Location: Singapore
NP: Antiloop - Nowhere to Hide
Mood: Blissful
The MRT slid into view from behind the concrete pillars at Aljunied Station. The station was all polished stone and metal and glass. And it was clean. Far cleaner than I was accustomed to by now in all the slums they called cities that I had visited. On the way there it had rained a little. This was in Geylang, one of the shadiest districts in the city. And still it was clean.
A vast urban metropolis with futuristic skyscrapers, strict rules and cleanliness surpassing any other Asian city. This is Singapore, the "nicest place you'll find in Southeast Asia" according to Lonely Planet. I was to spend just two short days here and meet an old friend.
She sat on the bench at City Hall Interchange and smiled at the sunset in Marina Bay. This abstract landscape of skyscrapers, water and park seemed calm and fragile like an illusion that's ready to pop. On the background flocks of tourists failed to capture on film the beauty of their surroundings. And the gay mermaid lion stood as a proud icon of the bay area.
It may be expensive by Asian standards, but Singapore is also efficient, safe and modern. For a large metropolis, it is surprisingly smooth and relaxing. It is a dashing urban monument for future generations of corporate leaders - efficient, strict and to the point.
Epic Gear at the basement of Sim Lim Square in Little India was a tiny computer shop where I'd been invited to meet an old friend I'd met on the Internet over 15 years ago, when I entered the enchanting world of MUDs as a teenager. One of the owners is another friend from the same game, from a time so far away that it seemed almost unreal to meet them.
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| Blackice and Marlboro in all their glory at Epic Gear. |
Singapore had much left to offer and much more to be explored. We'd had far too little time, but oh how I had enjoyed it. I left her there on Aljunied station, torn to leave so quickly, so abruptly. The ease of the MRT was something worth noting. Perhaps they could learn a thing or two about this system in Tokyo. Stepping off at Tanah Merah station on the green line, the MRT to Chanqi Airport was already there, waiting. The airport was just two stations away.
Goodbye Singapore. One day I must come back and see you again.
Could you give some notions how the dynamics between you two have worked out? How goes your typical daily routine, as one and as two?
ReplyDeleteWhen are you coming back to Finland (if it goes as planned)?
-Diego
Usually we travel, share the room and see places together, but every now and then take a break from that habit and get separate rooms. For example in Singapore we spent the first day separately and the second mostly together. So far it's been pretty easy and there are no real problems.
ReplyDeleteMika has some odious personal habits though, such as leaving sweaty clothes unwashed and laying on the tv(!) and washing his dirty laundry by hand when it costs a dollar or two at most to use a laundry service nearby. The hanging clothes in the room bug me for there's no way of telling if they've been washed or if they're just sweaty. Often enough there's a smell about that tends to put a stop to further examination.
We'll be back in Finland right in the beginning of August.