Dave’s Odyssey #2
In May 2008, I went travelling on my own for the first time and was out of England for a month. Along the way I took in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand before coming home. I kept a journal of my time on the road, so here’s a day by day account of my trials and tribulations that has the undeserved title of Dave’s Odyssey.
Day 2 – Singapore
Sultan’s Palace
On touching down in Singapore I found two old dears who had been sat opposite me throughout the flight were on the same tour. It was thanks to them that I avoided another slip-up. Some chap had come round during the flight and asked if anyone was staying in Singapore. He walked past me without a glance so I assumed it was nothing important. How wrong I was.
Entry into Singapore requires both your passport and an immigration form, which I didn’t have. Thankfully, the two ladies pointed out some that were some nearby. After that, it took a matter of minutes to recover my backpack before uniting with rest of the tour group.
A few things struck me about this bunch I’d be travelling with for the next month. Firstly, only one of them was travelling alone and the youngest amongst them were a couple I put in their thirties. The rest ranged all the way up to their eighties. Even worse, when boarding the coach one chap pointed straight at me as I walked to the back of the coach. I think he must have been admiring the fact I still had all my teeth. I’d assumed this group would have a wide range of ages but I having flown to the other side of the world I had little choice but to carry on.
Sultan’s Mosque
Due to our early arrival in Singapore, our luggage was thrown in a random van that drove off without looking back. Not exactly encouraging! Our tour guide – Margaret – seemed to find the whole thing normal so none of us complained too much, at least on the outside anyway. Our rooms at the hotel were not yet ready so we embarked on a mini-tour, which was just what we needed after all that flying!
My first impressions of Singapore were it was very different to Yorkshire. It was a sunbather’s paradise for one thing. Our first stop was Changhi Village. I’d never heard of the place but know a fair bit now. It began life as a prison for Singaporean criminals but following Japan’s capture of the island during WWII many of the islanders were gathered there and subjected to famine, disease and persecution.
Changhi Village is a lot simpler these days. Saying that, it was unnerving when I rounded a corner and was met by a group of soldiers marching through the streets. The best thing for us to do was give them a respectfully wide berth and, believe me, we all did.
After the village we tackled Changhi Chapel and Museum. Parking the coach was a bit tricky. The driver almost mowed down some schoolchildren! Each of them was dressed the same with light-blue tops, dark-blue shorts and red caps. They were certainly better behaved than many kids back in the UK.
Here’s one view from my hotel room!
Changhi Museum was a real eye opener. There were numerous displays and artefacts from the last century. The most thought provoking were the quotes from the survivors of the torture and slavery at the hands of the Japanese. Only the occasional heart-warming story was told amidst all the brutality. Singaporean men and women were kept apart as prisoners, but each found ways and means to bring hope to the other. The best example was the Singaporean women that were permitted to sew quilts for the men. The women would sew a message for their husbands, family and friends in the form of symbols that the Japanese didn’t understand so production wasn’t halted.
After delving into Singapore’s history we headed for the city centre. Once there we stopped off at Kampong Glam where we saw the Sultan’s Palace and just beyond the Sultan’s Mosque. Further wanderings in this area led us into Arab Street where an assortment of goods could be bought on the market stalls at reasonable prices. That aside we were shown some of the local flora and fauna, and finally some of the residences, including one area that won a UN prize. Symbols on some of the balconies declared the origin and faith of the residents. Red banners surmounting balconies were home to Chinese settlers, while an assortment of plants dominating the balustrades was said to be typical of Muslim settlers from India.
Our belated arrival at the Peninsula/Excelsior Hotel in Singapore gave us a new problem – key cards. The hotel was akin to Alcatraz. You could get as far as the 6th floor unaided but after that only a key card granted you access to the higher floors. The card, when used in the elevator, more often than not required several attempts before it worked.
…and here’s another one!
Despite the drama of an unpredictable key card I was successfully booked into the hotel. My side of the building offered a fantastic view of Singapore. In fact the sight was so good it warranted a couple of photos. I spent the rest of the day wandering the streets and shops.
I seemed to have avoided the jet lag but that was little consolation for the bad night’s sleep I had. In the early evening I’d been documenting the day’s events and found myself nodding off halfway through writing a sentence! Having hastily written down the rest of the day’s events I retired for the night at 7.30p.m. That wouldn’t normally be something I’d be proud of but I hadn’t slept for 30+ hours so now seemed a good time.
I slept until 1.00 in the morning then could not get back to sleep. I couldn’t help thinking I’d wasted the afternoon of day 2 when I went for a wander round Singapore. It was only on returning that I remembered I had a map containing numerous places of interest. Due to fatigue I didn’t go out again but I wished I had.
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