Stage 1: Getting there
Aotearoa is pretty much as far as it’s possible to go from Blighty, so the journey was never going to be straightforward. The first day began shortly before the alarms I had set for 5.30. Although I slept surprisingly well, given how nervous I had become over the preceding days, I beat the alarms and was definitely ready and raring to go. A text at 6.00 informed me the taxi was on its way and half an hour later we promptly departed on a relatively warm but decidedly wet and dreary day.
With my first worry out of the way I could turn my attention to the next - how big a problem it might be checking in a large bike box? I needn't have been concerned and the person checking me in at Singapore Airlines barely batted an eyelid. The box, two panniers and bar bag were within the baggage allowance and size restrictions so perhaps I shouldn't have been concerned, and yet other tourers' reports do sometimes mention problems with some baggage clerks and some airlines. Having successfully passed through security I could now relax, grab a coffee and wait for my flight to be called.
Raining in Manchester? Nah, surely not.
The flight was almost twelve hours, largely uneventful, but offered little opportunity for a snooze. A family of five plus a toddler occupied the five other seats in the bank of six in which I was berthed. They weren't at all unpleasant, but (some?) toddlers do tend to squeal rather loudly which I struggle to cope with. The food and service were good though; I got to catch up on a couple of rollicking movies and remind myself how good ‘The West Wing’ was and still is.
Having touched down promptly at Changi in Singapore just after 07:00 local time, I was in no rush to get to the hotel. The passage though immigration was relaxed, although I did spot that arrivals were being scanned for body temperature by joint medical and military personnel, doubtless an understandable precaution in the light of the coronavirus outbreak [
This was still early February and the widespread and devastating effect had yet to fully unfold]. I wondered at the time whether changing conditions might have an even bigger impact on my homeward journey? Onwards to baggage collection to see whether my bike box had survived the first leg of the journey. Another worry passed as the box emerged from the oversize baggage ramp almost completely intact and with no more than a smallish tear where a handler had tugged one of the precut holes a little too roughly. Then it was off to baggage storage to save me having to lug the bike around the city. At S$54 for three days it wasn't cheap, but perhaps no more expensive than having to get a taxi capable of carrying a large box to and from the hotel.
Still too early to head straight to my accommodation, I chose instead to take a longer ride on the MRT (mass rapid transit) and get to see a little more of the city. The 'East-West' line was helpful here, it's elevated position offering good views of your surroundings, even though much of that was high-rise blocks. In the spirit of adventure I thought that swapping to the Circle line might take me to pastures new; it did. All underground! I was obviously beginning to suffer from lack of sleep, so I headed to the hotel to see if they would let me check in early. Bingo! Although a shower freshened me up, I still needed a nap before I'd feel up to the evening tour I'd booked.
When I left the hotel at 5pm, the temperature had soared to well over 30°C. Friends who had been to Singapore recently said how oppressive the heat and humidity could be. They weren't wrong! Opening the door from the hotel onto the street produced a blast of hot air similar to that when opening an oven door. Returning to the MRT provided some welcome air-conditioned relief for the trip across town to meet my guide and fellow group members for 'Feast like a local', a walking and eating tour around local hawker markets. After introducing ourselves, Melody, the guide, Joanna, Ksenia and I then were led into the local market and to our first tasting. There are rows and rows of small food outlets, each offering a particular dish or dishes. In front of these are tables at which the hungry can seat themselves - a more 'artisanal' version of the food courts to be found in shopping malls.
Although I wouldn't go so far as to call it an assault on the senses, there was a noticeable intermingling of pungent and spicy aromas, the majority of which I struggled to recognise. At each of the locations we visited, Melody would bring us several dishes to try from the nearest vendors. Each stallholder specialised in one or two dishes only. It was nothing like a cafe back home where you might get a range of options, including drinks. Here you went to the stall which prepared the food you were seeking. Over nearly four hours we took a table at each of four locations and during that time tried popiah, Xiao long nap, laksa, nasi lemak, satay, BBQ chicken wings, rojak and several others.
Good food and good conversation is a great way to spend an evening. I lucked out on both counts. It was such a lovely, eclectic bunch of people with whom to share a meal, folks I doubtless would never otherwise have come across. Each of us on our own adventure, but briefly coming together over food. If you're in Singapore, want some lively, wide-ranging conversation, interesting food and to learn a little about Singaporean culture then I'd wholeheartedly recommend Melody's tour; you can find it on AirBnB.
