If It's Monday, This Must be Singapore

My body knows that it is noon Sunday back home on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. But here we all are, my body, my mind and my travel buddy Bruce all wide awake in our comfortable, crisply- sheeted bed in the Bliss Hotel in Singapore. It is 3:30 am Monday morning. In the complete dark in this windowless cubicle we are trying to sort out why this is so much fun.  The room could be described as "minimalist" but in fact has everything that we need and is clean. Once we brought out our skills in operating in a compartment on a train or in the main salon of our boat we found a space for everything. We did hear our neighbour on his cell phone a few minutes ago....very clearly, but in a language we did not understand so we were not eavesdropping.

the clothes closet

the shower and potty closets

The best thing about this hotel is that it is right smack dab in the middle of China Town where the rapid transit train from the airport spit us out yesterday after 30 hours of uneventful travel on clean airplanes with courteous flight crews. We rocked and rolled through Singapore, clutching the overhead straps with our luggage between our ankles, while 30 Somethings plugged into their devices occupied  the seats clearly designated with graphics for disabled, injured, pregnant and elders convenience. We certainly thought that as a couple in our 70's, haggard after miles of travel qualified...but they did not move nor did we look beseechingly at their seats. The view of the passing city of massive apartment complexes, laundry strung from the balconies and broad,treed  avenues was better from a standing position and we were charged with adrenalin..a little puffed up with pride that these two old farts were still upright.

Bruce risked letting go of his strap handle to snap this photo.

Despite little sleep over the previous 36 hours, we set out for a stroll along Pagoda Street in China Town after we had unpacked in our tiny room.

The busy street offered many feasts for the eyes and the tummy! This sculpture of an ancient woman in traditional costume caught my fancy but not until I got home to see the shot on my computer screen did I realize the irony in the image. In the rear there are people waiting to get into the Chinese Heritage Centre  who are assuming almost the same pose!! 

The architecture too has been preserved and these colonial era buildings all have have bright beautiful shutters.

Each restaurant tried to lure us in with food photos and intriguing items!!

 With building appetites we opted for a fairly benign looking little place. It was early, perhaps five o'clock, but this is what the heat was doing to us and a beer sounded really good!

We ordered pork and greens and tofu and vegetables. It was tasty...but we will have to refresh our skills with chop sticks AND remember that, here in Asia, napkins are often just a roll of toilet tissue on the table.  Bruce ended up with little bits of tissue fuzz on his stubbly beard.

By the time we were leaving the little place was jammed with locals. One man was tackling a huge mound of the advertised pig bones with sauce.  On his left hand, in which he held the hefty bone he wore a latex glove, in his right he used chop sticks to remove the meat and gristle. The bare bones and puddles of sauce decorated the table in front of him.

Stay tuned for Little India!!