Having finally made my way out of Chennai, India on Sunday night by plane, I found myself trudging along a Sinaporean express way with not a penny to my name the next morning. Typical - my last day in India (possibly the most diffcult country I had to encounter) I go and slip up and lose my credit card. Lovely. I was rather scared as i approached the runway at Changi Airport and had I been approaching an Indian city you could have multiplied that tenfold. Luckily though, I was entering another world essentially. Singapore is vastly different to India in almost every conceivable way. Despite this, I still found myself walking to the side of oncoming traffic as there were no pedestrian pathways about.

I wouldn't say I had a concrete plan for what was going to happen next, but I had a vague objective of waltzing down to the city centre of Singapore and finding a way to access my bank account. I would occasionally stop for directions from a local taxi driver and every time I would get the same reply: "Oh that's a long way you'll have to get a bus!" But no, I couldnt even afford that at this moment in time. So on I trekked. After about 2 hours of walking down the same road I eventually came to a bank where asked for advice about my card. The guy had non, so I suggested I would walk onwards to a HSBC in the city centre. He gave me a taxi driver-like response but this time he was insistant. The kind man that he was donated $10 to the cause and I got the train.

I was left scratching my head as the worker at the HSBC swiftly said "no", he couldn't help in any way, shape or form. Which was nice. Desperation levels were high so I conceded "buggar it, I need some help." Somehow, through a combination of (cheap) local buses and walking I made my way to the British High Comission where the puppy-dog eyes where brought out. Again, they couldn't help directly but offered me some valuable advice. I was to sort out a 'money transfer' from my parents back home. And with one fell swoop of the phone receiver, my independent travelling was done.. for the time being at least. Once that was done with I quickly scurried down to a bank to pick up my lovely money and then onward to find a place to sleep. I finally got to the 'Drop Inn' later that evening, at which point I was a pro at negotiating Singapore and had done a week's worth of sight seeing. And that was just the first day!

The next day I headed out with an American couple I had met in the hostel - Jared and Sarah who are from San Francisco. We headed down to Orchard Road, which contains all of the swanky, high-end shops like Armani, Rolex etc. repeated may times. I had walked up and down this road about 4 times the previous day... We then headed on to do the primary task on my list for Singapore - have a Singapore Sling in the Raffles Hotel. Done - albeit at $25. And just like that the day was over, it had truely flown by.

Making up for my lack of animal sightings in India, I decided to fill the void at Singapore Zoo. Maybe not authentic, but at this time I felt pretty hard done by and needed to fill my camera up with wildlife. The Zoo itself was pretty amazing - during the entire time that I was there I did not see a single metal fence or cage. Everything was pretty much open, with nothing but a moat-like structure seperating you from a Lion or a White Tiger at some points. The shows we went to see were also pretty impressive and although it was a bit touristy and maybe not 'true' travelling, it was a very good day. That's just what Singapore is though I guess, a giant money-making machine that offers you many things to do, pretty much all man-made. Yesterday, my final day in Singapore, I went down to an incredibly plastic and artificial (yet still impressive) island called Sentosa - just south of the main island. At one end of the island was a Universal Studios, 4D cinemas and all other kinds of attractions, and at the other end was an old British colonial fort - a prime Ste location and fittingly this was where I spent the majority of my last day. There was hardly anybody there other than myself which made it all the better for me. Incredible to think that you could find a place so quiet in a city like Singapore.

I ventured back across to the main island that evening to catch the bright lights and cityscapes that Singapore is so known for. Singapore is pretty impressive with some of the friendliest people I have met so far and so many things to do. I should also mention that the hostel I stayed in while I was here was no exception to it's charm and I will be recommending this place to others I meet along the way. I think I have spent just the right amount of time here and move on later today to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.