – Singapores's undergroud train system – is brilliant: easy to navigate, cheap (an average one-trip ticket costs about 60p), clean and air-conditioned, and usually with a lot of space (it's busy during rush hour but it never becomes ridiculous like the Tube in London). You may not get to see much of the place – and that is one advantage of something like the Indian rickshaw – but it is a calm and quiet way to get about.
I took the ferry over to Pulau Uban island, rented a bike and cycled through the lush landscape, passing some of the traditional houses that have been here for many years, and which give a glimpse of what Singapore might have been like before the large scale development. There were a few dirt tracks and steep inclines off the main road, which provided me with a bit of exercise, just to work off some of the extra calories that I was starting to pick up the longer I stayed in Singapore. After an hour and a half, the sky once more began to darken over, and I sensed that it was time to leave before the heavens opened up and I was caught out in the inevitable downpour.
I made it off the island and back into the centre of town, and all the while the rain lashed down. I hadn't witnessed a shower as heavy as that since I was last in Florida, a climate with similar levels of humidity as Singapore (except the temperature in this part of Asia seems to be hotter the whole year round).
I picked up a few more things in town and then made my way back to the flat. I got changed and joined Mark and one of his work colleagues – Barry from Downpatrick in Norn Irn – for a drink in town. It was a quiet trip out and, after having some great noodles for dinner, we got back to the flat and watched some TV before heading to bed. The bike ride, combined with the energy-sapping heat and humidity, had left me knackered.
