I Am Lost Without You

The 5-hour bus ride to Singapore was extremely comfortable. In this huge bus, there were only three loungy seats in a row. There was even a small pillow for the neck, and a recliner for your legs. Except for a few minutes out of KL, we didn’t encounter traffic. The highway was wide, and the roadside was filled with trees which turned into thick forests as we went into the country side. The iPod really came in handy. There was just one stop over in Johor Baru.

Between 7:30 – 8:00pm we were already at the Singapore immigration. It’s a good thing G. advised us not to leave our bags when while have our passports stamped since bus drivers are known to have a shorter string of patience on waiting and are likely to leave passengers behind.

We took sometime since we weren’t able to fill out our departure cards beforehand. When we got back, the bus was gone. If our bags were still on that bus, that would have been a really huge hassle. The bus was supposed to take us to Boon Lay. The few Singaporean Dollars I had with me proved to be a bonus, since we just rode another bus (about 1.50SD each) from the immigration (I imagine to be somewhere in Woodlands) to Queens. While on the bus, it’s too noticeable how Singapore’s highways are peppered with directions and speed limit sings.

What probably was the most thrilling part of the whole trip was that we didn’t have any reservations in Singapore. And so we were there, walking on foot and looking for the street of the Lonely Planet budget-recommended hotel. D. picked it for its ideal location: it’s proximity to bus and train stations, and areas of interest such as Orchard Road, Sin Lim Square and Little India.
It was true that you’d really feel safe walking the streets of Singapore, and from what we saw at first the streets were really tidy. We just felt confident that we won’t get mugged or robbed. We looked at our maps feeling like real backpackers in this backpacker heaven, and we just walked rightly into place and found Jalan Besar, the street where the hotel was located.

The staff at the hotel, Lawrence, was quite friendly and helpful to the point of being endearing. We settled for 70SD double room with a queen and single bed, toilet and bath, but it was really small for a 70SD room. I didn’t have Singaporean dollars yet so I made a 50USD deposit to be returned after I change currencies. After accounting for what we paid for everything in this city, we didn’t wonder why this so-called “fine” city is also the most expensive, and yet worth the visit.

After we unpacked, I was first to take a shower. I told D. to get ready and I’ll be out to change currencies. Lawrence from the hotel gave me directions where I can find a money changer. It’s a 12 to 15 minute walk towards Little India, near the Mustafa mall. And yes, as I was on my own, I was lost.

D. was waiting outside the hotel and saw as I was walking very briskly towards her. It was almost embarrassing, literally and metaphorically true, that I was lost without her. Lawrence,

the hotel staff, was kidding around telling D. I was kidnapped. He assured her later on, that nobody gets kidnapped in Singapore. We hailed the next cab and headed for Orchard Road.