My final day without Declan in South East Asia. Most of today is a travel day, taking the public coach from Malacca and through the palm tree populated nation of Malaysia, travelling south towards the Singapore border. It’s slightly stressful because if you’re delayed getting through Singapore immigration then the bus leaves without you and you have to make your own way into the city. Transit is smooth for me and I arrive around 3pm.
A sales girl my age who works for Barclays Singapore, who I deal with a fair bit at work, invites me to a hawker market near her place for dinner. Quite nice to meet in person on a social basis. She then takes me to a cocktail bar where she is on first name basis with the owners and they mix her a custom Pandan cocktail. I am impressed with this cosmopolitan lady but cannot bring myself to order a second $35 cocktail. We spend about four hours together and I return to my hotel eager because Declan is only six hours away, covering some distance over South Australia at the time.
Am sad to be leaving behind breakfast traditions of Thailand and Malaysia. Outdoor food carts and kopitams have made for tasty, shady respites from the day. Singapore doesn’t have a food cart scene – the cheaper food is in hawker food courts. There’s something a bit less genial about the hawker food courts. The permanency of the stalls (they are not wheeled from place to place each day) and their subsequent enclosed nature lead to less chit chat between vendors. The novella I am reading, the Cove, is my first Cynan Jones. It’s compelling and sparse, centred around a man struck by lightning on a kayak who was out in a bay with the purpose of spreading his father’s ashes. It is less than 100 pages and holds throughout, with a tenseness comparable to Cormac McCarthy. I got this from Sapphos in Glebe sometime earlier this year, knowing nothing about it other than it was small. Final glimpse of Malacca, and one of the last of Malaysia.The Barclay’s sales girl orders for us and gets all her favourites. There’s chicken satay, fried oyster omelet, fried hokkien seafood noodles and carrot cake (this version actually made of radish not carrot).
Well done VGW on making it to Singapore!! I am sure you will appreciate the next part of your trip with a travel companion of your choosing but it will be interesting as you have been very independent up to now 🙂
Book sounds great I have made a note of it. Pandan cocktail sounds v. Good.
Meant to mention before about loving your description of kopitiam. What a well oiled machine!
We are feeling a little better tonight and are watching top gun. Neither of us have seen it.
Enjoy your luxury digs. love you heaps and Merry Christmas Eve!! Dont forget to get the chilli crab. M xx
Will be interesting to see if the quality of the blog changes once your travelling companion arrives.
Are you finished with the tour group?
Will you stay in touch with any of them.
$35 for a cocktail is outrageous
All done with the tour group. I won’t stay in touch with anyone.
The cocktail was ludicrously expensive. Was about two days full food for sing/Malaysia.
Well done VGW on making it to Singapore!! I am sure you will appreciate the next part of your trip with a travel companion of your choosing but it will be interesting as you have been very independent up to now 🙂
Book sounds great I have made a note of it. Pandan cocktail sounds v. Good.
Meant to mention before about loving your description of kopitiam. What a well oiled machine!
We are feeling a little better tonight and are watching top gun. Neither of us have seen it.
Enjoy your luxury digs. love you heaps and Merry Christmas Eve!! Dont forget to get the chilli crab. M xx
Will be interesting to see if the quality of the blog changes once your travelling companion arrives.
Are you finished with the tour group?
Will you stay in touch with any of them.
$35 for a cocktail is outrageous
All done with the tour group. I won’t stay in touch with anyone.
The cocktail was ludicrously expensive. Was about two days full food for sing/Malaysia.