So J had a work project in Singapore and of course, as usual, I tagged along. After a pretty long and tiresome flight we arrived yesterday. It just so happened to be their 45th National Day, therefore a holiday, so J didn't have to work. Unfortunately, after eating a pretty early dinner, I felt too sleepy to explore. We fell asleep around 8 PM.
Today was my first day to look around and explore. I started by looking at online maps to see things from my list that were also nearby. I decided to head to the National Museum of Singapore. In the hotel lobby, I grabbed a few maps asked the concierge for directions and headed out. According to him, the museum was very close; only about seven minutes walking. I was to take a right from the hotel spa (which is in the courtyard and extremely nice), and walk a few minutes, and would see the museum on my right. Well, I didn't see it. I walked for what seemed like an eternity. I finally found an art gallery/hotel/shops. There was an old Sikh security guard roaming about so I asked him. Surprisingly, in perfect American English, he told me to take a right and then another right and it would be in front of me. Off I went again with new optimism. Of course, it was nowhere to be found. I did, however come upon the Raffles Shopping Arcade and Halls. They had shops such as Louis Vuitton, Moulton Brown, Armani Casa, and Cartier. They also had a creamery right in the middle of the courtyard. I stopped there and had some scrumptious ice cream and a (free, unlike Saudi) cup of ice cold water. There was an elderly Australian couple at the next table over and they kept smiling at me. I think they wanted to talk but weren't sure if they should.
After that, I looked through a few of the shops, and referred to my map for directions back to the hotel. It seemed easy enough so I began to walk. After a while, I came across the Raffles City Mall. It was huge and had more affordable stores. I walked around and looked at purses and jewelry and other things. Then I went to Robinson's; the big department store inside. They had an awesome selection of handbags and makeup and fragrances. More than Debenham's and Dillard's combined. I saw a few purses I liked, but didn't buy. I bought a mini hairbrush; my travel one seems to be lost, some new foundation, and the new Armani cologne for J.
Afterwards, I decided that taking a taxi would be the best idea, even if it did cost a few dollars. I waited in the taxi queue and ended up talking to a girl from New Zealand. She lives in Dubai and works for Emirates, and is here for 24 hours. She was telling me about life as an air hostess, and it does not seem as appealing as I had initially thought. They only spend 24 hours in every place they stop at, so their sleep cycle is really screwed up. Also, they never work with the same person twice; you only meet your colleagues for the flight 3 hours before takeoff. She was saying that she basically knows nobody. Seems like quite a rough life. In the end, my taxi came up, and somehow it took him 5 or 6 minutes to get me to the front of the hotel although we were only 2 streets away. I think he was pretending not to know where it was so he could let the meter run a little more, because we passed the side of the hotel within the first 3 minutes and made a huge square around. Pretty funny.
Hopefully tonight, I get to explore some landmarks and get in some sightseeing. I will try my best to update everyday or at least every 2 days.
Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment