3rd Day

Thursday 30th July
8:17 update
Still no internet access, still no phone.
Should be moving into my uni housing tomorrow but I still have no idea where that is. It should be an adventure. Ill have to sort it today I guess.
Got up at 6:00 due to jetlag or excitement, one or the other and went for a swim. Came back at 7:30 knackered and ready for something to eat. However the rest of my family are still asleep, so I decided to take the opportunity to write my first 3 entries.
Nothing else I can really do as having tried to wake them up was greeting with a cheerful “fuck off. Do you know what time it is?”
Finished writing so far and still starving. Ill wait for 10 minutes or so before trying to wake them up again and then go make friends with the pancake lady.

23:11 update
Later in the afternoon made some phone calls and arranged to move in tomorrow, forgot to ask the address. Whoops. Ill have to call again tomorrow morning. A fairly productive day after all, picked up an Ez-link card for the tube which is basically the same as an oyster card.
After that little success went travelling to orchard street and had a wander. Took a taste of what I regard as true asia – the hawkers markets.
I had been a little worried that I had committed to stay in a country totally out of my depth and price range, with all the shops around the hotel area flashing genuine Rolex and Louis Vutton gear. This was more like the Asia I had always seen in places like Vietnam or Malaysia.
Had a funny haggle match with a phone salesman. I have discovered I have an almost perfect technique for haggles. Simply ask the price and raise an eyebrow and keep it raised without saying anything. The phone I was looking at went from $180 to $120 and then to $100 in about 30 seconds. Had a look around and then bought the same model from another hawker for $69.
Felt very pleased with myself till I left the market and noticed that the local 7-11 sold the same phone for $60 (slightly less then £30).
Lesson learnt I guess.
After that I had the phone and then had to hunt down a phone card. Considering the amount of phone shops this proved to be harder then I thought. Everyone is willing to sell you a phone or a top up but never an actual Sim.
Eventually I found the one place probably in the whole country that sells them.

Worrying fact: In order for a card to be issued a scan must be taken of your passport so that all calls and texts sent under that number can be traced directly back to you.

It’s the law here and standard practice but I couldn’t help but wince a little as I felt the civil liberties I had always enjoyed in Britain just slide away. On the flip side though the crime rate here is almost non-existence so its pretty clear that it works as its intended. Oh and by the way, Texts are 5c (about 2p) each! Calls however are at 16c and charge both the caller and called per minute.
No guesses about which method of communication the government are trying to encourage there. Also couldn’t find a number anywhere on the sim card and forgot to ask the salesman where I would find it. Took about half an hour punching in random numbers on the box into the hotel phone until I worked it out.

My observations from town

Hats here are not to be worn on the head. That is a high fashion crime. Its cool to have them sort of rest on top of you like you have a malformed skull. Apparently. Seriously, just pull them down guys. Actually the more I think about it the more its bugging me.

Durian fruit makes me sick. It’s a huge ball, about the size and shape of a football and just as tasty. If that wasn’t bad enough its covered in vicious spikes and armoured like fort Knox. Its almost like it was designed not to be eaten. People seem to love a challenge though and continue to ignore Natures better judgement.
As a final warning to the very hungry or very stupid it is a fruit that you can smell long before you see it. A long time before. Its not a scent that can really be described as anything but powerful.
It has a rather nasty effect on me. Just the smell of it reminds me of what happened in Vietnam - I had worked myself up to take a spoonful of the foul smelling stuff over there. However before the spoon even touched my tongue the stench of the thing caused me to throw up in my mouth. Very embarrassing. Needless to say it seems to be a favourite fruit of the locals here as well. I have to avoid those areas where you can smell it like the plague or wave after wave of nausea hits me.

People go out in groups in the same colours here. I don’t just mean a small group. Im talking groups of 30 or 40 all wearing the same orange or green tee. Pretty surreal. I think it may be some sort of uniform but in two days I have seen so many groups of people all wearing the same thing that I don’t there can be that many teams. Have a look.

The smell of the City hall stations sushi stop also makes me throw up in my mouth. Brother too. We both smelt it midway down the subway and then simultaneously without looking pelted it full steam for the exit holding our breath. Dad of course was fine. Perhaps the fine sense of smell both his sons inherited from him is starting to fade.

The city is beautiful.

The local news paper (which is free, daily and is the size of a weekend broadsheet back home) had an article in its health section on advocating withdrawal as an effective method of birth control. It claims that only 4% of those who withdraw become pregnant. That’s great news until you consider that of those 4% clearly none of them wanted a baby. If they did they wouldn’t withdraw at all. N’est pas? That is the first thing here I have seen that I consider backward thinking to the UK and struck me as out of place considering the rest of the country seems to enlightened.

The people are very kind and helpful.

Everyone stares at you, but pretends not to. Caught a lot of people looking, either outright staring or throwing you a curious long look as they pass. Stare back though and people seem to do anything to avoid meeting eye contact. I guess the sparkly earrings I have don’t exactly help.

Something I think is lost in translation here. Not once have I ever thought of a multibox of tampons as a “Super Fun pack”. Maybe I have a different sense of fun to the people here. In my mind however its not something I would want to play with myself.

On the way back the air was filled with singing and music. The country is getting ready to celebrate its Independence anniversary. It’s something to hear. I’ll try and get my Video camera on it tomorrow for your aural pleasure.
Later went out for Dinner at Boat Quay.

EDIT: Here is a photo of the national symbol of singapore that i took that night.

Its called the merlion and guards the entrance to the docks. almost cute no?

It’s a long narrow strip near the docks full of restaurants crammed together. Walking nearby is like running a gauntlet. Only of waiters and greeters instead of say Indiana Jones style traps. In about 30 steps had been accosted by more then 6 greeters, each one offering the best food around and free beer. It was fun at first but after a minute of constantly saying “no thanks just looking” got a little tedious. I devised a way of avoiding it though. Simply pull the darkest frown you can and march as if you are on your way to kill someone and woe betide anyone if they get in your way. It made the crowd part like the red sea all aside from the most dedicated which I basically had to run away from. The worst part was walking near the bars. I have never had so many suggestions shouted at me to buy a girl a drink. Nor have I ever been called Handsome so many times in a minute.

I don’t know who they were trying to kid. Today I was wearing army shorts, trainers and a billowy shirt. Every inch of skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Its not a good look. Unless you go for the whole sweaty tourist look. WHICH NOONE DOES.
Anyway a nice dinner in the end at a Chinese curry house where I tried beer for the first time in about 4 years. It’s never really agreed with me but my preferred G&T would bankrupt me out here.
No lie a bottle of Gordon’s costs £40 out here. I wish that was the only expensive spirit. Its not. Some bottles of Vodka were selling for more then £60. No wonder people don’t really drink out here. Tiger beer is all I will really be able to afford unless I start distilling myself. Anyway in what seems to be a miracle I actually like the beer out here. So hooray.

Tried to take a few photos of the area around but my camera doesn’t work properly in the dark. Everything is blurry. Time for haggling round 2 tomorrow. Still no internet (although hopefully that will be fixed by tomorrow when I move into halls).

My phone has also been on for 6 hours. No messages. Its what to be expected I guess not knowing ANYONE else in this country. Still. Am very sad. Text me? Please?