Singapore day 2

I honestly was so preoccupied with finding a dentist Thursday that a plan for Friday's sightseeing hadn't really been formulated. Many important edifices and institutions are right down the street from our hostel. I assumed that if Razelle wasn't up to anything ambitious then we could see some of these. Razelle and I went over the material I have on Singapore and soon a plan was formulated. It appealed to Razelle that we take a boat tour from the harbor. That sounded relaxing enough. We went to the "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf" shop at the corner by the synagogue and had a decadent breakfast. This must be the only place in town that serves kosher food. Razelle had a bagel with lox and cream cheese (I kid you not!). I had their brew of the day of coffee and a slice of opera cake (I said it was a decadent breakfast). We then entered the MRT (Metro Rail Transport) station at this same corner and started what had been planned as a relaxing day, only to have it turn out to be a nightmare (in Razelle's words).

Below the streets of Singapore courses the most amazing and efficient rail system you may ever experience (with a few detractions, but hey, nothing's perfect). We wanted to get tourist passes that would be good for unlimited use all day long. We couldn't get them at our point of entry. It took two short rides before we reached a station we were told had them; true -- but not before 12:00 PM (we had to wait 15 minutes, but the window truly did snap open at precisely 12:00 PM), and then we could only buy these with cash. Once we had these magnetic cards, Singapore was open to us to explore unhindered. 

We went to the harbor for the boat ride, only to find that these were in fact international ferries to Indonesia or else massive cruise ships bound for distant lands. We went to the Marina instead to see if a boat ride was available there. A massive development project is underway there, so the present Marina Bay train station is still a bit of a walk from the Marina itself. Razelle started out with a spring in her step, but by the time we reached the Marina Sands Complex, too many steps later, she was aching and discouraged. 

It was a day of pain and friction. We were not happy campers, even though this is Singapore's premier drawing card and tourist destination with lots to explore. I could just imagine CNN's Richard Quest coming through here. But for us, the glitz was tarnished by the distances and ensuing discomfort.




Whereas I had arrived in Singapore with a pain in my tooth, Razelle was now the one in pain because she had walked beyond her limit.

We finally limped back to our hostel in time to shower and dress appropriately for Friday night services and dinner. The services and the meal are supervised and directed by Chabad. We had a wonderful evening – in complete contrast with the awful day we had experienced earlier. We met a number of people at this dinner who have become valuable contacts. We got to introduce ourselves to our fellow diners, some who are local Jewish Singaporeans, some who are here as long-term expat residents, and some who are just passing through, like us.

As idyllic as Singapore seems, I learned from conversations with some of these people where some of the flaws in the system lie. I won't elaborate here, because I have the beginnings of an interesting social science paper buzzing around in my head; after all I was told I can't keep it all straight right now. I want to do some fact checking before I write anything that might be inaccurate. Suffice it to say that Singapore is like a Bermuda onion: translucent, shiny, sweet, pink, and mildly zesty, but multiple-layered. I am curious enough to peel back some of these layers to see what Singapore is made of, but I'd hate to damage its integrity in the process.