Singapura

I'm calling it Singapura since I'm pretentious and it's more fun to say it that way. I arrived in Singapore around 4am. It was a pretty nice airport. I never get to spend much time in nice airports. They are always crummy airports. So I was tired and dirty but really that was nothing new. I remember stepping outside and it being really humid.


Bad pic but I like it.

I walked over to the Terminal 1. I never understand why people take the escalator or trams in airports. You've either just been on a long flight or are about to be. What do you have against movement? The moon looked nice. It was actually too early for the busses to run so I had to sit and wait for them to start. I had some burgerking and exchanged the rest of my Chinese yuan. The subway started at 6am (not sure why I didn't to talk about the busses instead). I found my hostel alright. Luckily I used the 15 free internet in the terminal to research a place to stay. Lonely Planet didn't really have their act together on accommodation for Singapore. Of course, I wasn't able to check-in at 7am. I walked around for a bit. Found the Raffles Hotel and tried to buy some things that fell out of bag on the flight.


Tried to take a nap but just rested really. Then I went out in search of something to do. I decided I would go to Little India since my trip to India wasn't that Indian. It was monsoon season in Singapore so suddenly it starts raining like mad and I duck into an Indian restaurant. I'm a bit hesistant about the food since I'd never eaten Indian buffet style. I ordered rice and chicken. Of course, I get all these sauces to dip stuff in or pour onto things. I like my food plain. I'm a gastronic dullard, what can I say? I try my best to eat it the proper way but I guess I failed because the guy next to me asked if I'd ever had Indian food and told me I didn't look like I was enjoying it.

He seemed nice enough this guy. He was there to have his fortune told by this other Indian guy. Once I'd finished and it was still raining, this guy Joe, told me my fortune. He foresaw good things in terms of relationships and friends or whatever. I forget really. He did tell me that I was unable to stay put very long and like to be on the move. Gemini is an air sign you see (so that's what it is). This first guy left and Joe and I talked about Buddhism.I have a very limited knowledge but he explained the basics to me. He also told me about yoga. I didn't realize it was about waking up centres and bringing it all in line. I'm not the least bit spiritual.

Actually, I had some kind of weird desire to go to Singapore. I'd been there before you see. Most people would say I haven't.I was there in February or something of 1982. I was born in June. So yeah, a prenatal vacation (maybe that's what it is). My parents had a layover in Hawaii too. I had a kind of strange experience when I went to Hawaii a few years ago. I sometimes wonder if I left a part of myself in Singapore back in 1982. Anyways, it's kind of beside the point but I wondered if anything would happen in Singapore. It did strangely feel like I'd been there before but that could've just been it was the most Western place I'd been since coming to Asia and people spoke English everywhere. My uncle had been working in Singapore at the time. My parents were never big travelers. I didn't even leave Alberta until I was 8 or something. A big fishing trip on the border with Saskatchewan. Well and when I was 2 I went to Vancouver but only because my aunt was working there.

Later I was invited to say since they were having some kind of gathering.2 British graphic designers, one a prof. So I had a few beers with them and told one about teacher in Korea. The one prof seemed quite interested despite my warnings. Who knows? Universities are much better places than hagwons. Joe also took me to his Hindu temple and showed me around. So he taught me about 3 religions or disciplines and he was into astrology and all that too. He was in his late 40s. We had some roti and he showed me around the department store for south asian expats where things were really cheap, well for Singapore I guess.

I had gone here at night when it was a lot more lively. I always feel like such an outsider at religious places. I don't take pictures.

Then we went back to the restaurant. A native Chinese Singaporean with a crazy laugh joined us for a bit. Very strange lady. The some native Indian Singaporean who was in 70s came. I guess they didn't get along because the crazy lady gave the odd man the finger to the back of his head. This guy had had a stroke a few months before. They said he was always a bit weird though. He had just gotten up but had been awake for 25 hours. He found out that I had been an English teacher and told me to take lessons from Sidney Poitier in To Sir, With Love. He sang the theme song to me. Then started asking me all kinds of personal questions. "Was I able to make love in my country?" I thought I must have misheard but nope. "Did I enjoy making love? How long have I been making love? With whom had I made love? etc." So strange being asked these questions by some old Indian man in Singapore. I learnt a lot that day.... and had my drinks and food paid for. (I actually had donated $10 Sg to something for the children. Maybe there is such a thing as Karma, or at least in Little India there is).


The next day pales in comparison since I only did typical tourist things. I did get to experience the embarrassing accompaniment (if that's the word) to an ATM. I could've sworn I had my credit card. I also tried to go see the largest fountain in the world. The Fountain of Wealth. Closed, probable an omen. Singapore was nice but really I felt like I'd been there before and that I'd be there again so I wasn't that sad to leave it after 2 days.

Pleasant Singapore. I ate at one of the restaurants across the water.