Malacca to Singapore

I've done my dash in Malacca, so Thursday morning and it's time to make tracks for Singapore. I seem to be waking up early these days, and just make the 8am bus.


I like the sign on the bus - no smoking, no food or drink, no durians! For those unfamiliar with this, the King of Fruit, Wikipedia describes it thus:

The hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns, while the edible flesh within emits a distinctive odour, which is regarded as either fragrant or overpowering and offensive. Even when the husk of the fruit is still intact, the odour of the ripe fruit is very strong and penetrating. This unusual odour has prompted many people to formulate evocative descriptions, with views ranging from those of deep appreciation to intense disgust.

Travel and food writer Richard Sterling is a little more blunt: "...its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock." Clearly an acquired taste.

An uneventful trip until we get to the border crossing. I'm the only one left on the bus (everyone else got out at Johor Bahru), and the driver speaks no English. Will he wait for me as I depart Malaysia? Yes he does, and we head over the causeway. Will he wait while I go through the entry formalities to Singapore? Sign language implies he will, but 15 minutes later he's nowhere to be seen. I pace up and down looking for the bus, having memorised the number plate. Nothing.

Looking about as lost as a backpacker can be, an attendant tells me his bus will take me in to town for $4. I'm in! A brief walk at the other end gets me to the Inncrowd, Singapore's most popular backpacker hostel. Expensive (comparatively) at $20 per night for a dorm bed, but in the heart of Little India close to everything, so all is good.

First step is to head for the electronics malls, and Sim Lim Square is a few minutes down the road. There are a few shops selling the HTC TyTN II, so I look for the best price at the shop that looks like it'll provide the best service. Song Bros does the trick, and they throw in a 2Gb memory card and adapter cable as part of the bargain.

The only thing on my "Must do in Singapore" list is the Night Safari adjacent to the zoo. As luck would have it, the Inncrowd is organising a group at discount rates, leaving the hostel at 6pm.

On the bus, I find myself sitting next to Sean from Ireland. His wife is already in NZ, and he's joining her in a couple of days. We have a good chat, and see part of the safari together.


First activity is the tram ride, which goes around the entire park. It's getting dark by now, and photography is pretty much a waste of time, but this blurred shot of a rhino will give you an idea. The park is cleverly laid out with invisible moats, so you really feel as if you're part of the action. We also see lions, tigers, leopards, buffalo, giraffe, antelope, bearded pigs, and a host of other animals as we cruise around, all doing their nocturnal thing.


The "Show" is a bit cheesy. The crowd's warmed up by our compere, and a succession of animals and birds do tricks on and around the stage, a couple of times with audience involvement. Not quite my thing. The best moment is when a wild animal is "supposedly" loose in the crowd, and the shrieks of the girls as this python is extracted from a box under their feet is a good laugh.

Sean and I go our separate ways down different walking paths after this, but I've given him a good idea of things to see and do in NZ, plus my email address if he and his wife have an opportunity to catch up when Pauline and I are back.

Friday is a lazy day. I check out the HTC to ensure there are no problems with it, pick up a couple of things for Fi, and txt Alvin, an old mate of mine from my Datacom days. Alvin is a native Singaporean, and he and his wife spent a year in NZ in 2003/2004. We agree to meet up for dinner, so at 7pm I'm heading to Bugis Junction. Great catching up on old times, and learning a bit more about Singapore. Unfortunately his wife couldn't join us - she's on business in Taiwan for a week, so no deadlines!

Alvin drives us to a popular beach area on the south-east side of the island, and sensing my enthusiasm for Asian food selects some typical Singaporean treats - satays, crispy chicken wings and chili stingray along with a plate of veges. All excellent, especially when washed down with three large bottles of Tiger beer.

We go for a walk along the waterfront after dinner, and find a place I'm sure Fi would fall in love with. A large lake has been set up with jumps and an overhead rope pull system, and a bunch of guys are out wake boarding. No boat required - just hang on and circumnavigate the lake, including or excluding the various jumps depending on your ability. Cool!

Alvin drops me back at the Inncrowd where we say good bye, and I realise it's well after 11pm by now. No problems - backpackers are a mixed crowd. Some are sleeping, but a lot of the beds are still empty, and their occupants dribble in after midnight.

Alvin's suggested a walk on Saturday to get me better acquainted with Singapore than the inside of electronics malls.


First stop is the Little India MRT (train) station, and I'm intrigued by the advertisement on the left. Singapore must be the safest city in Asia, but residents are still exhorted to be vigilant. It'll be a while before NZ can claim a similar standard.


I exit the train at Chinatown. You can guess? The pressed ducks give it away.


Walking north across the Singapore River shows modern Singapore coexisting with some of the older colonial buildings.


I stop by the amazing Raffles Hotel, the entrance flanked by sweet smelling frangipani trees, and despite my backpacker attire chance a look inside. No worries - I sit down at a table in the Tiffin dining room and am served the best latte I've had in all of Indochina. So it should be - it cost $10!


I've read about Sir Ed's death on the Net, but this cartoon in the Straits Times while I'm sipping my latte catches my eye. It seems the whole world is mourning his death, not just for his achievement in being the first (with Tenzing Norgay) to scale Everest, but also for the great work he's done in returning and assisting the Nepalese. Certainly a towering NZ icon. Sir Ed - rest in peace.


My travels take me up to the Arab quarter - can't get much more authentic than a shot of Aladdin's in Arab St. Definitely a Muslim area - suddenly all the women are modestly wearing head scarves and long dresses again.

Back to Little India via the Mustapha Arcade for a couple more electronics items, and I'm pleased to see the HTC a bit more expensive here than at Sim Lim Square.

So, impressions of Singapore. The wealthiest city in Asia, and it shows. The streets are spotless, the cars actually give way to pedestrians on crossings, the MRT is efficient, pollution is under control, there are no smelly sewers, you can drink the tap water, there is no obvious poverty, and not a lot of traffic congestion (even though more than NZ's population is squeezed in to this small island state).

Primary reason is that it's extremely expensive to drive a car here. Purchase prices are twice what we pay in NZ, and every vehicle (including motor bikes) are fitted with transponders that clip your ticket whenever you drive. And it doesn't stop there - parking in any public area incurs more charges. So poorer Singaporeans content themselves with the excellent public transport system, while those who can afford it drive cars.

Does Singapore have a soul? Alvin and I discussed this one. It's a new country - just a swamp a couple of centuries ago. So all the residents are immigrants, with no indigenous population. A multi-cultural society of people who have chosen to come here, but without the depth of history claimed by Singapore's neighbours. But whether it's soulless or not, it's certainly a great city, and one into which any Westerner could easily assimilate. English is widely spoken, and nearly all the signs are in English. And of course it's a perfect springboard for the rest of Asia.

Yes, I could live here quite comfortably. Being just a degree north of the equator the weather is balmy and tropical, with afternoon thunderstorms rolling in at this time of year. I looked in the paper to check out PM roles, but no matches and no salaries printed. Alvin's going for his Prince2 PM qualification, so perhaps he can keep me in touch!

Tomorrow I fly out to Sydney to spend 10 days in NSW with Pauline, so this post concludes my travels around Indochina. It's been a fantastic 10 weeks visiting six countries, and it's impossible to pick favourites. Each country, each city, each location has a character all its own, and depending on your predilections you'll favour one over the other. For me it was just a huge smorgasboard of experiences, and for those diligently following my blog, I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as I've enjoyed experiencing and relating it.

When I get home I might put up a summary post - how much I spent overall (no, I don't keep track of my day by day expenses), and how I'm putting my new set of paper knives to good use!