A day out in Singapore

Orchard Road - the main shopping street

So two Thursdays ago, I spent the day in Singapore. A modern, clean city island nation with a population of over 5 million and blends both Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. It is safe to say that Singapore is an anomaly amongst all the other Asian countries. To be honest, it was also an opportunity to get out of Jakarta and get some fresh air in my lungs and not worry about what filth I am going to find under my shoes. People I know who have been to Singapore have all said variations of the same thing. Basically, that it is nice and modern but it is not Asia as we know it. Either way, I was intrigued and having a few hours in a country has to count for something right?!

So why spend only a day there you ask? Well! My friend Manc C and I, were only there to get our 'paperwork' in order. We got up at before the crack of dawn to make our way to Jakarta International for our 6:30 flight. We arrived at Singapore Changi Airport at 9 in the morning. We both were hungry and tired but we had to find the agent to do our paperwork first before anything else. So we hopped on the Skytrain that linked us to the MRT, Singapore's efficient and reliable rail network that became our main mode of transport for the day.

After running around like headless chickens, we found our man and a Subway (Yes the sandwich joint, don't judge me!) We dropped our stuff and headed over for some grub. Totally missed having sandwiches with pork in it! After satisfying ourselves with some delicious subs and soft drinks. We decided to head to Chinatown to find some bargains. 

Chinatown as the name suggests is a district where the majority of the Chinese population work and live. Lots of tea shops, reflexology people trying to get some custom, beauticians wanting to thread away whatever available body hair you have and of course clothes shops LOTS of clothes shops. Sadly, I did not find anything that was flattering or particularly cheap in terms of clothes and neither did C *le sigh*. But, Chinatown had cool and funky architecture which is always cool to see in a new country.

Sri Marriaman Temple

After our wee wonder around Chinatown, we moved onto Little India to find some dinner and booze most importantly. There was one thing we did not count on, the rain! By the time we left Little India station; the heavens opened and soaked us (bless C, she did not have an umbrella so she got the brunt of it.) After taking shelter in the nearby market, we walked along the streets noticing the curry houses, butchers selling goat, florists arranging garlands of marigold for presumably a wedding. But time was of the essence and we needed somewhere to eat and drink.

We decided on the Banana Leaf Apollo Restaurant which specialised in North and South Indian Cuisine. We indulged in a bottle of Red Wine (my old friend!) and our food was to die for! I had the Mutton Ghost Bhuna with Butter Naan and C had Vegetable Biryani and Prawn Rogan Josh. We were very pleased with our spread:

Dinner 

Time was of the essence as our time in Singapore wound down. We had to go and get our documents and get the plane back to Jakarta.

So what did I think of Singapore? Well, I liked it! It's clean, modern and multicultural; three things that I love about a city or a nation in this case. It was a refreshing change from the grittiness and chaos of Jakarta. The architecture is certainly a lot more interesting in Singapore than in Jakarta. I would like to go back and do a proper tour as I missed out on the Harbour and do some proper shopping.

Have you ever been to Singapore? What was your impression of it?

Quick Update

It has been awhile since I have given a run down of what has been happening in the last couple of weeks. Not to worry, I am still in Jakarta and still teaching but I have been up to a couple of things.

But first let me start with a bit of gossip concerning my teacher house as seven became six. Two weeks ago, Big P flew the coop within four months of his year's contract. It is not surprising but it was the manner in which he left that I was miffed by. He basically did a runner! He despised everything about Jakarta and teaching. I will miss his banter - he had a lot of travel stories and a sarcastic tongue - but I will not miss his negativity - he hated Jakarta, the people, the job, the fact he was living with really young people (dude's 44, so old enough to be a dad to a couple of the house mates!). So moving on from that, we have acquired a new house mate albeit temporarily. My colleague T is staying for a month while his room is being renovated  due to serious leaking problems.

I have found two bars that I REALLY like in Jakarta. One that is within walking distance and is pricey and the other is a Rp30,000 taxi ride away and is pricey (I'm a girl expensive taste, LOL!) I will do a post about these classy joints shortly.

