George Town - Penang

We pulled into Butterworth station about 45 minutes late. My first stop was to the ticket office. I wanted to make sure I kept to my already tight schedule and left Malaysia on Thursday 24th Sept.









On the way to across the station concourse, if that's what you can call it, I was accosted by numerous taxi drivers. I told them I was taking the ferry to my hotel.
I successfully booked my ticket on the sleeper to Bangkok, I had decided to slum it and, albeit gradually adopt the Backpacker persona.
I booked a sleeper but in the second class compartment. The train left Butterworth at 2.20pm and arrives in Bangkok at 11.30.

With my ticket tucked safely in my wallet I headed out of the concourse. I had originally planned to travel over to Penang but after the long journey haggled for a taxi to take me over the impressive bridge to the Island of Penang and my hotel for the next couple of nights.









My Malaysian taxi driver gave me a history and running commentary of Penang on the 30 minute drive from Butterworth. I arrived at the hotel around 4.30 and checked in, because the hotel was so busy i had been upgraded to the executive floor. Nice.....
The hotel was what could best be described as ' faded elegance' clearly it had once been quite posh although it was now a little tatty. It was still excellent value though. After checking in I popped out for my usual orientation session. First impressions of George Town are that it is a bit of a dive. After the infrastructure of KL and Singapore this was a big difference. The streets have open sewers ( note to self - don't get pissed!)

My hotel is an stones throw from the Komtar shopping centre. I had a wander over to look around, this too has seen better days. I exchanged the remaining Singapore dollars for Malaysian Ringet at an money changer booth then went in search of a bar for a late afternoon drink.
This area is full of restaurants and street cafes. I happened upon an open air fish restaurant and stopped off for a crafty beer.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you cannot understand a word they are saying?
Usually they are foreign or drunk. I was sitting in this fish restaurant and the manger, a HUGE Chinese guy came to sit down beside me. That in itself was fine but when he struck up a conversation, so strong was his accent that I could not understand, a word he was saying. I spent the next half an hour politely nodding and smiling like some retard.
At one point I very nearly accepted an offer of him taking me to a brothel.....








The Chinese fish restaurant where I nearly came unstuck.....

In the restaurant were about 20 tanks, each containing marine life. You picked what you wanted and it was taken to the kitchen.
The tanks had all types of fish, prawns lobsters and an unusual critter called a Geoduck. I had neither heard of or seen one before.

Geoducks are large clams which are native to the shorelines of the Pacific Northwest. The shellfish are also marketed as “king clams” or “elephant trunk clams,” in a reference to their impressive size and distinctive siphons, which can reach three feet (one meter) in length. In addition to being consumed in the Pacific Northwest, geoducks are also exported to China and Japan, where they are a popular delicacy. It can sometimes be difficult to find the clams at the market, since they are hard to harvest, and they tend to be expensive.

The distinguishing feature of a geoduck is its long siphon, which the clam uses to filter plankton and other food sources. The siphons look alarmingly like a private portion of the male anatomy, especially after harvesting, when the shell of the clam may be removed so that the siphon and body can be cleaned. The siphons have a slightly crunchy texture and they are very savory; they can be eaten raw like sashimi, or they may be steamed, fried, sauteed, or boiled, depending on personal taste.


















My view, you've got more chance of pissing in the queens handbag than getting me to try one of these things.

On returning back to the hotel I dropped off at reception to enquire about Internet access, my wifi tracker suggested that there was access in my room but on trying to log on I was being asked for a code.
The lady at reception asked me my room number, on giving it to her she said.

"Sir it's free, you just put in your r.........."

At this point the lady that had checked me in shouted across

" No Sir, you have been upgraded, it is not free, you can access it in the lobby for 9 ringet per two hours "

" Can I pay for access in my room "

" No Sir, Sorry Sir, just in the hotel lobby "

I thanked her and headed for the room.
While having a shower I thought about what the first receptionist had said and after dressing tried putting my room number in as the password.
BINGO.... WiFi access in my room and free to boot. Why am I so smart?

After checking e-mail I had a small early evening snooze and got ready for my evening promenade and dinner. One thing for sure, I wouldn't be trying Geoduck!
The goosefoot in black bean curd didn't sound that appealing either!

