The One Whole Day in Singapore

A little boy stood next to me doing the pee dance. Looking around past the 300 people in line around us, I saw there was no bathroom in sight. As I inched my way closer to the customs official who would scan, stamp, and send me into Singapore, the little boy's pee dance began to resemble John Travolta in Satruday Night Fever. Suddenly, just as I thought the little dude would be part of the 'peeing your pants is cool' club, his mother whipped out a plastic bag, dad yanked down the kids pants, and the toddler tinkled an impressive amount of fluid into the bag. Did I mention this was in the middle of the airport around hundreds of people? I looked around with shocked humor on my face, ready for some reaction from everyone else. Nothing happened. Apparently, this whole peeing in a bag thing is perfectly normal in Asia. Awesome...

Luckily, my experiences in Japan and New York prepared me for the chaos of the train station and massive city life that followed. Surrounded by announcements and a comlpex route map, I somehow managed to get on the right train and off at the right stop. Arriving at my hostel I was immediatly met by the sound of a very loud American man telling anyone within earshot his life story. Typical. After quickly checking in, I locked up my gear and then headed out to grab a feed.

Turning around the corner I came upon a Singapore tattoo shop. This consisted of a table and chair on the sidewalk. There were a few of the artist's examples taped against the side of a building, and a very cheerful man was giving a very drunk guy a massive tattoo. The sign read "Tattoo only $20". Sounded legit. I continued walking. My dinner was a whopping $1.80 USD and it was absolutely delicious. It was getting late and I was tired from a full day traveling so I headed back to the hostel.

A near sleepless night passed (thanks to some jerk with the worst hostel etiquette i've ever encountered) and I was up early to catch a bus into Malaysia. I ventured into the common area and was greeted by the loud American. I somehow got roped into conversation when I asked where the hostel manager was, and soon the guy was giving me his life story (despite me hearing half of it through the walls the night before). Married to his 5th Asian wife, he owned dozens of real estate companies in Hawaii and was in Singapore doing business for the oil being pumped from his property in Pennsylvania. According to him, he wasn't a millionare (yet) but he was very well off. 'If your so well off, why are you staying in the cheapest hostel in Singapore?' I asked. He didn't have a very good response for that one. Creep.

I went to grab a quick shower to try and fend off the sweltering heat. Opening the shower door, I laughed out loud. Smack dab in the middle of the shower stall was a poreclin hole in the ground - the toilet. Apparently this is standard in many parts of Asia and I made a mental note to never try and shower drunk for the duration of my travels. I wouldn't want my foot to end up in a toilet bowl, or try to explain how I injured myself while showering (although it wouldnt be the first time).

Within the hour I was cramming myself onto a public bus (probably a good 12-15 people over max capacity). I was one step closer to Malaysia and very eager to get out of the concrete jungle of Singapore. Negotiating a travel bus to Melacca (or Malaka depending on who you ask), I had a few hours to kill before we were due to depart. I wandered around a shopping plaza, overwhelmed by the smells and sounds of the massive city/country. I tried a few local chocolate pancakes and a ice cold glass of strawberry soy milk. Full and ready to go, I boarded the bus heading north into Malaysia and was really on my way to start what I hope will be one of the biggest adventures of my life!

-Ash

Fun Fact: I accidently burned myself walking too close to a metal trash can. Apparently some shops opt to burn their trash rather than deal with the city's garbage disposal system. Not very eco friendly eh?