I had my first trip out of Jakarta on Tuesday. It was a public holiday and my house mate L and I thought a trip to Bogor would be a nice way to spend the day. We went with two other teacher friends and had a great time despite the inclement weather. Blog post coming up shortly for that too.

Lastly, I am rested up after spending a day in Singapore yesterday. I went with my friend Manc C for the primary purpose *ahem* getting work permits.  I think I like Singapore! I will do a blog post about that trip soon.

Stay tuned for other blog posts!

The Day I took an Ojek

Ojeks or motorcycle taxis are the easiest way of getting around Jakarta. They weave in and around traffic like no one's business, get where you need to go in quick time and can drop you right at your door. Seriously ojeks risk their life and limbs for a fare!

You also have to haggle the price with the drivers as they always suggest overinflated prices. For 20,000rph that covers a single trip from home to work and vice versa so a total of 40,000rph for a day's journey! On the other hand, the local bus costs a total of 4000rph for a day's journey, yes a whole tenth of the price! So why would I want to take an ojek when it is SO dear and the chances of injuring myself in an accident are high?! My house mates take ojeks wherever they go and have encouraged me to do so. But I resisted with vigour because I'm a coward like that but what to do when you have no choice?

I decided to take the plunge and take one. That day was Wednesday night about two weeks ago. I was tired and hungry and wanted to get home quickly from work. However, my usual bus was nowhere to be seen. I walked along the road checking every few seconds to make sure that my bus was not going to drive past but to no avail. But then salvation came.

I was walking along my road when I heard 'Ojek Miss?'. I looked up and saw this small dude pointing to his bike. I thought about for all of thirty seconds and thought 'why the hell not?'

I walked over and I asked in my best Indonesian 'How much to Plaza Indonesia?' He quoted a price of 50,000. I stood my ground and said (in English) 'I am not going anywhere for more than 20,000!' He then said 'OK, 25,000?' I started walking away before he relented and agreed that he will drop me off for 20,000.

He gave me the passenger helmet and hopped on behind him. I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with my hands. I see local women on ojeks with their hands on their thighs or gripping onto the driver's waist (come to think of it they are probably not ojek drivers). I decided to hold onto the back of the seat and took of onto the road. I gripped the seat for dear life and silently praying that I do not fall off. My fears were subsided as I took in the night air and the cool breeze blowing on my face. It was so blissful that I had my hands outstretched and let out a loud yelp exclaiming my exhilaration which my driver thought was funny. He dropped me off and I handed over my 20000 rph and thanked my driver. I walked away becoming a fan of the ojek and learnt lesson in not being a chickenshit and just do it.

I have now taken ojeks 10 times since but only when the situation is really necessary (traffic, protests, late coming home from work and the like). But I can honestly say, I enjoy taking ojeks as they are best way to get around the city.  

Bloody Traffic

As the title suggests, this is my absolute pet hate about Jakarta. The traffic here is RIDICULOUS on an epic scale!

  So why is the traffic so bad?! Well, basically here in Jakarta there are more cars and bikes than people and the infrastructure is SOO poor.

My first experience of Jakarta traffic was during my first week of work. I had a driver taking me to and from work; of course, traffic was at its worst in the evenings at rush hour. On the Wednesday of that week, myself and Girl J had to get out of our ride and walked some of the way home because we were stuck in traffic for over an HOUR oh yeah it was also raining cats and dogs . Bear in mind, the trip home or to work is normally a 25 minute journey so you bet your ass I was pissed off to be stuck there and then had to walk home in the rain! I had to take a photo to remind myself of this moment.

But now that I have lived here for a month. I have now accepted this is one of the many quirks that Jakarta throws at you. As a Westerner, yes it will annoy you on no end but it is one those things you have to deal with. I am slowly accepting this as a part of my living experience.

Have you ever lived somewhere where things irk you but you had to deal with it?