The local area was now lively with busy food stalls selling predominantly Chinese fayre. They were busy too. I settled on another seafood restaurant a cross the road which also seemed to be a favourite with the local Chinese community and had egg fried rice, honey and Ginger chicken together with a couple of beers. I was intrigued by one punter, a Chinese lady sat opposite me, I have never seen anyone use chopsticks with such dexterity, with a Chinese soup spoon in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, she was shovelling it like there was no tomorrow.



















Chinese street food stalls opposite the hotel

















Dinner at an open air fish restaurant, the lady there who was eating like it was her last meal.

At midnight I made my way back to the hotel, very careful not to fall down one of the open sewers.....

Once back in my room I studied my guidebook and planned the next day.....




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Location:Lorong Baru,George Town,Malaysia

Leaving Singapore

Yesterday was my last day in Singapore. I'd done most pretty much most of the things I wanted to do and seen most of the things I wanted to see. I needed to check out of the Madras Hotel at midday so I had a bit of a lie in and then got my things packed up ready to leave. I'd had a nice time there but to be quite honest Five days and four nights was quite sufficient.

I was a glorious morning, much like the day before, bright sunshine and as hot as an oven.

I checked out of the hotel at midday and made my way to the harbour front for a coffee and a pasty. I left my luggage at the hotel.. My three day travel pass had expired at midnight the day before, my pockets were full of coins so rather than buy a new pass I would use these for my travel budget, apart from anything else, they were spoiling the cut of my cargo pants..

I had to be at the railway station at 10.00 pm so I had plenty of time. My only 'must do' was to collect my shirts and trousers from the ' Raffles Creative Tailors' in China Town after three o'clock.

After the harbour front I headed towards China Town for a couple of hours, I sat at a couple of street cages and had orange juice, I was conscious that I had perhaps not been drinking enough fluids (of the non alcoholic variety) and that was probably one of the causes of the upset tummy. Late in the afternoon the weather broke and one again I was treated to torrential rain and a tropical rainstorm, fortunately this one didn't last long. I had left my waterproof in my rucksack at the hotel. At least the rain was warm.

Dodging between the rain I stopped of at another cafe for a peking duck roll and a pineapple juice, beautiful...









Delicious....

At around four I called in to collect my two pairs of trousers and two shirts and had a drink with Simon, the super sales person. I was very impressed with the workmanship.

Today I guess I must have exchanged my 'savvy travellers head' for my 'no fucking sense of direction head' after lunch I thought I would go off the beaten track and explore some of the lesser side streets of China Town, I was so distracted within about 30 minutes I was hopelessly lost and pen the next hour extricating myself from the maze of little side streets with little success. Eventually I made my way to the main road and stumbled across the MRT station. This was a bit of a pisser as I had intended to have a cut throat shave and Indian head massage when I got back to little India and now I would not have enough time.

By seven I was back in Little India, time for a beer in one of the backpacker bars and a bite to eat before heading off to the station.




























Sights from Little India on my last night in Singapore.

On my first night I had a wonderfully authentic Indian meal at one of the roadside cafes and the beer was about half the price than the backpackers bar so I took a seat at the star cafe and ordered chicken curry, rice and a roti. And a large beer.
After a second beer and feeling a little squiffy I headed back to the hotel to pick up my rucksack and then on to the MRT.

I needed to take the Metro to Outram Park then a short cab ride to the railway station at Kepple Road.

All the metro stations have several exits and I chose the wrong one. By sense of judgement was obviously impaired by the beers I had drunk earlier in the evening and rather than going back to find the correct exit I decided to carry on.

And carry on and carry on. One again the 'no sense of direction head was on charge and once again, after about 20 minutes carrying about 20k of luggage on my back I was sweating like a bacon pig and hopelessly lost. Even that didn't deter me, I soldiered on, only after about 40 mins did I decide it might be a good idea to hail a cab. The first one that was free stopped and asked where I was going.

'Kepple Street Railway Station'

He looked at me strangely

' it's 5 minutes walk, just down that road'

I breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him and headed in the the said direction. Through a rather intimidating housing complex and then an industrial estate. I did have visions of getting mugger and murdered!

By this time I was absolutely soaking wet through, then in the distance, the railway station. Great I thought, just saved myself 10 dollars taxi fare!

