Arrival & Light Show at Marina Bay

I made it to Singapore! The city is incredibly easy to navigate, I had zero problems finding my way from the airport to the hostel, Quarters Hostel. All signs are in English, I found an ATM at the airport, a nice man exchanged my large bills for smaller ones at the MRT (metro) booth, and I felt at home immediately. The MRT reminds me so much of the skytrain, the cars are actually almost identical and the graphics on the maps are the same. Actually, in a number of ways Singapore reminds me of Vancouver. When I got off the train at my station I was overwhelmed by tall buildings in a modern setting. The diversity of the people is just like home too, lots of locals and tourists mingling, and the ethnic diversity is also like home. I overheard at least 5-6 different languages on the train, and English was one of the most common. I also noticed that I wasn't the tallest person around anymore ;) Also the streets arent' as clean as I expected from what I'd heard. It's still an immaculate city though!

My first impressions are positive, although in all honesty I'm experiencing some reverse culture shock It's strange to be back in a city with structure, order, rules, and hearing English being spoken everywhere. The lifestyle is clearly more fast paced too, and everyone is always on their phones. Like at home, but different than where I had been previously . I've gotten used to disconnecting, only using my phone occasionally! It's also incredibly hot here. And it's overcast! And Humid. And windy. At least it's not fully sunny, that would be too much for me right now I think.

I arrived at my hostel at about noon and wasn't able to check in until 3pm. So I left my bag there and went for a wander around town. I stopped by a 711 and noticed an advertisement for a "tourist" SIM card, so naturally I bought one. They were out of the 5 day pass which is all I need so I bought the 10 day pass. $30 ($1 SG is approximately $0.95 CAD) got me a lot! A bunch of text messages and local calls, plus 90 minutes of international calling and 14 Gb of data! Crazy! So excessive. There is Netflix here though so maybe... Kidding! I don't think I'll have the time for watching movies. I also bought a beer at the 711 although it's super expensive! I'm going to need to find a grocery store and buy in bulk, there's a fridge at the hostel ;) I still had time to kill, and hadn't really eaten for 15 hours, so I stopped at McDonalds. I know I know, horrid!! But it was there and it was cheap and familiar and I was able to stay there for a couple hours catching up on my writing which all of you are benefiting from :p Nothing special on the menu there. A lot of countries have their own unique menu item at McDonalds, but not here really. There is a burger offered with an egg on top but otherwise the menu is the same as at home.

When I eventually wandered back to the hostel I settled in and managed to get a hold of Alanna! We talked for a good amount of time before it became too late for her. I went into my room and showered, met the roommates etc. The two that I connected with the most were Youngmin, a girl from Korea, and David from Finland.

The three of us went out for a stroll to the Marina Bay where they were having a light show of some kind. The walk took about 20 minutes and we made it just in time to see the beginning. There were so many people there thought that it was hard to see, but it was still quite impressive. There was music that reminded me of Disney, and lights coming from the Marina Bay Tower across the lake/river whatever it is. Where we were in the plaza there were fountains in the river that sprayed vertically and the lights projected onto the water to form images! The images went along with the music and told a story of sorts. I can't remember exactly what song was playing but it was pretty cool!

After the show we walked back towards the hostel along the water, a street filled with tons of restaurants in older buildings. We stopped at a place called Dallas Restaurant and Bar and had a late dinner. We chose the place because it offered a good deal of $20 for a burger, beer and fries! Best prices we saw along the way. A good meal, reminded me of home! Way too much beef on the burger though I hope I don't pay for that tomorrow... After eating we walked down a few restaurant to a place offering $5 mixed drinks. They were $5 because they maybe had a half ounce of alcohol in them.. So we stayed for one drink and then ordered a bucket of 5 Corona for $35. Still cheaper than other restaurants! We were joined by two others from the hostel here and chatted for a bit. I guess everyone was rather tired so all but myself and one other went to bed. The two of us decided to explore a bit more and wandered over to the Clarke Quay. That is a cool place at night! It's a whole bunch of restaurants and bars that are open late, right on the riverside, and connected by a x shaped, covered area. The canopies are all glass and lit up with vibrant colours. Pretty neat! Too bad I was so tired that I couldn't really absorb it all. I'll be back though I'm sure :) I called it quits after a $14 pint.. Wasn't feeling like spending any more money! I went back to the hostel alone and slept easy. Singapore is a very safe city and I didn't once feel uncomfortable making the walk alone at night! Such a great place.Read more