Tuesday 24 July
Reg has cut his arm slightly on the wooden raised edge of the bunk bed in our hostel in Singapore. He can't sit up without his head hitting the ceiling. The room is tiny, windowless, and we feel miserable. We can't stay here. Reg searches for a last minute booking and finds a hotel near Orchard Road; it's a bit pricey, but not extortionate, and hey, we've only got 3 nights left of our whole trip. We want to finish on a high, not a low. He books it.
I tell the young woman the hostel reception that we're checking out after breakfast; she looks shocked.
"We booked a twin room," I say. "Your information didn't say it would be bunk beds. My husband cant sit up in bed without touching the ceiling and has cut his arm on the wooden safety edge of the bunk."
To be fair to the receptionist, she's very apologetic. At first she says we'll have to pay for the next 3 nights because of late notice cancellation; but I emphasise what I've already told her, and stress the cut arm. She speaks to someone on the phone, and says we can have our key deposit back, and have breakfast, and we don't have to pay anything, even for last night (although we lose our 10% overall deposit). We think that's reasonable, have our breakfast, and hail a taxi to our new hotel.
The hotel is perfect for us. The staff are friendly, professional and efficient. We're told we've been upgraded to a superior room on the 6th floor at no extra cost. The room is absolutely lovely; large, with
a kingsize really-comfortable bed, ensuite, fast free wifi, tea and coffee facilities, large-screen tv, ipod doc, fridge, everything we could want and more. It even has a laundrette where you can do your own washing and drying for a reasonable price; SG$20 all in, about £11. We're thrilled, and at last can enjoy Singapore.
After settling in we decide to have a relaxing afternoon, and to visit Singapore's Botanical Gardens, as tonight we are meeting up with Terence Hoong and Thiam Hock Ng, the 2 young Singaporian men whom we came across in Xi'an, China. They were also doing an epic train journey, but in the opposite direction - from Singapore to Europe. They were taking a different route from us. Terence and Thiam Hock had given us their contact details, and we all agreed that when Reg and I arrived in Singapore, we would all meet up, as their trip would be finished by then.
The Botanical Gardens existed when I was in Singapore over 40 years ago, but ironically I don't remember them. As a teenager back then, what I remember most is school, my schoolfriends, going to discos and dances ( it was the Motown era and there was no shortage of young British servicemen in Singapore then), swimming, shopping, and generally having a good time in between studying for "0" and "A" levels.
It's about 35 deg c but there is some shade in the gardens, and we particularly enjoy the National Orchid Garden. As we are over 60 we get reduced entrance fee- the first time since turning 60 that I've had a reduction because of my age!
Terence and Thiam Hock collect us by car from our hotel at 7 pm. They say they are taking us to a food court which tourists don't really use, to give us a chance to try some real Singapore dishes. Then they will show us some of the sights of Singapore city.
We learn that Terence and Thiam Hock got as far as Kazakhstan on their train journey, but had to cut their trip short due to illness in Thiam's family back home. Their train journey ended at Kazakhstan, from where they flew to London for a few days (as it happened they were there during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so were envelopped by crowds!) and then they returned home, early. We discussed the various places we'd all been to; Terence and Thiam Hock were on a much tighter timescale than us as they are working. They too had visa problems in Kazakhstan and were met with an unhelpful attitude - what a surprise!!
The food is delicious - we have chicken rice, (which is steamed chicken breast and rice), satay and peanut sauce (satay is barbequed meat on sticks), popiah (a vegetable and meat mixture in a roll, a bit similar to spring rolls), laska (a soup with noodles and coconut in it), and carrot cake (which isn't a cake at all - it's a dish with onions, garlic, carrots and dried shrimps). Part-way through the meal Terence's friend Michelle, who studied law at Reading University, joins us. Terence has been to Reading University too, and they share some of their memories of living in England, and particularly of English food. They don't like our food much! I tell them that if and when they come back to England, they must come to Bristol, and I'll let them try some home-cooked British food.
We chat about life in Singapore, the politics, the population, how glitzy and sparkling Singapore is, with its wonderful architecture displayed in new buildings everywhere, its gleaming streets, the "cultivated" tourist destinations. Terence and Thiam Hock both have degrees, and are young executives who are making their way in the world. However we learn that they both still live at home, and that this is "normal" in Singapore culture - it's very expensive to "move out" and live independently. Only a few years ago, young couples would go to live with the husband's parents on marriage; now it's more usual for a young couple to live on their own when they get married. Couples do not normally live together unless they are married.
When we go on our tour of some of the Singapore sights, Terence points out some blocks of flats.
"Most Singaporeans live in this type of accommodation," says Terence. " The flats are reasonably priced, and within reach of most people's budget - about £200,000."
Terence is driving, and he takes us to the Marina Bay area, from where we can see the harbour, the river, and the brand new Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex, only finished in 2010. From our peaceful vantage point, we can see this spectacular feat of architecture, a 3 towers complex, 57 stories high, joined at the top by a boat-shaped roof. This magnificent building glitters against the night sky; a conglomerate of other new-looking skyscrapers also lace the skyline; they are mainly buildings in the financial sector.
Singapore, or this part of it at least, oozes prosperity and success, glitz and glamour. It's clear that the government of Singapore, with its strict laws and policies (the penalty for being caught with hard drugs such as heroin, can be execution) has invested hugely in the development and infrastructure of the city.
We still have a lot to learn about the metamorphosis of Singapore; how it changed from the Singapore I knew 40 years ago to the bustling metropolis it is today. We're so grateful to Terence and Thiam Hock for treating us to this our wonderful, memorable evening, including the fabulous meal; and for giving us food for thought as well.
