Walking Ixus

How bloody exciting. Went to the gym today. Unlike HK’s Causeway Bay gym, the Orchard Road gym had proper sized equipment so no backache and no pain…
Then it rained. A LOT. I’m not sure if this photo can accurately portray how hard it was raining, but it was hard! And cool! As in NOT HOT!

It cooled off about 30 minutes before it came down. Yeah!
Wound up going over to Johor Bahru for the afternoon.

It felt almost like going to Tijuana. Except maybe with nicer malls. And their Starbucks have free wi-fi! Wah!
You can see that there was a lot of planned construction here that didn’t pan out. Note the forest of rebar in this parking lot.

Awas! You see that a LOT around here.
There is a sign here that points the way to KL.
Then why did traffic come AT me after I took this snap shot? I’m told that this happens in Malaysia a lot.
Once I got back to Singapore, it was dinner at Newton Circus (food centre)!

I got some simple food, dry wontonmee and a big cup of lime juice. Great stuff, even when you’re drenched with sweat.

Tomorrow: Lunch with Truc and San and dinner with Sara-Ann (I hope)!

As I mentioned in previous post, this is probably my first (and last) unchaperoned time in Singapore. Each previous trip, I’ve been taken around by someone local (which is great, dun get me wrong) and seen part of their lives as demonstrated by where they chose to take me.
This time, I decided to let the MRT take me places.
I went to Geylang where Singapore’s unofficial red light district is. Actually, it’s a pretty nice, historic looking red light district. Didn’t take many pix because I didn’t want working girls hurling high heels in my direction. There IS some nice neon out there though.

After that, I chose to do a 180 and head out to Clarke Quay. It’s one of the entertainment districts along the river. There’s some neat looking restaurants and bars and coffee places. Also a Hooters. And all along the riverfront.
There’s a river taxi too. But not running at the late hour I was there at tonight. See?
On the other end of the quay is appropriately, the new and old houses of the Singapore Parliment. Can you guess which one is which?

When two old frens meet after 2 years…
“you let your hair grow”
“you lost weight. How much?”
Lines that belong in a Deep Space Nine episode…

Today turned out pretty full, despite the late start.
What started out with a short cigar and water turned into a long drinking session as only cigars and guys do. You can figure out the topics of conversation. Booze, cigars, women, money. But not in that order…
Note to cigar people reading this: The cigar lounge is in the Regent Hotel and it was once a La Casa Del Habano. Not anymore, but they still sell Habanos and a LOT of scotch! Macallan is the speciality of the house here.
Wound up closing the joint at 2100 and headed out to search for an Indian restaurant called A-1 Restaurant.

As you can see, I found it. Here’s how to get here if you’re so inclined.
Take MRT to Little India.
Exit C and walk toward Seragoon
Left on Seragoon and walk for a good 7 minutes or so.
You will walk past a mosque. Make an immediate left. You’ll see the sign.
I got there right before closing time. Ordered some chicken and curry. Note to you all: wash your hands first!

It was pretty good lah!
Will be seeing Yi-Lin tomorrow for tea and Truc and San for Monday lunch. Wonder what I’m going to be doing Sunday? =P
It’s 00:00 now and I’m all knackered out.

Soooo I got in very late last night. And slept until 1000! Dammit! Half the day is gone!
Inn Crowd is at heart a hostel as evidenced by the big shared kitchen (pic forthcoming). Coffee here is instant so the morning was tough for a caffeine fix. As I finally dragged my butt out of the door into the 30+ degree heat, I couldn’t bear it anymore and I stopped off at the Tekka hawker centre for breakfast/lunch.

I had the local version of wantanmee (AKA wontonmein). Not bad. Ran some errands and puttered around, trying to get re-oriented.
Yes the MRT is still spotless. And yes, the trains don’t run as frequently as the MTR in HK, but I’ve had to wait no more than 5 minutes for a train. And in this oppressive heat, who wants to hurry?
I figure tomorrow will be a good day to do some truly touristy stuff. Maybe visit Changi village or something like that.
Oh yah, these really big signs are posted in areas with busy traffic.
Makes sense don’t it. Won’t EVER see this in San Francisco, will we?

So I’m back in Singapore. It’s been 18 months since I’ve been here last.
Useful to know: If your flight gets into Changi past 2300, forget about the MRT. Be resigned to paying for a S$35 cab ride instead. There are van shuttles, but they don’t run much after 2300. I was there at 0000 and they wanted me to wait until 0100 to share a van. Yah, right. I’ll cough up the extra dough to get to the guesthouse. This is where I’m staying. Right in Little India.
But some things haven’t changed. Like how it’s a freekin’ blast furnace (83 degrees f) at 0100! That’s 1 AM for you people who don’t do time math…
Which means that it gets worse when the sun is out. Eeeeeeeeeee

Hopeful thinking lah!
Hanging here in the Silver Kris Lounge, having a Tiger Beer, using free wi-fi and just came outta the shower.
Now this is the way to prepare for a flight!

Sigh…

You know our favourite daan taat place, Tai Cheong Bakery is closing, right?
Since they announced their constructive eviction, it’s been hella busy with 1-2 hour waits in queue becoming the norm.
Well I queued up
and got some daan taat. Mmmmmmm!
Too bad lah! They won’t keep on the plane. But I got mine!
Burp!