Saturday, August 4, 2018

Will Singapore make me obese?



Standing at an ATM machine

3 Notes slide out of the dispenser.
'3 notes, is that all!?' I think to myself.

I had gotten used to leaving ATMs with a equivalent of a wallet boner.  When you withdraw Indonesian currency in 50,000 note denominations, it's basically like putting a block of plywood into your wallet. But I wasn't in Indonesia anymore. It was time to say goodbye to those fat stacks of paper and 1c coins which couldn't be used for anything practical.



Welcome to Singapore

Downtown Singapore 


Abdullah Zeinab once said "Singapore is like one big food court, with the occasional tourist attraction..."

I can say with first hand experience that he was indeed very correct in his brief description of the the compact sovereign city state. Singapore for me is the land of hawker centres, an amazing public transport system, abandoned bicycles, drunk Chinese people, old people permanently bent at 90 degrees, and social housing done right.

If there is one thing you need to do in Singapore, it's visit one of the numerous hawker centres. Street food vendors do not exist in Singapore, and instead their equivalent can be found within large open-air complexes known as hawker centres, compete with bathrooms, dining facilities, wifi, and chinese people.
They might not be pretty but they sure offer great food at a great price. It's possible to grab a decent sized meal anywhere from $2.50 - $10SGD, with most of them priced at around $4 SGD.  Do you like Chinese, Indian, Malay or Western food. Take your pick because they're all on offer, and if you're not particularly hungry, then perhaps try one of the 50 different beverages on offer. Overwhelmed? Try the green one with the name you can't pronounce!

I found myself planning my days around a combination the MRT system and hawker centres which actually worked out quite well as most of them are within walking distance of a MRT station. 

Seeing as accommodation in Singapore is relatively expensive, I restricted the number of days here and subsequently, make a conscious effort to consume more food that I normally would. (Exception to the time I ate a family pack meal by myself at California Fried Chicken)

The 2nd most expensive meal I've purchase in Indonesia

I don't actually recall what exactly I ate or drink during my time in Singapore but all I know is that I barely scratched the surface.  Whatever it was or however much it was, I sure as hell spent most of it waiting in line for 2 hours and 20 minutes at immigration.

Good thing I loaded up on the chicken kebab wrap and balls of meat back in Singapore. (By the way I was walking and eating at the same time within the bus station, people must've thought I was American).

In Bali 2 minutes. In Johor Bahru, x90 that.
(If the immigration officer decides to take a shit, x92)


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