I arrived in Singapore late at night. Catching one of the last trains from the airport, I was pleasently surprised to find it clean, comfortable, cheap and easy to navigate. Unfortunately upon exiting the train station, I found myself significantly more lost.
Approaching some old men in front of a 7-11 to ask for directions, I found myself overwhelmed by their helpfulness. One of them took me down the road in his van, pulled over and, unfamiliar with the area, proceeded to walk with me down the street until we found the hostel I was staying at.
The first thing that struck me about the hostel was that reception met me at the door and requested that I remove my shoes before entering. I'm not oblivious to Asian culture, and even in Bali I would remove my shoes before entering a home, but a hostel struck me as more businesslike and therefore removed from the practice. It was close to midnight, so in whispers I was lead to a pitch-black bunk room and allowed to sleep for the night.
The next morning I woke and tried to extend my stay, but they were fully booked. This wound up being the best thing that happened to me in Singapore. I used their wifi to book another hostel, Gap Year, right off the Boon Keng stop. Run by Donald and his wife, a charming couple with a serious foodie fixation, I found the accomidation to be convenient, clean, friendly (free alcoholic drink at 9 every night), and most importantly air conditioned! It's the little things on the road that really make a difference, and let me tell you, air con in Asia is massive.
I spent my second day in Singapore checking out Little India, Chinatown, the Buddha Tooth temple, and the area surrounding the Sands, an unbelievably massive set of buildings on the water that absolutely towers over the surrounding architecture.
The next day I wound up repeating my steps, seeing things I'd missed the first time through.
There are three important things to note about Singapore: as a tiny city-state with virtually no physical resources, they rely upon the intelligence and business-savvy of their population. The upshot of which is they love to shop. They also love religion - there are shrines and temples and mosques and churches everywhere, and you'll find the people deeply devout. The third, and in my mind most important thing, is that they love food. Hawker stalls sprinkle the city, offering a bewildering array of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Thai, and half a dozen other ethnic cuisines at staggeringly low prices. I have not set foot into an actual restaurant in Singapore because why would I need to? The food here is superb, and if you know where to hunt out the true gems amongst the stalls, you won't be disappointed.
I've been traveling on my stomach since I arrived, eating my way through one highly recommended dish after the next. Yesterday I had chicken rice (which is exactly what it sounds like) once sampled (and recommended) by Anthony Bourdain - for $2. It's getting to be time to moving on to Malaysia, but with this nasty cough I caught and all this good food around, I've been putting it off.
Maybe Wednesday I'll head out...
