Review of Singapore - Part Two

So let's see. Where did I leave off?

Now that I'm done tearing apart Singapore, it's time to look at the positive aspects of the trip. If I can think of any.

The thing with the teeny tiny country of Singapore is that it's right on the equator, which means hot weather all year round. This is great because I love warm weather. Alas! It's humid too, whoever. Which makes it unbearable to step outside of an air-conditioned building. Like I mentioned in my last post, there was no touring the country for me. I did, however, roam around the city and saw virtually every major shopping mall. The size of the malls, and the shear number is insane! Save up some money if you ever visit Singapore, because you can bag some great bargains, especially at Bugis Street where all the markets are.

I was particularly lucky as a solo traveller as I have two friends in Singapore who met up with me. One Saturday night, I managed to experience the nightlife for one night, thanks to my friend Rid. I was a bit skeptical about going out alone, little did I know that I was not in fact, going to miss out on experiencing Singapore's nightclubs. We met at City Hall MRT (train station) amd walked to a restaurant. I had some delicious Thai food at a restaurant called Thai Express. Granted it doesn't sound very nice, but I have to tell you that the chilli beef with rice was amazing. We then head off to a pub playing live music, which was pretty cool too. There we met another one of Rid's cousins and carried on to the Ministry of Sound club. Now to be honest, I'm not a big fan of Trance music, but that night was truly fun. It was nice to finally get out of the hostel and hang out with 'real people'. After a good couple of hours at the club, we decided to head out, and sat in McDonalds for a while just talking. It really reminded me of the good times back home in London when I'd (rarely) go out with my friends and relax like that. I got home at about half three to four am.

Later that week, I met Nia. We talked at Starbucks for a while, sitting outside and discussing any topic that came to us (yes they have Starbucks in Singapore - and not in Perth!) until Rid arrived, then we head off to a mall where it was slightly cooler! We took some pictures, and talked some more. It was extremely relaxing, a big change from my masses of walking when I first got into Singapore. Then, Nia had to head off as she had dinner plans, and Rid and I went to the movies. This was an interesting experience because I rarely see girly movies with my guy friends, so seeing 'Mamma Mia!' was weird. It was really cold in the cinema, a little too air-conditioned for my liking, but the movie was very entertaining and had the songs stuck in my head for hours. After the movie, we went to get donuts from a place called J.Co's, and I tried Oreo donuts for the first time in my life. They were fantastic. Now my favourite type of donut! I'm telling you, you should try them. As the day grew to a close, I went back to the hostel to rest a bit. It was indeed a good day.

I know it may seem like I'm criticizing Singapore again, but I have to share my experience of Sim Lim Square, a huge electronics marketplace where bargaining skills are your best friend. I was told by Nia that she had bagged a really good deal with Nintendo DS Lite console and a memory card with 60 games for a ridiculous price. I thought, well, since I spend so much on my DS Lite games, I may as well check it out! I looked around and asked for the memory card, how much it would cost, etc. Many different shops told me different prices, one shop even going as low as 35 Singapore dollars. I went to the next shop who said that's not possible, and he offered it to me for 65 Singapore dollars with the software installed (which in itself costs about 40 bucks apparently). So, to avoid going for a dodgy, cheap one, I got the one for 65 dollars (considering some shops offered it for 160!) The shop assistant installed the software and showed me that it was working. I also enquired about how much the Nintendo DS Lite console was, since my mother is fond of it and her birthday is coming up. He said 160 with the headphones and console. I would ask her then come back. I then paid him and left with the memory card packet he gave me.

When I got home, I could not open the packet. It was sealed. I had to rip it open. I thought to myself 'If it's sealed, it means he didn't give me the one with the software on it!' So I went running back, having a go at him. He then proceeded to show me that he had cut it open around the memory card itself, very precisely with a cutting knife, and he popped it out. That was embarrassing. I then said to him that he gave me no USB adapter for the memory card to go into my computer. He handed me one and I left.

The next day, I spoke to my mother about the DS Lite and she said if it's that cheap, she wants it! So I went back to the shop and told him I wanted it. He quoted 160 Singapore dollars again, and I told him I was going to get money out of my account and come back. I then found an ATM in the mall and withdrew 200 Singapore dollars. I went back and was going to give him the money for it when he tried to sell me an additional item for a further 55 Singapore dollars. It was a travel adapter, because he NOW told me that the adapter it comes with is Japanese. I proceeded to tell him that I did not require it as my mother could get hold of one in the UK from my brother, who works at an electronic store, or she could borrow mine. He kept pushing me to buy it and I said no thanks very politely. He finally said that he will not sell me the console unless I buy the adapter and I had a go at him and asked why he had not told me before I went to get money. He shrugged and said "I'm telling you now". I put my money away and said "Your loss" and walked out, furious. The moral of the story is: If you are looking for good customer service, and not to be ripped off, don't buy from Sim Lim Square. For the record, the DS Lite alone was selling for 220 Singapore dollars.

On my last day, when I was going to the airport to depart for Denpasar, Bali, I met up with Rid again and we went together. We had breakfast (or more like brunch) at the airport and talked for a while. Then it was finally time for me to go. I was hoping Singapore airport would be decent, as I'd heard good things about it. It wasn't that amazing to be honest, I thought Dubai International Airport (DXB) was much cooler (yet I dislike Dubai as a city). I think the best part were the free internet terminals, and even that wasn't good enough as you get free wifi in DXB. I strolled around the airport until it neared my boarding time, then went to my gate. I was a bit anxious about flying with Garuda Indonesia (it is apparently blacklisted in Europe because of the high accident rate - don't quote me on that though), but it was fine, I'm still alive. Although I am flying Garuda back to Perth, so I'm still anxious!

I guess that summarises my trip to Singapore. Next up: Bali!