We stumbled into hot and humid Singapore after an overnight flight from Auckland blurry eyed and half asleep. The efficiency of the country in general required little thinking on our part and we were ushered to a taxi stand and whisked away on the expressway to our hostel.

Bumboats on the Singapore River

I always pictured Singapore as an exotic asian metropololis with all the chaos of Bangkok and the intensity of Hong Kong or Shanghai. I was not expecting such a modern, immaculate and terribly efficient city nor had I even known that the small island on the tip of the malaysian peninsula was both a city and a country. Just under 650 square kilometres, Singapore was once a British colony and it still bears its mark with English as the predominent language and left as the favoured side of the road. I felt strangely at home here among the 7-11s and all the favorite fast food joints and because like Vancouver, it is home to many different cultures.

After collapsing in our windowless concrete room for several hours, we wandered around Clarke and Robertson Quays on the Singapore river which is the site of the first British arrivals and for over a century the main artery for trade. It has had a make-over in recent years and a series of bars and restaurants now line the water in which you will not find a beer less than twelve dollars. We took a thirty minute bumboat ride down the river that steered past a very bizarre mascot of the island, the Merlion, an enormous lion head sitting atop a curled fishtail.

$17 Singapore Sling

A trip to Singapore is apparently not complete without a visit to Raffles Hotel - aka the inventor of the Singapore Sling. We chose The Long Bar as our bar of choice dolled oursevles up for a night of frivolous spending. Well oiled with a couple of pre-Long Bar rums, we slid into the jazz bar fashionably late and ordered a Singapore Sling and a Tiger Beer for the exorbiant amount of $37.00 SD. Listening to a Yoda impersonator's version of "What a Wonderful World," we tried to get our money's worth in free peanuts as we ever so slowly sipped our sickly sweet slings with all the other suckers under the mechanized fans.

There was really no question that we had arrived at the Night Safari when we saw dozens of life size animals made out of paper lanterns lining the road. It was creepy walking around a zoo at night on pathways that didn't really seem to be sufficiently separated from the wolves, fishing cats and the pacing hyenas. Especially scary was when we found ourselves wandering through a bat and flying squirrel enclosure. I didn't know that squirrels could fly and I still have never seen one. Brett, on the other hand, saw one just miss my head as I read their description unawares.

To kick off the Chinese New Year, we headed first to Esplanade Park with hundreds of others to take part in opening ceremonies. At 8:00 sharp, fireworks erupted over the Singapore River and the thousands of white lights and lanterns dancing in the trees above came alive.A twenty metre God of Fortune dominated the skyline where below, lanterns in the shapes and colours of the twelve famous animals told fortunes of the year to come. And appropriately in this year of the dog, man's best friend appeared everywhere in the form of lanterns, ceramics, carvings, flowers, posters, balloons with paws and string leashes, and even the real live thing! The patient were rewarded for hours of waiting with performing dancers and acrobats in vibrant traditional dress. We caught a glimpse of a dancing dragon manned by ten men and a couple of vibrantly coloured oversized dogs, but they too sailed past us to perform for a limited amount of people in a predetermined space.

Chinese New Year

The following day we headed out to Chinatown in search of a party with thousands of others. The crowd seemed to be a living breathing monstrosity. We were inhaled into the mass of market stalls where vendors indulge the hungry crowd in sweets, drinks, flowers and wares that dazzle the senses in a shock of colours, tastes, sounds and smells. We were thrust out just as quickly into a cooler place where we could rest a moment and nurse our thirst with a couple of ice cold Tiger beers. At midnight we were sucked in again by a hot crowd into a blurr of fireworks and stage performances and finally after the excitement of the initial celebration had finally died down, with a big sigh we were slowly exhaled into the train station where we could find our way home.

One themed attraction after another presented itself to us on the "island resort" of Sentosa. Once we paid the three dollar entrance fee, we were free to roam the island...for a price. Even the man made beaches charge a fee to sit in the beach chairs - S$8 for a single and S$15 for a double...and you are not allowed to bring outside drinks when you sit in them. We found an unmarked shady patch under a palm tree and although the hard ground could easily be felt under the soft white sand, it was still a pleasant experience. We managed to have a relatively free day, beach hopping to the next man made beach of Palawan which boasts to be the southernmost point of continental Asia. The information sign assures us that since Singapore is connected to the continent by a bridge as is Sentosa to Singapore and finally this tiny piece of sand is similarly bridged to Sentosa. Its a bit of a stretch...but who's going to argue it? Included in our entrance fee was the spectacular four million dollar Laser-Water show which include a mix of coloured lights, water fountains and laser animation featuring Kiki and friends singing and dancing in their fantasy world.

Canadian hosts, Stephen and Trish

Also offered on Sentosa is a fully catered Gondola ride from the Mainland and the excerpt from their brochure tries to target the romantics: "For those seeking a typical romantic dining experience, why not try our Japanese set meal while travelling in a cabin adorned with Japanese paraphernalia." It continues to talk about titilating dishes and vivacious mountains and how you can smell the romance and excitement lingering in the air. What exactly does romance and excitement smell like? Sushi and tempura?

We planned to go to Malaysia after a quick lunch with Stephen and Trish, a Canadian couple just settling in Singapore after living in Japan for several years; however, we quickly realized that we had a lot in common and it would be a shame to leave them (and their beautiful resort-like pool) so early. We postponed the departure until morning and tagged along to a poolside barbeque hosted by their Filipino neighbours. Everyone made us feel very welcome, and we had a great night before getting back on the road.

Singapore can be a completely different experience on a plumper budget as there is an infinite number of attractions to be seen all with a hefty price tag. There doesn't seem to be a part of Singapore that is untouched, ungroomed or non-commercial and there is a constant demand for attractions and amusements in a country that has very little natural landscape left. Coming from the untouched beauty of New Zealand, it is startlingly different to step into this tiny piece of continually groomed and regroomed land.

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