Familiar faces, familiar places

The world can be small place sometimes. I had a one night stopover in Bangkok and I decided to go to Khao San for a place to stay. Now I know people in Bangkok so walking into someone I know is not unthinkable, but I mostly meet people I know in other places than Khao San. However walking there somebody walked in my direction and waved at me. It took me a few seconds to recognise the guy waving at me; it was an old colleague of mine from back home. Now I was meant to meet my friends from back home in Singapore the next day but Bangkok being Bangkok you never know who you run into there. My friend was on a world trip with his girlfriend which left me slightly jealous but it was cool to see a familiar face again from back home.

My next flight would bring me to a place I had no direct desire to visit again. After my first visit to Singapore I was not impressed and have spoken badly about the city since, but I had a very good reason to fly into Singapore yet again. Roughly a year ago I wasn’t able to meet up with one of my best friends who was in the region and I’d be damned if I was going to let that happen again, even if that meant going to Singapore.

Aside from my reservations, after all my time in Asia it was nice to be in such efficient and clean city again. Shortly after landing and enjoying Singapore’s public transportation I got to the hostel where I was shocked by the prices (20 euros for a dorm bed, ouch).
It had been nearly two years since I’d seen Geert and his girlfriend Romee so I think you can imagine I was quite happy to see their faces again. So much has happened in the time apart so catching up would take some time but luckily we had days to do so.

To keep traditions alive and it being a Friday we had to paint the town red. We made for Clarke Quay where we were met a lot of people on the bridge pre-drinking before hitting the bars/clubs. Following example we did the same and enjoyed a few beers while being entertained by all that was happening around us. Drinks were outrageously priced but when in Rome… No just kidding, I bitched and moaned every time I had to pay these prices. We did have fun though and things were as just like old times, so yes we did manage to get appropriately drunk. More impressively after splitting up in the club somewhere, I managed to walk back to the hostel without having looked at a map of Singapore since my arrival. To quote Geert: “don’t let him alone during daytime because he’s got a terrible sense of direction, but when drunk don’t worry he always gets home.” It’s true though.

The next day was spent in Little India and in Orchard Street malls and on the top floor of some building for amazing views of the city. One of the new buildings in Singapore since my last visit is the impressive Marina Bay Sands, it’s the building made out of three towers upon which rests a ship-like platform. We would save going up there for another day at night time because now we wanted to see the garden by the bay. At the garden by the bay they had made these giant artificial trees which I had seen somewhere online before and I now wanted to see in real life. Back at the marina we saw some preparation for the Independence Day later that month which was an impressive display of armed personal and helicopters and fighter jets.
One of the things I noticed in Singapore was that everyone seems to make an effort to dress well, so when we went out that night in Club Street we made somewhat of an offer too. The street was perfect for people watching and catching up on our lives. We ended on a rooftop bar with the skyline of Singapore as our backdrop while enjoying some cold beverages.

Having missed Sentosa Island last time round I never heard the end of it and because it was wonderful weather we opted for a day at the beach. It was a perfect sunny day and I was confident that I’d be okay in the sun since I was fine the last time too. Too bad that last time was now already 6 weeks ago and I am an idiot for always being stubborn. But even with sensitive shoulders the beers tasted just fine and we had a great time.
We dressed up again to go to the fancy Marina Bay Sands and had a drink not drinks (since I didn’t want to pawn of my left hand for money) with a spectacular view. With the great company I had to say that the city was growing on me and that I perhaps had unfairly judged Singapore before.
Another day was spent at the beach and we went to some other familiar places from back in the day, a trip down memory lane if you will. On our last night we ended at the exact place we had started many years ago.

The following destination would be a city with an equally poor reputation as Singapore had gotten that last trip there. Kuala Lumpur was easily reached by a comfortable VIP bus and we found lodging in the golden triangle. The Kuala Lumpur story then reads very similar to the Singaporean one. We visited places missed on our first visit and revisited old places. Prices were better than Singapore but after Myanmar I still struggle a bit with adjusting. As with Singapore, I now have to change my opinion about KL, this city has proved entertaining and a visit worthy.

It was fantastic to once again travel with my old travel mate, now with the added pleasure of the lovely Romee. It’s amazing how we cannot see nor (rarely) speak to one another and fall right back into our normal routine. I do also miss all my other friends dearly but I’m afraid I’m not quite ready to go back the Netherlands. I am looking forward to seeing more sorely missed people in the next weeks and then eventually catching up with my family.

Since I won’t be back in cold Europe I am now spending some time in the Cameron Highlands where I can walk around in jeans and shirt without sweating, to feel what that was like again. Here I’ll wait before returning back to KL to be reunited with Tiffany where things will heat up again ;)