Reg has cut his arm slightly on the wooden raised edge of the bunk bed in our hostel in Singapore. He can't sit up without his head hitting the ceiling. The room is tiny, windowless, and we feel miserable. We can't stay here. Reg searches for a last minute booking and finds a hotel near Orchard Road; it's a bit pricey, but not extortionate, and hey, we've only got 3 nights left of our whole trip. We want to finish on a high, not a low. He books it.
I tell the young woman the hostel reception that we're checking out after breakfast; she looks shocked.
"We booked a twin room," I say. "Your information didn't say it would be bunk beds. My husband cant sit up in bed without touching the ceiling and has cut his arm on the wooden safety edge of the bunk."
To be fair to the receptionist, she's very apologetic. At first she says we'll have to pay for the next 3 nights because of late notice cancellation; but I emphasise what I've already told her, and stress the cut arm. She speaks to someone on the phone, and says we can have our key deposit back, and have breakfast, and we don't have to pay anything, even for last night (although we lose our 10% overall deposit). We think that's reasonable, have our breakfast, and hail a taxi to our new hotel.
The hotel is perfect for us. The staff are friendly, professional and efficient. We're told we've been upgraded to a superior room on the 6th floor at no extra cost. The room is absolutely lovely; large, with
a kingsize really-comfortable bed, ensuite, fast free wifi, tea and coffee facilities, large-screen tv, ipod doc, fridge, everything we could want and more. It even has a laundrette where you can do your own washing and drying for a reasonable price; SG$20 all in, about £11. We're thrilled, and at last can enjoy Singapore.
After settling in we decide to have a relaxing afternoon, and to visit Singapore's Botanical Gardens, as tonight we are meeting up with Terence Hoong and Thiam Hock Ng, the 2 young Singaporian men whom we came across in Xi'an, China. They were also doing an epic train journey, but in the opposite direction - from Singapore to Europe. They were taking a different route from us. Terence and Thiam Hock had given us their contact details, and we all agreed that when Reg and I arrived in Singapore, we would all meet up, as their trip would be finished by then.
The Botanical Gardens existed when I was in Singapore over 40 years ago, but ironically I don't remember them. As a teenager back then, what I remember most is school, my schoolfriends, going to discos and dances ( it was the Motown era and there was no shortage of young British servicemen in Singapore then), swimming, shopping, and generally having a good time in between studying for "0" and "A" levels.
It's about 35 deg c but there is some shade in the gardens, and we particularly enjoy the National Orchid Garden. As we are over 60 we get reduced entrance fee- the first time since turning 60 that I've had a reduction because of my age!
Terence and Thiam Hock collect us by car from our hotel at 7 pm. They say they are taking us to a food court which tourists don't really use, to give us a chance to try some real Singapore dishes. Then they will show us some of the sights of Singapore city.
We learn that Terence and Thiam Hock got as far as Kazakhstan on their train journey, but had to cut their trip short due to illness in Thiam's family back home. Their train journey ended at Kazakhstan, from where they flew to London for a few days (as it happened they were there during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so were envelopped by crowds!) and then they returned home, early. We discussed the various places we'd all been to; Terence and Thiam Hock were on a much tighter timescale than us as they are working. They too had visa problems in Kazakhstan and were met with an unhelpful attitude - what a surprise!!
The food is delicious - we have chicken rice, (which is steamed chicken breast and rice), satay and peanut sauce (satay is barbequed meat on sticks), popiah (a vegetable and meat mixture in a roll, a bit similar to spring rolls), laska (a soup with noodles and coconut in it), and carrot cake (which isn't a cake at all - it's a dish with onions, garlic, carrots and dried shrimps). Part-way through the meal Terence's friend Michelle, who studied law at Reading University, joins us. Terence has been to Reading University too, and they share some of their memories of living in England, and particularly of English food. They don't like our food much! I tell them that if and when they come back to England, they must come to Bristol, and I'll let them try some home-cooked British food.
We chat about life in Singapore, the politics, the population, how glitzy and sparkling Singapore is, with its wonderful architecture displayed in new buildings everywhere, its gleaming streets, the "cultivated" tourist destinations. Terence and Thiam Hock both have degrees, and are young executives who are making their way in the world. However we learn that they both still live at home, and that this is "normal" in Singapore culture - it's very expensive to "move out" and live independently. Only a few years ago, young couples would go to live with the husband's parents on marriage; now it's more usual for a young couple to live on their own when they get married. Couples do not normally live together unless they are married.
When we go on our tour of some of the Singapore sights, Terence points out some blocks of flats.
"Most Singaporeans live in this type of accommodation," says Terence. " The flats are reasonably priced, and within reach of most people's budget - about £200,000."
Terence is driving, and he takes us to the Marina Bay area, from where we can see the harbour, the river, and the brand new Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex, only finished in 2010. From our peaceful vantage point, we can see this spectacular feat of architecture, a 3 towers complex, 57 stories high, joined at the top by a boat-shaped roof. This magnificent building glitters against the night sky; a conglomerate of other new-looking skyscrapers also lace the skyline; they are mainly buildings in the financial sector.
Singapore, or this part of it at least, oozes prosperity and success, glitz and glamour. It's clear that the government of Singapore, with its strict laws and policies (the penalty for being caught with hard drugs such as heroin, can be execution) has invested hugely in the development and infrastructure of the city.
We still have a lot to learn about the metamorphosis of Singapore; how it changed from the Singapore I knew 40 years ago to the bustling metropolis it is today. We're so grateful to Terence and Thiam Hock for treating us to this our wonderful, memorable evening, including the fabulous meal; and for giving us food for thought as well.
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