The Jetpacker

I arrived in Singapore Sunday afternoon and called a cab to take me to my hotel. I have had horrendous luck with cabbies so far this trip, but I’ve heard the ones here at least won’t rip you off, so that’s a plus.

Unfortunately, there was — again — a mix-up with the hotels.

Instead of taking me to the Studio M Hotel on Nanson Road, I went to the M Hotel on Anson Road.  Easy to mix up, I understand, but at that point it was just comical.

Anyway, once we got everything sorted out, I made it to my hotel, which overlooks Robertson Quay and the Singapore River. This area is one of the most happening in all the city, with restaurants, bars, and clubs of all types waiting for the well-to-do.

I figured I’d be spending more than a few nights in this area, so I was excited to go explore during the days.

I started with dinner at a local Italian place.  The orrecchiete with sausage was quite good, and S$16 (about US $12) was a pretty good price for dinner, especially in this area.

The next morning I awoke to realize that my bed was far too comfortable to leave just quite yet. I didn’t start the day until around 11am, and even then I was out of it for most of the day. I’d normally blame the flight and jet lag, but it’s only an hour’s trip from KL, with no time zone change.

I ended up walking around the quays and dipping into some of the malls in the area. Clearly, I was not going to get away with being cheap here.

Everything you hear about shopping and eating being the national sports of Singapore are true. Everyone walks around in at least a polo shirt and jeans – image is everything.

I ended the night at a Thai place on Boat Quay, just downriver from my hotel, that was disappointing and expensive.

From walking up and down Boat Quay, I got the sense it was a bit overpriced and trading more on its name than anything else. I felt bad about not doing anything of importance the second day, and vowed to venture out into the city on day 3.

Day 3: In Which Steve Goes to Chinatown in Search of Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Comes Back S$850 Poorer

Tuesday morning started with me reading an email from Jackie asking me to find a place called Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Chinatown. I hopped a cab and headed down to the wonderfully named Food Street, home of stalls hawking every type of Eastern food imaginable.

I wandered for a bit, passing joke T-shirt shops and Indonesian food stalls, stopping only to buy a nice dress shirt for S$23, when an elderly man beckoned to me and asked me to see something. I probably should have just ignored him, but curiosity got the better of me.

It turns out the man was Steven Ng, one of the proprietors of Bobby Tan Tailors, specializing in custom-fit suits.

Now, I’ve been meaning to get a suit for months, but could never muster the courage to go, since I don’t know much about them. Steven walked me through the process and gave me a pretty good deal – a jacket, shirt, and pants (all custom-made) for S$770 (around US $513.)

I selected a dark gray suit with a burgundy shirt, and Steven and his partner, the aforementioned Bobby Tan, took my measurements and told me to come back on Friday. Since I had no plans for Friday yet, this was perfect.

After I left the tailors, I stopped into Sawasdee Thai, a decent-sized stall that advertises themselves as “the best Thai food in Chinatown.”

Although I couldn’t compare it to anything else in the area, they were quite good, and cheap. A decent plate of paht si eu (long flat noodles, beef, and vegetables) was only S$12.

I also grabbed some honey mango/passion fruit juice from a vendor for S$3.50 that really hit the spot. He sliced up the mango, blended it with ice, then stirred the passion fruit seeds into the mix. Simple, but satisfying.

I wandered a bit more, then stopped into a local department store, called CK. My mother and sister, both world-class bargain hunters, would have been in heaven here.

I picked up two nice shirts, a gray button-down and a powder-blue polo, and some black slacks, which I had been needing, for S$50, and it was only sheer force of will that I didn’t keep going. After all that, I decided to head back before I did any more damage.

I came back to a welcome surprise – a message from Marie and Beth, the two British travelers I had met in Kuala Lumpur.  They were leaving for Australia in the morning, but wanted to hang out before they left.

We met up at Clarke Quay, a 5-minute walk from my hotel, and headed to Mulligan’s Irish pub to start the night. I had a solid Irish stew, but the girls had already eaten, so they stuck to drinks.

After that, we found a bar called The Clinic, which was medical-themed. We sat in our wheelchairs and drank our neon-green cocktails through an IV drip (S$50 for one bag, about 7 shots’ worth).

I cannot stress how fun this was. Giving wheelchairs to people who have been drinking is almost always a bad idea, but it’s an absolute blast.

After the check-up, we made our third and final stop of the evening, The Pump Room microbrewery. The girls had wine, and I had a tasty wheat ale (S$11 and $12, respectively.)  They had a decent live cover band, including a drag queen belting out “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” with Marie was thrilled over.

They then turned into a sort of live karaoke, inviting patrons to come up and sing. None of us took them up, but one guy turned in an impressive Bon Jovi.

While the band took a break, they switched to dance music, and it was nice to get out on the floor and have some fun. Eventually, though, it got late, and Marie and Beth had to head back to their hostel to nap/catch the airport bus. We said our goodbyes, with a promise to keep in touch, and I headed back, reflecting on a quite good day.

The next day would be a mostly catch-up day, as I hadn’t written anything yet. I started with lunch at Brasserie Wolf, another of the myriad restaurants in Robertson Quay.

A French establishment, Brasserie Wolf specializes in high-quality cuisine for high-quality prices. However, their lunch sets are quite reasonably priced. A choice of appetizer and entrée sets you back only S$24, with a dessert for a few dollars more.

I wasn’t adventurous enough to try the snails or foie gras, so I settled for the soup of the day, with lamb as the main course and chocolate cake a la mode as dessert. The meal was delectable – you could have had a meal on the free bread and soup by itself, the lamb was perfectly cooked, and the melt-in-your-mouth cake was a solid finish.

The only complaint was that when I asked for water, they brought Evian, which added another S$12 to the meal. If I had realized they were going to do that at the beginning, I would have just ordered a beer or a glass of wine. Still, the meal was a great way to get gourmet French food at a decidedly non-gourmet price.

So far during my time in Singapore, the greatest thing that sticks out about the city is its inherent multiculturalism.

Influences from all over the world mesh seamlessly, and Singapore’s history as an international shipping and trading post is evident. Nobody ever questions if you’re a local, since you simply can’t tell.

In addition, compared to KL, Singapore is a cakewalk to get around. Taxis are plentiful and fair (a welcome change), and the subway and bus system is well-connected and efficient.

Still, I don’t feel like I’ve done anything really cultural. I’ve shopped, eaten, and drank, all things I can do back home.

In the second half of the trip, I’m going to explore more and branch out past the Quays. In addition, for Monday, I’ve decided to set a challenge for myself – have as much fun as I can while spending as little as possible. In a bastion of pure capitalism like Singapore, it should be a tough challenge but a fun one.