Given the amazing infrastructure in Singapore the railway station is a huge disappointment. It does have a very attractive colonial look to the outside by once inside it is tatty. There are just two platforms. One for departures and one for arrivals. I picked up an immigration form, completed it then went and bought two bottles of water to replenish the fluids I had just sweated out on my latest adventure.



























Inside Kepple St station. Singapore.

At 10pm we were called to board. I think I was the only white face on the train. Before actually getting on the train passports and immigration papers were inspected and we were allowed onto the platform and train.
Because train travel is so cheap in South East Asia I had chosen a premier deluxe sleeper. A room to myself, complete with WiFi, television and shower. Well, i'm clearly not a proper backpacker !


















My sleeper on the train from Singapore to KL
I think the trains are quite old and starting to look a little tatty but the linen was clean and it was quite nice.








Queuing to get through immigration









My carriage awaits

The train pulled out of Singapore station bang on 10.30. After about 30 mins the train pulled into Woodlands and we all had to disembark to pass through the passport control. A short wait and back on the train for the onward journey. I was presented with a towel, soap, shaver and toothbrush by a steward and then settled down for the night. It was really quite relaxing with the movement on the train. That said, I didn't get much sleep. It was so cold. There appears to be this thing that if it's hot outside I'll make it as cold as I possible can inside. This happens I. The Malls with the Air Con, the hotel and now the train. I slept in my clothes! Next time I visit I shall pack my winter woollies for the time I spend inside!

I must have drifted off to sleep at some as I was awoken at 6.00 with a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of delicious banana cake. We were to arrive in KL in 30 minutes. No time for a shower so I did the next best thing. A bed bath with boots wet wipes. Did the trick, brushed my teeth and was set for the next part of the journey. Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth.









KL sentral at 6.30 in the morning.

I had not purchased my ticket to Butterworth yet, I could have got it in Singapore but would have had to pay in Singapore dollars and it made it around double the price. 'every little helps'.

I kept up my extravagant travel arrangements by travelling first class on then train to Butterworth. It cost around £15 for the six hour journey. Once again the train interior had seen better days but I got a wide reclining seat with footrest, a bottle of water and another slice of delicious banana cake. There was also a socket to charge my phone and iPad.









Inside a first class carriage

It was a fascinating journey passing through the suburbs of KL then into the jungle areas, interspersed with towns and villages. Most of towns had fantastic Hindu temples and mosques with you could see fro the train. You could also see quite a lot of shanty towns by the trackside, something I had not associated with Malaysia.
It was a wonderful journey through the North Peninsular of Malaysia. Passing through jungle, seeing the exotic flowers, butterflies and birds. Quaint stations , long horned cows rolling in mud.
It looks as though they are building a new track adjacent to the existing one, most of the way there was evidence of construction work.
Christ knows when it will be finished, most of the construction workers appeared to be either chatting or sleeping...

Only feedback to KTM, the rail company is:-

Turn the air con down a bit, it was freezing!
Ask the driver if it is really necessary to honk his horn every 2 minutes for eight hours.

The loo was an experience, you could see the track. At least it was warmer than the carriage!

The train made quite a few stops on route. We were due to arrive in Butterworth at 3.00pm. From there it is a short ferry ride to the Malaysian island of Penang and Georgetown, my next stop for a couple of nights.




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Location:Lorong Baru,George Town,Malaysia

Another day sightseeing in Singapore

In view of my delicate disposition I decided to stay in last night and have a quiet food and alcohol free evening. I would have watched TV but there is only one plug working in the room!

I didn't get much sleep, despite the earplugs, I thought I was in a 70's disco.
Finally I did drop off and was up early feeling much much better.

During my sleepless night I had planned out my agenda for the day so at 10am I was on the road again.

The main areas of Singapore are a hub of activity at the moment, due to the F1 which hits town on the 24th so everyone is busy getting ready. The Singapore Grand Prix is similar to Monaco in that the race is not held on a race track but the normal roads. Huge stands are being erected everywhere.

Maybe in was being a little oversensitive but I got the distinct impression that everyone was keeping out of my way as I headed to my first stop at City Hall and St. Andrews Cathedral. This severe haircut may come handy! While Singapore is a very safe city some of the other places I will be visiting have a bit of a reputation for street crime. If I look hard with this new haircut they may well have second thoughts.

