Singapore

                                  

   

The hours in Singapore were so odd that it was hard to make any real plans. We didn't arrive until 3 pm on the first day then were scheduled to leave at 3pm the next, all aboard was at 1! We had done the usual things during our last visit, the bird park, Chinatown, zoo and night safari. This time we were hoping to get more into the country to appreciate it more. It just seemed very sterile, with not a lot of personality. There were a few things we wanted to do. We decided to go to one of the World War II memorials first to be sure we had time to see it. We had to go thru the procedure to get on the MRT or subway first. We didn't realize what an ordeal it would be!

We got in line at the ticket machine. There were a lot of folks from our ship there, everyone seemed to be having problems. When it was our turn I was able to put in where we wanted to go which totaled $3.40. I tried using a $10 (Singapore) but the machine will not give back more than $4 change so spit it back at me. We went to a window with a person for help. She only sold full day passes and would not give us change. She pointed us to another window. At that window I was given change but could not buy a ticket. She only would change one $10, I insisted on more. Good thing since the 3 crew guys in front of us in line had only a $10. I gave them 2 $5's to move them along then got our tickets. What an ordeal! That took us about 20 min. 

We transferred to the correct train with no problem. It was easily a half mile walk from one train to the other. Our destination was quite a ways out so we had been riding for about 1/2 hour when we were out of the underground on a raised track. It was pouring rain. By the time we reached our destination the rain was coming down in sheets with bright lightening going from the clouds to the ground then loud claps of thunder immediately after. We decided to just go back to town. We would have been drenched trying to find the place. It would not have been enjoyable at all. We raced across the platform and jumped on the train, only to discover we were still headed in the same direction. We got off at the next station and found the correct train for the return to the city. 

We got off at the City Hall station, the closest one to the Raffles Hotel. It is the hotel made famous by the original Singapore Sling drink. The escalator from the MRT took us right into a mall so since it was still raining we walked around there for a while. We made a few purchases in the food store. The prices were VERY high, especially for US imported items. I bought flavored Kit Kat's, Green Tea, Citrus, etc. that was very unusual! We thought about having dinner there but the restaurants were Japanese or other ethnicities. We wanted food from Singapore. By now there was just a drizzle outside. We walked to Raffles and found the Long Bar. Last time we had been there it was packed with people, many from our ship, not very enjoyable. This time we sat right down and were served immediately. This bar is about the only place in Singapore that isn't spotlessly clean. They serve unroasted peanuts and you just toss the shells on the floor. They were quite good. A few found their way into my bag. We ordered a Singapore Sling, fried calamari and shrimp and mango spring rolls. Mel also ordered a bottle of water. Our bill was $90!! That is about $75 or $80 US. My drink was $27 and they were flying off the bar, everyone was ordering them. Mel's bottle of water was $14!!! It was a nice experience though, the food was very good. The drink, mostly fresh fruit juice, tasted like it had very little alcohol in it. Not true! As a non-drinker, I was rather buzzed by the time we left the bar. We walked a lot after that so it didn't last long. 

We wandered around the hotel complex which is a full city block. There are a lot of nice stores there including a Jim Thompson store. I was very excited about that! We had been to his house/museum and large store in Bangkok. He started the huge Thai silk industry so is almost a god there. I had purchased a beautiful glasses case which is silk inside and out. I had wished I'd bought another so was able to here. Very nice store. We then headed to Bugis Street which is their night market. It was packed with people. It is mainly clothing but we walked up and down the isles looking at everything. We then headed back to the ship. 

To get to the ship from the MRT you had to walk thru a mall, then thru customs then another 10 minute walk to the ship. Not easy. We were back at about 9 and decided to go look for free Internet in the mall. Many crew were out using one but we went to a coffee shop to ask if they had one. They put in the password for us and it was fast! I had my iPad downloading magazines while I was doing email on my phone. We accomplished everything we wanted to do then went back on board. It was a bit after 11 pm.