Backpacking And That - Day 2
I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. Here’s the email I sent home on day 2.
To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: No Subject
Date: 06/27/2000 03:41 AM
Wow Thirteen hours on a plane, never again..well apart from that other 13 hour flight to Cairns I have this evening. And the one home again. But that’s it!
Got to Singapore finally, although it almost killed me. I genuinely almost experienced air rage, bad seating, constant temperature variance, bad air, poor meals in short supply.. However when I finally got off the plane and stepped up the steps towards the “Cactus Garden” I was thrown backwards by the killer heat. Staggering and so humid, fantastic!
Well I thought it was anyway, now I’m trying to stay in Air con as much as poss and am wishing I hadn’t left my sun cream in my backpack.
First thing I did was jump in a cab and tell the man to “Take me someplace good.”
Which I regret, the bill was a tenner but at least he took me to the Oxford Street Equivalent of Singapore.
Except here there are trees and plants everywhere. It’s like a city built inside a jungle. Water seems to be a major statement too with all the expensive places having immensly impressive and huge water displays. The airport had drizzling water in a display that fell four floors.
The birds here are also better. The songs they chirp are more imaginative than most of those by S-Club 7. Not as catchy though.
I played spot the litter. So far, one pack of fags, one plastic bottle and a used tissue. Quite frankly I was surprised that there wasn’t a mat just outside the airport for people to wipe their feet on before entering Singapore!
On my immigrant form (I’m an immigrant for 12 hours) it warns me that drug smuggling is punishable by death. There are signs everywhere that say you can’t do this or that or else.
But at the same time the techno standard of this place is higher than back home, with automatic tolling systems that charge the taxi’s (and I presume everyone else’s) credit cards as you drive by the end of the highways (and many intercity roads, hmmm). There are internet ready booths at the end of streets, although they didn’t like me (I found an e-cafe, after 2 hours of asking) and I saw a bus with an advert for a new PC sound card blazended all over (like the Nescafe tram in Croydon).
The oddest thing is being the ethnic minority myself! Never actually experienced that one before.
3.5 hours down, 8 to go.
‹Max