My first stop of the morning was St Andrews Cathedral.

Designed by George Coleman; erected on a site selected by Sir Stamford Raffles himself; named for the patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew; and primarily funded by Singapore's Scottish community, the first St. Andrew's was the colonials' Anglican Church.

Completed toward the end of the 1830s, its tower and spire were added several years later to accord the edifice more stature. By 1852, because of massive damage sustained from lightning strikes, the cathedral was deemed unsafe and torn down. The cathedral that now stands on the site was completed in 1860. Of English Gothic Revival design, the cathedral is one of the few standing churches of this style in the region.




St Andrews Cathedral

I had intended to also visit Chijmes which these days is an elegant walled complex of shops, restaurants and bars. It was once the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus founded by a French Jesuit priest in 1854 and run by nuns. Unfortunately, being relatively early on Sunday morning it was closed. So back on the MRT and Boat Quay.
The last time in was in Singapore this was a fairly run down area, it used to be the centre of Singapore's commercial activities, now it is a trendy riverside strip of restored shophouses converted into bars and restaurants.



Boat Quay

Again, being so early there was little evidence of the usual hustle and bustle.

At the end of the strip is a bridge that takes you over the Singapore river to Raffles landing, the place that Sir Stamford Raffles first set foot on Singapore soil.




Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles.

The whole area has undergone significant redevelopment in the last 20 years. I can recall having my first taste of Chinese 'street food' in 1991 just around the corner from the statue. This area now houses trendy restaurants.


The area that 20 years ago housed Chinese street food markets.




The Fullerton Hotel

Singapore or Singa Pura is Sanskrit for "lion city" to celebrate that the ' Merlion' guards the city at the entrance of the Singapore river. Since the redevelopment they have been moved about 120 yards so they still sit at the mouth of the river. There are in fact two, a marble 'cub' and then a large 8 metre high ' Merlion' facing the Singapore river.







A gentleman by the name of Fraser Brunner came up with the design in 1964 for the Singapore Tourism Board. It looks just like you would expect it to, a cross between a Lion's head and a Mermaid's body (Fish). It appears on souvenirs that have been approved by the Tourism Board. There are only 5 'official' Merlion statues in Singapore.

What is interesting is the story behind the design. Mr. Brunner based the design on the story of how Singapore was founded.

Singapore was founded by a Malay Prince by the name of Sang Nila Utama. He wanted to find somewhere to build a new City and set out to have a look at some islands off the coast of Sumatra. While hunting deer on one of the islands, he saw a neighboring island that had beaches "like white cloth". He was told that the island was called Temasek. He decided to go there, during the trip a bad storm blew up and the ship took on water and began to sink. They were forced to throw many things overboard. Still the ship took on water. The Prince finally threw his heavy crown overboard and the storm passed. After making it safely to the island, he went inland to do some hunting and saw a strange creature with a red body, black head and white breast. It moved with great speed and grace. He was told that it was a Lion. (though later studies of the area show that Lions were never present there and what he saw was probably a Tiger) He felt it was a very good omen and decided to build his city there. He called the city Singapura, which he ruled over for close to 50 years.




Statues of traders at Clarke Quay

It was a blisteringly hot day. After all that walking I felt a rad hungry so headed over to China Town for a spot of lunch and maybe a beer. I was sticking to simple rice dishes until I was sure that my Asian tummy was settled. The Olde Cuban is a Chinese fish restaurant in the centre of China Town. I had eaten there before and settled on a plate of Malay Rice and a beer.

Checking e-mail on my iPhone I had a message saying, 'we have some exciting news about your lottery ticket'. Jackpot winner ? As I was opening the lottery website to check my account I had already decided that I was going to check in to Raffles for my last night in Singapore. Hmmm, not with £10!
So I made do with another beer and spent the rest on a T Shirt as I left China Town.

The speciality of the Olde Cuban is crab, chilli crab especially, in the centre of the dining area are a number of metal cages stacked on one another and these are full of live crabs. A punter will order crab, pick one out, it is weighed and then cooked.

