From Penang to Madras . . . . . Hostels, Not Cities

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Thankfully the trip to Singapore from Tokyo was actually 45 minutes early, which was a blessing given that it was already 11:15pm (it was supposed to be a 7 hour flight, totally 21 hours of travel). It took about an hour to clear immigration and get my bag and I decided to splurge on my own taxi rather than seeking out a shared cab at that time of night.

With a cost of S$20 (approx $15) and my help trying to find my hotel, we made it to the Penang Hotel in Little India. I was extremely happy to be there, especially since I had so much trouble even finding a place for the night. Granted, leaving it three days before arriving wasn't smart (kind of overlooked that detail in my lack of planning!) but who would have thought that on a Tuesday night that a hostel in Singapore would be so hard to find? My room was functional, clean enough, had air conditioning, and a window (an important detail that is often noted when searching for a room) albeit looking out directly at the building not 2 feet away. Despite the overly hard pillows, I really wasn't going to complain.

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After a good night's sleep and a walk around the area where the hotel was located, I checked out to head onto my second and final destination, the Madras Hotel. Given that it was midday and must have been in the 90's with 100% humidity I had intended to catch a cab as the hotel was a mile away, but with no cabs in sight (odd for Singapore with apparently 19,000 cabs in circulation) I ended up walking. My first real expedition with my backpack. I really need to get rid of one or two more things!

The Madras hotel is definitely a step up from the Penang Hotel which wasn't surprising as it was listed at mid-range as opposed to budget. However, for the same price, but a single bed instead of a double, I was very happy with my room. The Madras is a cool architectural building, just 3 floors high right in the midst of the happenings in Little India, but thankfully not on the main drag. For dinner, I had my heart set on one place that supposedly serves up a pancake filled with a potato, turmeric and onion marsala, but unfortunately it is either no longer there, or I just wasn't able to find it. So, I ended wandering around the streets, which turn into a small market of sorts by night, trying to find food. I really didn't come across too much that was to my fancy, so I ended up at the Tekka Centre which is really just a food court. However, with a Chinese lunch and a Thai dinner, I have yet to actually have any Indian food - kind of ironic for being in Little India. But to my defense, most of the Indian places are vegetarian, and if you weren't aware, I have quite a disliking to vegetables ;) OK, potatoes don't really count - even I shall admit that!

Really not much to say on my final full day in Singapore. After arranging my next destination I had plans to see the Botanical Gardens (I traveled to Singapore 7 years earlier, so I wasn't so concerned about seeing the sights again), but my efforts were thwarted by a downpour. So, what else should one do on a rainy day in a city but to go to see a movie. So, I headed off to Orchard Road by the MRT (metro) which I have to say is very impressive. So organized and clean (well, that pretty much sums up Singapore). The stations are kind of like the shuttles you see at airport terminals, with glass doors between you and the tracks. Orchard Road is the shopping center of Singapore with multiple mall like buildings packed down the main road. The only thing I can really say is, do there really have to be that many McDonalds?? Also, there was an ad before the movie for McDelivery - yikes!

Well, that is pretty much it for Singapore which was really only a stepping stone, next stop, Melaka Malaysia.

P.S. Forgot to note in my first posting. # Chrunchies eaten before leaving SF or on the plane - 0! Only 1 eaten so far, 4 little ones and 1 big one left (plus one small bar of Scharffen Berger chocolate)