Singapore Fling

Sean with a Coffee
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We arrived in Singapore after a quick stamp at customs.  Our bus station (Queen St) happened to be close to where we had booked accommodation for the night - Ali's Nest.  At S$25 (NZ$1=S$1.16) for a room, including a breakfast of jam on toast and BAD coffee, it was by far the cheapest we could find.

After jay-walking many times and dropping off our bags, we headed into Little India to look for a beer and dinner.  We found the beer, but dinner was had at a hawker market.  They were impressed to see us eat our roasted duck on rice with chop sticks - we were complimented on our technique!

After jay-walking many times...

Orchids don't need any special attention here
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Thursday morning we visited the Mustafa Centre where they sell everything (except alcohol).  We picked up a card reader for S$9 to make our photo transfers faster.  The nearby Arab Quarter was a slight disappointment as it had become very touristy with upmarket cafes and nothing Arab at all, except for the rugs.  We hoped to try some good coffee but it cost a fortune and we flagged it.

At this point it started to rain very heavily (as it does in SEA!).  We had to make it back to Ali's Nest to get our bags, then on to the MRT to get to Kirt's our CouchSurfing friend, apartment.  Needless to say, we were very late, but at least the rain didn't last for too long.  Kirt has a great place, and it even has a swimming pool!  He was looking after a friend's very cute poodle, Coffee, and we fell in love with his crazy antics immediately.

Cockroaches!!!
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Kirt had to work in the evening, so we took his directions and ate at the nearby town centre.  We tried the Singaporean version of the ice dessert - kachang.  This one was slightly more extravangent with flavourings poured over the ice, and if you chose a special one like Adrienne, you get a thick sugary (strawberry flavoured in this case) sauce on top.  Not to mention the sweet corn.

We had taken the train to Ang Mo Kio but we decided to walk back.  It was cool after the rain even this close to the equator!  We relaxed in front of the TV with a beer and some Toblerone before the best nights sleep we'd had since leaving Bali.

Butterfly at the fragile forest enclosure
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We had such a short time in Singapore so out of all the things we could do, we decided Singapore Zoo was the best option.  After having a swim, we headed to Ang Mo Kio from where you can catch the bus to the zoo.  Walking to the bus stop we hesitated at a sign advertising a free trip to the zoo.  The way it works is you pay $20 which gets you into the zoo ($15) and a ticket for the tram at the zoo ($5).  The ride, a van, is also non-stop so you get there quicker.  We thought "great!".  Of course when we got to the zoo, the trams weren't running.  Just for that day.

White tiger. Just plain cool
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Singapore Zoo is quite big and, as much as possible, uses water barriers to keep the animals in rather than putting them in cages.  We managed to see a large range of primates, giraffes, lions, white rhinos and dwarf hippos.  We caught a tiger show but the coolest thing was the Elephants at Work and Play show.  They had 5 elephants who showed us a range of tricks and sprayed some of the audience with water.  Awesome.

That evening we met up with Kirt and his friend for a couple of drinks.  Drinking is very expensive in Singapore, but a group of bars in an old convent were running specials - 50% off!  We also took a look at an air-conditioned outdoor area, we have to say it doesn't work too well!  Taxi's are cheap which helps a little.

Baby elephant or Adriephant??
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We said goodbye to Kirt and Coffee the next morning, thanking Kirt for the relaxing stay, and took the S$2.80 Causeway Link bus to Johor Bharu, just inside Malaysia.