I wasn't sat far from this cage of living crabs. This one chap picked his dinner, a huge specimen, this was picked out of the cage and put on the weighing scales, at which point to decided, fuck this, and made a dash for freedom 'leaping' off the scales and on to the floor, scuttling under a large table of Japanese diners. I've never seen anyone move as quickly. Very amusing, The crabs quest for freedom was short-lived, scooped up by a petit Chinese waitress it was escorted to the kitchen and that rock pool in the sky.





Chilli crab before.....



Chilli crab after........


After the late lunch and beers I headed Little India, a wander around the market.
While making my way back I came across this interesting sign....



Oh... OK, i'll wait till I find the bathroom.......

I was back at the hotel by 4.30. Having had an exhausting day and it being really hot I had small nap. I was woken at 6.00 with renditions Pink songs from a live singer In the bar across the road. Very good she was too...

My friends Jason and Fiona had emailed me yesterday to them, I did try last night but couldn't get in touch. I tried again and got through so spent 30 mins chatting to both of them and Katie- which was nice

After a late lunch I was not that hungry so had a wander around Little India. Sunday evening must be shopping night as all the streets were packed with people buying their Fruit and Veg.

I was in bed by 11.30.

Tomorrow is my last day, need to check out at 12.00 and don't need to be at the station till 10.00 for the overnight train to KL.


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Location:Madras St,,Singapore

Day two in Singapore

I awoke this morning to a travellers nightmare. A bubbly tummy!!
I usually have the constitution of an ox, indeed, a couple of years ago, doing a biking trip across the Himalayas myself and Katrina were the only two on the adventure who did not succumb to the dreaded deli belly.
In South America the year before it was another story, after trying out the local delicacy of roasted Guinea Pig I was terribly ill, even as I left the restaurant in Pisac, Peru, I could feel the bubbling and churning. I spent the next few days either sat on or with my head down the loo. I must have lost about a stone by the end of the trip. The weight loss was so dramatic that, as I removed my belt to pass through security at Puerto Maldonardo airport my trousers fell down in a scene that wouldn't have been out of place in a Brian Rix farce.
Since that, I have learned my lesson. Don't take immodium too soon as there is a strong likelihood that you will lock the infection in your gut and make the outcome twice as bad.

I was hoping that this was not going to be a repeat of that episode...
After a visit to the loo and a suitably 'dramatic' evacuation I felt a lot better. Mixed a couple of rehydration sachets in a bottle of water and gave it an hour to see if a return to the loo would be required. Fortunately that seemed to do the trick so I showered, got dressed and prepared myself for day two sightseeing in Singapore.

As I had my three day travel pass and a guide book and a potentially dodgy tummy I decided to give the 'hop on hop off, bus a miss today. I needed to make sure I was close to a loo at all times, just in case!

It is a beautiful day, sunny and roasting hot. I made my way once again to the MRT station at Little India. I had decided that I would head to City Hall and that famous colonial hotel, Raffles.

Declared a National Monument in 1987, the hotel has grown from strength to strength. With its restoration and reopening in 1991, Raffles Hotel today stands as a jewel in the crown of Singapore's hospitality industry, renowned and loved for its inimitable style and unsurpassed excellence in service and facilities.

In multicultural Singapore it is not surprising that the visionary founders of Raffles Hotel were a quartet of enterprising Armenian brothers: Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak Sarkies.

Raffles Hotel opened in 1887 in a rather sombre-looking old bungalow known as the Beach House. It was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. Tropical suites and sola topis were as much a part of Raffles Hotel's early style as bentwood tables and rattan chairs. Over the years the hotel has evolved into one of the world's most beloved grand hotels and welcomed innumerable celebrities, writers and royalty.

The last time I was in Singapore the hotel was closed for renovation, so no Singapore Sling. Given the delicate disposition of my tummy I thought it would be wise to miss a Singapore Sling in the famous Long Bar yet again, but there was no harm in looking.














The world famous hotel.














The Raffles courtyard.












The Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling.














A view of the interior of Raffles Hotel.

The hotel retains its charm although that is compromised a tad by the commercial shops such as Tiffanys and Chanel which are now installed. I spent a bit of time wandering around the place, unfortunately only guests could go in the lobby and there was certainly no chance of taking a photograph so I stole one from the website.












A view of the lobby

The rest is all my own work.... I am getting to grips with the camera,












The front entrance to the hotel.

After Raffles I headed down to the waterfront. Singapore has many many shopping malls. My nephew had charged me with looking out for an HD video camera for him so I thought, given I would never be too far from a loo, I would visit the SunTek shopping mall on the waterfront and check it out. I had asked Lewis to look at the best price on line and let me know. He came back with £180. I had a shop around and a bit of lively bartering and managed a best price of £140. As I stopped off at Starbucks for a coffee and a pastry I checked my e- mails to see he had sent me another message.
'if it's any more than £50 I won't be able to afford it.' Having replaced my 'Naive traveller' head with my 'Savvy traveller' head I am quite a dab hand at getting a good deal. But not that good. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

After coffee and light pastry (a curried potato puff) I had a further wander. At this point I felt a little 'gassy'. This is the point of potential disaster if you know what I mean!

Next stop the bathroom!
I kept my eyes open and quite quickly found the loo. Sitting down I was extremely relieved to find out it was just a harmless fart. So relieved in fact that I put my head back only to set off the heat activated flush. I did not know this until my arse was covered in water. It fair made me jump! Remember the scene from Trainspotting?


Shopping malls are the bain of my life at the best of times. I hate them! Everyone appears to be going in the opposite direction and I can never find what I am looking for.
On this trip I can never find my way out.....it happened in KL and it's happening here.

After passing the formula 1 stand (the city is in the process of preparing for the Singapore Grand Prix) for the fourth time I finally succumbed and asked the service desk if they could help me get out.....

Quite a few of the hundreds of shopping malls have underground links to each other. A very helpful lady pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way. These 'underpasses' are more like shopping malls in their own right. Each side is lined with shops and the like.
Moseying towards the City Hall MRT I happened upon something unusual.
We have all heard of the 'low cost' approach to life. Airlines, hotels etc. What about a low cost hairdressers?

At some point on the trip, despite the fact that Vincent, my hairdresser will get very precious about it, I will need a haircut. Indeed, I text him a day ago lightheartedly asking for his permission. I got a sarcastic 'get a Bob, it will go well with a sun tan' response back.

Maybe the shock of having my ass just immersed in cold water had swapped my 'savvy head' with my 'naive head, but was quite taken by this $10 dollar no frills approach to a 10 minute haircut.
Basically you go in, put $10 in a machine and sit in a numbered seat, hitching up one as the queue goes down. The no frills means you just get a haircut, no washing and no product. It's a concept exported from Japan.

At this point I feel I must digress. A couple of years ago I went over the Himalayas with a group of people on Enfield motor cycles, it was a pretty arduous trip which ended up in Shimla, a hill station in the foothills of Himalayas. I was badly in need of a shave as it was a pretty 'rufty tufty' trip and decided to go and have a cut throat shave with Indian head massage, I think it cost about 30p. My friend Katrina was with me at the time.
While I was being shaved Katrina mentioned that it was only 50p to have a haircut.
' I pay £50 back home'
Unable to miss a bargain she was in the chair. As I saw what was happening I could not contain myself. Believe me when I say the Indian chap could have made a better job with a knife and fork. The picture below says it all. We laughed like drains. Walking back up the hill we saw her partner in the distance, not known for his observational skills I was mightily impressed when at 100 metres he stopped, put his hands on his hips and shouted to me:-
'what the fuck have you let her do to her hair.'
I think it cost £150 to put it right when she got home. But it was such a laugh.













Anyway, I digress. $10 was dutifully put in the machine and took my seat. Even at that point I was reflecting on the Indian story but clearly had my 'naive traveller' head on.
My time came and I took my seat. Today I learned a lesson.
Note to self:-
If you pay for a $10 haircut, you get a $10 haircut.
I came out looking like I'd just been released from the Bangkok Hilton.

At this point I decided I'd best get back to the hotel.....


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Location:Madras St,Singapore,Singapore

First full day in Singapore

Getting up at 9.00 it was raining outside, not normal rain, stair rods....
I needed to get my ticket booked for the overnight sleeper to Penang on Saturday night, the only way I could do that was to go to the ticket counter at Kepple station. The on-line booking system was closed, the e-mail reservations had given me an 'out of office - we get 300 requests a day' response. (more staff could be a solution- especially as your on-line system is broken)
The call centre ringing no reply (could be because your e-mail reservations give an Out of Office and your on-line system is closed!)

