Declan is on a mission to wear me out, walking more or less aimlessly around the whole island of Singapore and the day ends with a massive exertion headache that forces me to abort night safari. It is too humid to be walking 15km a day and it’s clear the pace needs to downgrade in future days.
Walking to Prata breakfast we take a wrong turn and end up in a parallel universe where industrial fans and vents have taken over Singapore.Breakfast Prata and kopi. The Indian workforce of Singapore do not follow Christmas as a public holiday. Our later walk through a new housing development district was filled with Indian construction workers still on the clock at 7pm. We also saw their high density temporary dorm style housing close to the sites and it’s not the luxury of the Fullerton… The Barclay’s Singaporean sales girl I saw on Saturday evening said that Singapore has only been able to achieve such economic prosperity due to the massive imported ‘cheap’ labour, and it’s very clear that these labourers live an entirely different life to the banking class, to the extent they would never mix in the tiny island. I didn’t notice this amount of economic disparity in Thailand or Malaysia, where mansions with slides into a pool sat as neighbours to decaying shacks. 9am on Christmas Day, the gaming floor of a shopping centre was completely deserted.After breakfast we catch an MRT to the end of the line to Pungol, the suburb Declan lived in for three months one summer while interning at RR. Behind the boyfriend with the teh ice is the local kopitam where he had dinners, and one of the many HDBs of Pungol. A HDB is a bit like social housing, where you need to pass an low income test and be married in order to buy one on a 99 year lease. The marriage clause is contentious, as there is no gay marriage in Singapore, so these couples are not able to qualify for affordable public housing. The Barclay’s sales girl also said that a lot of Singaporeans get married young with the sole intent for qualifying for access into the HDB ballot. Apparently HDB appartments are ‘cash cows’ once you get one because the owner is able to sell in the secondary market to anyone at market price.The HDB where Declan spent his summer. It has not changed at all.Walking around the north east of Singapore in Pungol. A river softly snakes through the suburb and into the channel.Declan has told me before that Singaporeans are scared of lightning. I also found Thais had the same phobias.In the middle of a walk around a less populated water treatment region region a storm disrupts our day and we, as culturally sensitive tourists, take shelter from the lightning. A lightning siren is triggered and instructs us to take shelter in five different languages. Lie down and get comfortable as the storm rolls through. We’re here for close to two hours. We read, Declan naps and others arrive. There is a cyclist corner, a hiker corner, a family corner and a teenage boy corner. Teenage boy corner has a speaker and are blasting electronic tunes.The sounds of a disjoint set of strangers all hiding out from the weather on a stormy afternoon in the same shelter near Sengkang resevoir.After the rain dies down, our intended route is compromised by a pack of wild dogs. This is a repeated occurance for me in the non-residential areas of South East Asian cities. Declan diverts us through a small island called Coney Island which appears only used for ‘wilderness’ school camps. We end the walk at a seafood restaurant. This is an official thanks to sponsor of this evening’s chili crab, Dad. This is a fun photo – there is a lot going on once you look past the big crab sitting on a merlion. There are portable air conditioners being used outside. There’s a rooster in a cage, I think for sale. There’s one of the many, many indian workers knocking off work for Christmas and getting an ice-cream. There’s Malaysia in background across the water.Ready for crab action.Before.After.A new suburb out of Punggol in the process of construction with HDBs in various states of completion and lots of dead ends to get people who clearly shouldn’t be walking the area lost.Night Safari after chili crab. I love Night Safari. It is somehow way better than the normal zoo. However I’ve done too much exercise, not had enough water and skipped lunch because of the two hours lost waiting for the storm to pass. I get a lion sized exertion headache and can’t complete night safari. This is a sore spot between Declan and I, as he thinks my headache is psychological and I shouldn’t be taking ibruprofen. We don’t talk of night safari again the next day.
Wow Christmas was a saga! So much in one day! If we had lightning sirens they would be non stop at the moment.
Sounds like you are in another difficult tour group Cait? May have to pay the Fullerton single supplement?
Take it easy you guys. Hope you have have a more relaxing Boxing day. Love M xx
Declan and I am not sure why south east Asians are so afraid of lightning. It’s odd.
Hehe I am really noticing the lack of single supplement in this phase of my trip. The tour guide is more exercise focused and always wants me to buy him meals.
Boxing day was more relaxing my feet are happy to say.
Fantastic blog post.
Completely relate to your exertion headache. Had to bring in the bins yesterday and it was hot and humid and approximately 80 m return. Had a big sit down after that.
The first photo looks like a movie set. Even the back lane with all the bins is spotless. The rubbish must blow their minds when they travel.
Confused by the photo with the river comment. I couldn’t locate the river.
Very happy that you enjoyed your dinner. Did the headache start after dinner.
Did you leave a positive review for your last tour guide.
Do you have the same feedback option with your current guide
Dad: The headache did start after dinner. I think it was when I sat down the day caught up with me eventually.
I left a very positive review for the tour guide. He was very organised and made the trip stress-free.
Feedback on current guide might be delivered in a situation of duress.
Wow Christmas was a saga! So much in one day! If we had lightning sirens they would be non stop at the moment.
Sounds like you are in another difficult tour group Cait? May have to pay the Fullerton single supplement?
Take it easy you guys. Hope you have have a more relaxing Boxing day. Love M xx
Declan and I am not sure why south east Asians are so afraid of lightning. It’s odd.
Hehe I am really noticing the lack of single supplement in this phase of my trip. The tour guide is more exercise focused and always wants me to buy him meals.
Boxing day was more relaxing my feet are happy to say.
Fantastic blog post.
Completely relate to your exertion headache. Had to bring in the bins yesterday and it was hot and humid and approximately 80 m return. Had a big sit down after that.
The first photo looks like a movie set. Even the back lane with all the bins is spotless. The rubbish must blow their minds when they travel.
Confused by the photo with the river comment. I couldn’t locate the river.
Very happy that you enjoyed your dinner. Did the headache start after dinner.
Did you leave a positive review for your last tour guide.
Do you have the same feedback option with your current guide
Dad: The headache did start after dinner. I think it was when I sat down the day caught up with me eventually.
I left a very positive review for the tour guide. He was very organised and made the trip stress-free.
Feedback on current guide might be delivered in a situation of duress.