Well...one week has gone by...and let me tell you that it has been quite a roller coaster.Ever since the first day of travel, I knew I was embarking on a trip that will bring plenty of experience and knowledge.
I was lucky enough that on my trip to Singapore, I was able to get an upgrade and both portions of my flight through American Airlines...all the way to Tokyo. The final leg, on Japan Airlines, was a long 7 hour flight, yet it was quite comfortable.
Once I arrived to Singapore, and obtained my luggage...got on my way to finding an Airport Metro Car. Taxi would have been fine...but given the time of day (1 am)...I figure I go in a bit of more comfort....it was just and extra 10 US dollars. The cab driver spoke fluent English, just as almost everyone else here. He gave a narrated drive of the city on the way to the serviced apartments - driving by SunTec city - passing by downtown and Chimes ( a popular night spot ) and finally to the serviced apartments - or an apart-hotel.
This is when the adventure started...as I was checking in...the guest services representative could not find my reservation...and after waiting a good 30 minutes...they finally realized...that no...I had no reservation...hmm (i said)...it is 2am...I am in Singapore...and I have no place to stay. Well, they did find the reservation, eventually...except...they had me coming in on October 1st, rather than September 1st...oh...well, eventually they gave me a temporary room..until everything got cleared out. The living arrangements are pretty good...adjacent to a mall known as Great World City...with a food court (or junction, as they call them here), movie theater and shops. The amenities in the building are quite nice too. With a pool, tennis court, basketball, game room and bar...yes a bar..nothing out of this world...plus...alcohol is quite expensive here.
Well, after a good night sleep...Saturday was spent mostly resting and unpacking as well as moving into my new room. My roommate is from Jakarta (Indonesia), - and no...he is not with the militia, nor is he from Timor - he is quite a friendly gentleman in his mid-30's. Well back to my story...Saturday, met up with a colleage who works here and went to Bugis (the g is pronounced as in: good) Junction. Had some chicken and noddles and went shopping - did not buy anything, not yet...but there is all kinds of things you can buy...from Legitimate VCD (video cd) to fake watches ranging from Rolex to Tag Heuer to Baby-G. After that, went to Sum Lin (?) Center...it is pretty much the Best Buy of all Best Buys....six (6) stories of shops that sell electronics...if you can't find it here...you will not find it anywhere. From anything to anything in the electronics world can be found here.
Later that evening, caught up with another friend and decided to head out to the Westin hotel...the tallest hotel in the world i think...for now. There is a bar at the top of the hotel where you can appreciate the view of the city, especially at night. We were there having a few drinks and enjoying the view...when at the distance something caught my view...a bunch of neon signs...much like a Las Vegas from far away. Well this place with neon signs is actually a red light district...controlled by the government. What is ironic...is that pornography is prohibited...you will not find any pornographic material sold anywhere...yet the government sanctions and controls the local red light district.....hmm...is this an oxymoron or what? The government achieves this by forcing the "employees" of this district to maintain a health log as well as continuous health checks. Pretty much...and this applies to expats as well, if you come into the country and plan to stay for longer thant 30-60 days...you have to do a health check-up...tests for Tuberculosis and HIV are enforced...and if any of them failed...well...Sayonara...oops sorry wrong language...Good bye-la (as in singlish - Singaporean/English).
Anyway, work has proven quite a challenge...but I will not bore you with details of this. Unless you really want to.The people here are nice and courteous...and all speak english. From what I have heard and evidenced is that if you are a beginner to the Asian culture...Singapore is Asia 101 in the university of life. It is easy to get around...everything is labeled in English and in Mandarin. And almost everyone, speaks it very well.
The week went by and friday arrived. This was to be a great weekend...something that I hoped to cheer me up after a long week of work. It happens to be that my friend Todd Pingaro, who is now working in Manila...has a few friends from Hong Kong who were spending the weekend in Bangkok in celebration of a bachelor party. So, I had made plans...not even a week in Singapore and I am already on my way to Bangkok...one of the Sin City's in Asia...and if you ever came to Bangkok...you would see why. I am not going to provide details...as this e-mail is rated G for General audiences...but details will be provided to those who may wish to learn...by word of mouth (for now) what this Thai city can be all about.
Needless to say, the group of guys from Hong Kong are definitely a fun pack to hang out and party. The people from Thailand are very courteous in treating others. They really make you feel welcomed to a country where Westerners can be have a bit of a difficult time communicating as the knowledge of english is limited compare to Singpore where almost everyone speaks it. The city, although quite more dirtier than Singapore has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, I was not able to tour the area as I had expected...but I did buy some pretty cool software...and for very cheap...3 brand names for less than $10 US dollars. Amazing...food too was very cheap..I had some pretty tasty dishes for less than $1.50 US dollars and that included a Coke. The nightlife is very exciting and can be very wild. Again...I will not go into details. But it was quite an exciting weekend. It is a definite must see...so if anyone decides to come out here...please let me know.
Well, as you can see, things have been quite busy around here...for the next 2 weeks I will be working hard to get some stuff done and on my spare time will be doing some domestic tourism and getting to know more about this beautiful island-country. Hopefully I will get a chance to take some pictures and send them via e-mail.
Now, I am back in Singapore...getting ready for a brand new week. Hopefully this week will be less tortorous than last week.
I hope everyone is doing fine. Please pardon me but sending such a generic message to everyone but i figure it would be the best way to communicate with everyone how everything is going.
Please take care of yourself and hope to hear from you soon.
-Nicolas
ps. Also, if anyone knows of someone who lives here in Singapore, please let them and me know. ( Cesar ? )
Thanks, later.