Sureality and Singapore

Strong odor of incense as I enter the doorway. Darkened cafe in Bangkok? No, computer store in Singapore. Singapore has huge malls filled with tiny shops. In this case, the mall was dedicated to electronics and computer stores. Many, if not most, were burning insence. It was almost unhealthy. Some of the strangeness of Singapore.

The strangeness began on the 27th. After dropping off my car, I spent the night at a youth hostel in San Francisco. I shared a room with a couple of Ausies who were just starting a tour of such balmy US locales as Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin. They seemed to realize their plan was a little daft but they were determined to have a good time with it anyway.

After 19 hours in the air and a brief stop in Hong Kong, I arrived in Singapore at 11:50pm. Just in time for all the buses and trains to stop running. Fortunately, I met up with Sasha, an apparently American born Indian who had taken the same flight. The two of us managed to arrange reasonable cab fair to the hostel.

The last 3 days haven't been real exciting but they have been necessary. I spent most of the time picking up gear that eit6her hadn't arrive in time for the trip (palm keyboard, tripod), was too expensive at home (Lariam), or I had deliberately deferred (film, battery charger). Mostly I found that prices were less than steller and selection wasn't quite as good as the number of stores would suggest.

Along the way, I learned that Singapore is Western to an absurd level. I've never seen so many Caucasian faces in a non-causation region and I've never sen so many Americans outside the US. Then there are the McDollalds advertising "McSpagetti".

On the first evening I went out with the group to a "Night Safari" at the Singapore Zoo". It's a good trip. 'Still a zoo, but the animals were rather active. No Caracals or aardvarks though.

Last night I joined hostel owners and guests at a local "coffee house" to sample local cuisine. I also managed to get myself separated from the group while vising a post Ramadan holiday market. There were a crush of people there (worse than usual for Singapore) and there was just no way to reconnect. But with local assistance I managed to find a bus to get me home with little drama.

Today was not much. Late start after setting up the palm keyboard last night. I augmented my Lariam supply at a local pharmacy for about 1/4 the cost back home (still 2x the price in Thailand). 'Browsed through an electronics mall that had a lot of hobbyist and industrial stuff (Think Frys, supersized and shattered into a hundred separate stores). And then it started to rain.

Tomorrow, I'm just going to do a little sight seeing as there are no more errands to run. Then, on the 4th, it's off to somewhere. I need to work that out. I have until the 12th to reach Kuala Lumpur.

I booked a flight with Air Asia, one-way to Kuching, Borneo on the 12th. I would have done it earlier but there just are no cheap flights until the 12th. (As it happens, the there were cheap flights on the 27th of November).

Time to sign off and catch some sleep. Next report may be from KL.