He says: After an eight hour flight from Sydney, we made it to Singapore this afternoon ready to explore. Before debarking our plane, we were warned that drug offenses are punishable by death in Singapore. Good thing I left my spoon and belt at home.
The Singapore airport is known to be one of the best in the world. It's got a butterfly sanctuary, endless designer shops, and a swimming pool. It's sort of like the West Edmonton mall without the Orange Julius. My first impression of the city was that it's incredibly clean. Unlike other Asian countries I've visited, there is no garbage or litter to be found. In addition to it's tough drug laws, Singapore is also famous for the police fining people for everything from littering to spitting.
We had a chatty cabby on our way to the hotel. He gave us a great overview of the city and really wanted us to go to the Singapore casino, which according to him is bigger than Vegas casinos. Not feeling that this was our lucky day, we declined.
Singapore, like Australia, is a non-tipping culture. We've gotten used to this over the last few weeks and it actually makes things a lot easier. When we pulled into the hotel the cab ride totaled $17. I gave the driver a $50 and in my jet lagged state said I would like only $10 back. The driver didn't hesitate and as he was about to drive away I realized I had given him a 110 per cent tip. He was good , but not that good. After chasing down the cab and furiously knocking on the window, I managed to get an additional $20 back.
We had a little trouble finding a HOHO, so we ended up walking around the city. We went to the famous Raffles Hotel, where the Singapore Sling was invented. I'm guessing inflation must have kicked in since it was invented, because we ended up sharing a $30 drink. When the waitress asked how it was, I said about $25 more than at home. She didn't seem to appreciate that.
We wandered around Chinatown before grabbing some dinner at a cool little hole-in-the-wall in Little India. The had a deck of cards on the table, so Shauna and I played some intense games of 'spit' over some Naan bread. It was definitely ironic to be playing spit in Singapore. No one was hurt or fined in the process.
Shauna's getting a massage right now at one of the dozens of massage parlors by our hotel. This day is having a happy ending!