Last night I ventured out for dinner and decided to walk a little further from my hotel to see what was there...more people and more malls. Singapore is heavily populated and there are people everywhere. It is more like a really big city than a country. I have decided my hotel is just in a big upscale shopping area and everything around it is nice and expensive. After looking around some of the big malls for a place to eat I picked a food court called the Food Republic. Just about every place I could find that wasn't fast food was about 25 or 30 dollars for dinner. I ended up at this food court that was just a little bit cheaper. I had a bento box and some sushi at a Japanese place and it was so crowded that I ended up eating at a table with strangers. They sat me at a table for 4 with a young Japanese couple...akward! They didn't seem to mind and they spoke Japanese the whole time so I had no idea what they were saying.
Work was pretty uneventful but it seemed a bit easier getting there since I had a better idea where I was going on the MRT. Tonight I decided to strike out on a little adventure and go where the locals eat. Last time I was here a cab driver recommended going to a place called the Newton Food Center for some cheap food. For some reason I thought it was within walking distance but after getting directions from the hotel desk I realized I had to venture out on the MRT again. It was only one stop down so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find. It was only about a 1/2 mile or so from the train stop to the food court.
Newton Food Center is full of what is commonly referred to here as Hawker Stands. They are more like a road side food stand but squished all together with a common, outside eating area full of picnic tables. I had to take another jam packed MRT ride to get there. It was really crowded this time and I was sharing lots of personal space as I wedged myself just inside the door. The place wasn't too hard to find and it was quite an experience eating there. I counted about 40 different Hawker Stands at the Newton Food Center. All different kinds of asian food, some Indian food, Muslim food and who knows what else. Most of the items there were fish dishes with one of the most common being Oyster Omelets and lots of other things I didn't recognize. When I first walked in and started walking around I was practically assaulted by people wanting me to eat at their stand. I am sure this was compounded by the fact that I was obviously a tourist, there isn't much way for me to blend in here. As I walked around I think all 40 shops had someone out front trying to lure you to their place. Honestly, it made me a little uncomfortable and I didn't want to stop and look too long at anyone place. If I kept moving I could get away from them! I made 2 laps around looking at some of the strangest dishes I have ever seen. There really wasn't much that I had ever eaten before. One of the nice things is that the Singapore Health Department ranks each one on their cleanliness and many of them had their letter rating posted on the front of the stand. An A was the best so that is what I aimed for. I wondered what rating some of them got that didn't have anything posted. I decided to play things safe and get some Chicken Satay which is basically chicken skewers. It came with rice that was made into a strange little square cakes that were sliced into quarters, some cut up cucumbers and some peanut dipping sauce. At home this would qualify as Thai food but I really couldn't tell what kind of food it was supposed to be from the booth. I got a decent size paper plate full of food for $6. You have to buy your drinks from a separate stand for some reason and I decided to go with an extra large bottle of Tiger beer which was a quite reasonable $6.50. After I had ordered I sat down and the other vendors left me alone. Well, except for the really old guy that kept coming by trying to sell me the cheapest looking watch I had ever seen. I entertained myself by watching the shop people at work trying to lure other people to their stands. By the way this is called 'touting' here and they aren't supposed to do it. There was really nobody around trying to enforce the rule though. I thought the food was actually really good. It was hotter than h*ll outside and I found myself sweating just sitting there.
Earlier in the day I learned another valuable lesson, if you take your umbrella out of your backpack it will rain. Most of the day it rained off and on and it was actually pretty nice because it cooled things off just a little bit. Instead of really freakin' hot and humid it was just pretty darn hot and humid.
After dinner I made my way to the train and came back to the hotel area. I stopped off at another odd little roadside stand for dessert. It was a McDonalds Cafe. It is out on the street and all they sell is coffee, sundays, ice cream, and flurries. (sorry, no dippin' dots, no fries, no bugers, no hot food) They had some tables on the sidewalk so I enjoyed a little people watching while I ate my ice cream. I had another little price shock when I got back to my hotel. Because I am in an extended stay area of the hotel, they have a small laundry room downstairs. I needed to do a load so I headed down to throw my stuff in. The surprise was that it cost $5 dollars to do your laundry! Not just $5 but $5 to wash and another $5 to dry. OUCH, I guess the hotel will get you anyway they can. Last time I came I had a little different situation with my company. I saved all my receipts and turned in an expense report when I got back. They said they would cover laundry expenses. I looked all around and couldn't find a laundromat, I don't think they have them here. I asked the other people I was traveling with what they did and I was told to send it to the hotel laundry. The bill came to $150! I was glad is wasn't out of my pocket. This time I have a little different situation and I have a daily per diem so I guess I the $10 doesn't sound so bad.
Gas in Singapore is about $9 and some change per gallon.
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