I decided to stay put until the rain had eased, normally the showers (shower!!) in the tropics are short lived but by 11.00 it was not easing so I decided to make a move. Donning my Adidas waterproof I made my way to the Little India MRT station in the pouring rain.

The main railway station in Singapore is Kepple Station, a fabulous old colonial building.



Despite the efficient public transport system in Singapore, there is no easy way to get to the station. Consequently I got off at the nearest station and then took a 10 min taxi ride to the ticket office. By the time I got to the station, the rain had eased, taking off my water proof I found that, due to the heat and the humidity, I was wetter on the inside than I would ever have been if I had just gone out in a T-shirt.

Despite it's grand exterior, the inside was rather disappointing. There were no queues at the ticket office, there were also no tickets! The next available sleeper was on the Monday evening, no worries, I'm on a timetable but there is some flex in it.

There is a strange system in Singapore, Tickets are priced in Malaysian Ringet but if you are starting your journey in Singapore you have to pay the equivalent in Singapore Dollars making it roughly double. There are ways around this but, it involves going over the border and a lot of faffing around. For the sake of saving £25 it just wasn't worth it. If you ever do the trip though, only buy the Singapore to KL leg in Singapore and get the tickets for then rest of the journey in KL.

After purchasing my ticket I grabbed a cab to the MRT and then down to the waterfront, across the river is an island, Sentosa, which is basically a big theme island with universal studios, rides etc. I did not intend visiting but it was worth a look, a quick coffee, watched a big cruise ship dock and then on to China Town.



Sentosa in the distance across from the Waterfront

Alighting at China Town, I took the opportunity to buy a three day travel pass for the MRT. At $24 they are excellent value. You pay an additional $10 but this is refunded when you return the card.

I had no sooner exited the station when a very friendly chappy caught my eye and said Hi. Within a few minutes he was showing me the way to the main sights of China Town.

I have travelled a lot and usually start my time away as a naive traveller, quickly becoming a very savvy traveller. I am early into my trip and had my 'naive' head on. As in was chatting to 'Simon' he asked me where I was from, what I did for a living, where I was travelling to, the usual banter. I was thinking 'what a friendly,helpful chap'

It was not until I asked him what he did it dawned on me... Quelle surprise we were on our way to his tailors shop and, being one of the easiest people I know to sell to, quell surprise, I exited his tailors shop half an hour later having been measured up for two pairs of cargo pants and two safari shirts.
To be fair, they were a good price and the quality of the materials was excellent but they were not on my agenda!!

He was an excellent salesman, chasing me down the road twice,once offering me good quality jewellery and then, when I took my camera out to take a picture, offering to introduce me to his friend who could part exchange my Canon EOS for a better model at a 'very good price, sir'
I declined courteously, removed my 'Naive Traveller' head and replaced it with my 'Savvy Traveller' head.

I spent the whole afternoon in China town, wandering around the market stalls, visiting a Chinese Buddhist temple and then an Indian Hindu temple.

The Hindu temple was fascinating, I had to pay a couple of dollars to take pictures but it was well worth it.


China Town by day






Indian Hindu temple in China Town.

The Chinese Buddhist temple was absolutely awesome. On five levels there were Buddah's everywhere. On the fourth level was a room which had what must be millions of pounds worth of gold. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed in that particular room









Photo's from the Chinese Buddhist temple.

Before heading back to the hotel I stopped for a beer in a roadside bar. I was planning on coming back tonight to see China Town in the evening.

Back at the hotel I logged onto the Internet and booked my hotel for a couple of nights in Penang.

I headed back to China Town in the evening. Although there are loads of similarities between China Town in Singapore and China Town in KL, the one big difference is there was a distinct lack of fake bags, watches and clothing. After a wander round the markets, a couple of beers and dinner of fried rice and satay I headed back to my hotel. Having a couple more days here I had booked the same place for Saturday and Sunday evening.








Unlike China Town in KL, most of the stalls were packing up as I headed back to the MRT. I was in bed by 11.00 earplugs in and didn't wake till 10.00 on Saturday morning.

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Location:Madras St,Singapore,Singapore