HOW MUCH? (31/1-1/2/09)

SATURDAY 31ST JANUARY

The bus journey at 08:00a.m, was very comfortable and quick, and got us to Johor in plenty of time. All you do when you arrive at the border is buy a bus ticket for about 20p and that takes you to the rest of the immigration points; all you have to do when you get there is smile and fill out the departure and arrival cards. The easiest border crossing I’ve had to negotiate. Louise on the other hand had to wait about half an hour for the immigration officer to fill out the cards for two Malaysians. That wasn’t really the problem; they were holding up a queue they shouldn’t have been in in the first place.
Finally we made it to the nearest SMRT to make a train to Al-Junied station. Easy. Welcome to Singapore, everything’s simple and everywhere is spotless. However, the only currency they take at the SMRT is the Singapore Dollar. No use then having about £75 worth of Malaysian Ringgits. If you go to Singapore use the MRT to get anywhere that’s more than a 20 min walk. It’s so cheap and clean, you’re not allowed to eat or drink inside the stations or the trains.
We made it to our hostel at around 14:00p.m, even though we went the wrong way for about 10 mins. The booking even said turn left as you exit the station, not, walk past the grass and turn left down the street.
An hour or so later we were showered and changed and ready to head out for the day. The first stop on the mini break was a visit to Raffles Hotel. The establishment itself is very exclusive when it comes to letting any Tom, Dick or Harry through into the foyer. I was wearing shorts; this automatically disqualified me from entering the building through the guest only entrance. I wouldn’t have argued if that was a fixed rule, but no more than one minute earlier a man in shorts had just vacated the building from said exclusive area: he wasn’t even staying there. It must have been my substandard appearance. We were eventually escorted round the corner to the long bar. Ok so the Singapore Sling was invented here in this bar, it doesn’t mean they should cost S$22(£10.48) each, they cost more than that though because we got a glass at S$10 as well. We drank that in pretty quick time, not sure if there was going to be a charge for loitering; they charged for everything else except the nuts so I wouldn’t have been surprised. Talking of nuts, that’s the best part of the experience, throwing monkey nut shells all over this five star hotels’ tiled bar floor. Everyone’s allowed to do it, even the ones in shorts. If it wasn’t already the most costly alcoholic beverage I’d bought in my life, I was intrigued to see what a S$18.50(£8.81) pint of lager tasted like. I can tell you that it was ok, but a £2.50 pint of Carling’s better.

So the final bar bill read like this:

2 x Singapore Sling S$44
1 x Raffles Glass S$10
2 x Tiger Lager Pint S$37
Service Charge @10% S$9.10
GST @ 7% S$7
Total S$107.10

S$107.10 for 4 drinks is a little extortionate, especially in these uncertain financial times and even more so because I really am not rich, even though I’m travelling the world (Hard work kids, it really pays off.). I advise everyone to stay away from this bar, unless you really can afford it (In which case go wild!), and especially if you’re not used to paying more than 3 quid a drink!
The spending for the day didn’t ease up. We went on a little cruise up and down the river. For nearly 20 quid it should have been longer than 30 minutes. Then we got collared by a restaurant on the quayside that offered us 2 free drinks each. We felt obliged to eat there. The attitude changed when we got a bill for S$80(£38). We only had 2 dishes and some rice. Anywhere else in Asia it would have been less than a tenner. I managed to get the tax and service knocked off with a little English charm; I’ve got that in abundance you know.
So after a very expensive day we went back to the hostel on the MRT. No problems; other than the fact I almost got in a fight with a prick with no manners who barged into me and a young Japanese girl whilst getting off the train. If you apologise I have no problems, but rudeness is intolerable.

SUNDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

After spending a ridiculous amount of money yesterday, the majority of the day was spent in the hostel, checking e-mails and the like. We did venture out for a bite to eat, but nothing of any interest happened if I’m totally honest.
The evening didn’t see much change. Long Dave finally got his webcam to work after 3 months of trying (Long Dave’s my best mate and rubbish with technological advances. It’s a little worrying because he drives a tower crane for a living.), so I could finally see who I was talking to. At 11:00p.m, we went out to watch the football. We couldn’t find anywhere other than a really expensive expat place. If it wasn’t buy on get one free it would have been S$16 plus tax and service of 17% a pint. We only had two drinks each, and with a taxi back to the hostel as it was 02:30a.m, it cost us the best part of £30.