{"id":468,"date":"2013-02-01T22:45:28","date_gmt":"2013-02-01T14:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.joel.net.au\/?p=468"},"modified":"2026-09-22T10:56:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T02:56:56","slug":"meanwhile-back-in-the-tropics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/day.lat\/lon\/2013\/02\/01\/meanwhile-back-in-the-tropics\/","title":{"rendered":"Meanwhile, back in the tropics…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hotel
Hotel in Chinatown, Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arrived in Singapore bright and early Friday morning after catching a 2 am flight out of Perth. Thought I would catch the train to my hotel, only to realise halfway there that I should probably have just taken a cab. Negotiating the subway transfers with full travel luggage during rush hour in busy Singapore was probably a bit much. Fortunately, the hotel, across from a nice little district of colonial-style architecture shops, agreed to take my baggage straight away, even though I wasn’t supposed to check in until 3 pm. <\/p>\n

\"Mass
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I used to travel to Singapore about 3 times a year a decade ago for business, but I have not been back in years. Traipsing through my old haunts in my very jet-lagged state, I snooped around the Bugis and Orchard Road shopping districts trying to stay awake. Fortunately, I checked back with the hotel by noon, and they had a room available for me. I went straight to bed for a 3-hour nap, then headed out for dinner that evening. Probably the nicest hotel I’ve stayed in on my own dime.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese
Chinese New Year shop display in Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Elderly
Elderly couple on Singapore street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looks like Singapore is getting ramped up for the next two big events: Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. Many Chinese markets had large piles of fireworks for sale, which I don’t think airlines would let me take out of the country. Valentine’s Day normally wouldn’t be worth mentioning, except that they had installed big, over-the-top purple light displays up and down the walkways along Orchard Road.<\/p>\n

\"Children
Children celebrating Chinese New Year in Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Chinese
Chinese New Year shop display in Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Chinese
Chinese New Year street markets in Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flight from Perth to Singapore<\/strong>
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