I made my way back across town, ready for a longer sleep. As I walked between locations, it struck me how warm it still was, even at 11pm. We'd spent the whole evening sitting out whilst we ate and at no point did I notice the inevitable post-sunset chill descending that we invariably suffer from back home. This I could get used to!
My second day picked up from the previous night - more food, but with a twist. This is a cycling forum after all. I needed to be at 'Nicholl Highway' MRT station by 9am to meet a new tour guide and pick up my bike. Well, not my bike exactly, but one that came on loan as part of the 'Bikes and Bites' tour. Already there when I arrived, Holden my tour guide introduced himself and explained I was to be the one and only participant on today's tour.
The Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam
The bikes were 20" wheeled folding bikes with eight gears and disc brakes - not too shabby at all. No helmets though and mine was still at the airport with my bike. Not to worry, although generally I always do wear a helmet, I don't fret too much when obliged by circumstances to do otherwise. And most of the route would be off road at a very leisurely pace. Similarly to last night, we would be visiting different eateries and sampling different dishes, but since travel was by bike, it was possible to cover more ground. It was also possible to learn a little more about Singapore from the different locations we visited.
From the meeting place by the Bay, we first headed inland to enjoy a traditional Singaporean breakfast at a quiet little cafe on the edge of the Central Business District. This was coffee, soft-boiled eggs (read very runny!) and kaya toast (sandwiched slices of toast spread with butter and kaya, a spread consisting of sugar, coconut milk and pandan). The coffee was excellent, complimented perfectly by the toast.
Singapore's population draws on a diverse and rich cultural heritage, its peoples tracing their heritage back to China, Malaya, India and the Middle East. It was during colonial times that the Island was developed from an agrarian subsistence to a centre of trade and commerce and as new settlers arrived, they tended to cluster together with others from their homelands. So in turn we visited these different districts and sampled cuisine which reflected the local ethnicities. Kampong Glam with the Sultan's mosque drew on Muslim heritage, but over the morning we also visited Little India and Little China. The streets we cycled along mostly served the tourist trade, but Holden helped peel back those layers to reveal the underlying history, something I would have missed had I wandered these areas on my own.
ArtScience Museum to the left of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and shopping complex.
As I found last night and was reminded today, the image of Singapore as an expensive place may be appropriate in some respects, but visit the right places and choose carefully and you can eat like a king on the purse of a pauper. The tour came to a close taking in the sights of the reclaimed land on which the Marina Bay Sands hotel and Gardens by the Bay now stand. Such impressive, amazing architecture alongside landscaped horticultural wonders. Equally or perhaps even more impressive at night, after expressing my gratitude to Holden, I made my way back to the hotel to freshen up before returning in the evening.
Most visitors to Singapore wax lyrical when describing Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore skyline at night. Now I understand why. I arrived in plenty of time for a stroll round the illuminated gardens before the Supertree light and music show. As you walk around, background music softly plays and contributes to the sense of peace and wonder you enjoy from the displays. I will definitely need to return during the day to doubtless get a different sense of the place. The light show was indeed spectacularly impressive, as was the fountains, light and music show out in the Bay I enjoyed later. Once more I was reminded of the pleasure and delight of being able to sit outside at night, whilst enjoying free entertainment.
My flight to New Zealand was in the evening of the following day, so I had time to spend putting my new found culinary knowledge to the test. I wandered out early for breakfast, before the heat began to assert its authority. At the Keng Wah Sung kopitiam (coffee house) I ordered my kaya toast and kopi kosong. Oops! The toast was delicious, but the coffee was black - I'd been given to believe that adding an 'o' (kopi o kosong) made it black. Apparently not, but no matter, the coffee really was very good and made without the fuss and palaver of the coffee machines that spit out often questionable quality coffee back home. And in total it came to the princely sum of S$2.70 or around £1.50.
I spent the remainder of the day using the MRT to provide occasional air-conditioned relief as it whisked me from place to place. I revisited the Gardens by the Bay in daylight, had a longer, more leisurely wander around Little China and took in the huge ‘People’s Place’ hawker centre - a bit like being in a Poundland the size of Meadowhall! After retrieving my panniers from the hotel, I hopped once more on the MRT, arriving at the airport around five hours before my flight was due which left plenty of time to collect my bike from storage and check it in with my baggage.
There’s plenty to keep you entertained at Changi airport, including the Jewel Centre which amused and fed me until it was time to head to Departures.
'Rain Vortex', at five storeys the world's tallest indoor waterfall
