This was a tough morning, but fortunately we had our Furama Hotel Buffet to look forward to. We made it down by 10:15, and were smart enough to bring the backpack and fill it with cheeses, pastries, and breads as we shoveled our faces with food. We quickly showered and packed our bags and then made our way to the MRT (Singapore subway). This by the way, was pure torture! The humid, sticky Singapore air was making us drenched in sweat and carrying our 20+ kg backpacks was definitely a workout that we didn't ask for.
By around 2, we had finally arrived at our final destination after walking, riding the MRT and then transfering to a bus, waiting again, and then riding a campus bus we made it to the student housing at NUS (National University of Singapore). Yorks friend had agreed to let us stay in his dorm because he was going to be at his parents house anyway, so we had a cheap place to stay for the rest of our trip.
We chatted with him for awhile and he was really cool and helpful in explaining the rules for us. I had to be in hiding and actually wasn't supposed to be there, so it felt quite strange for me since I am 26 now, and haven't been in a dorm room since I was 18 and just had started university.
With most of the afternoon gone, we didn't have much time to do anything, and I was getting really cranky. York has lived in Singapore for 6 months doing exchange studies, but for me this was part of my travels so I really wanted to see the sights and not waste my time. We flipped through the Lonely Planet and finally agreed to go to the Botanical Gardens.
It was a bit of a journey to get to the Botanical Gardens. Bus, then MRT, then we should have taken a bus again but I thought it would be faster to walk so off we went. I was in a supreme cranky mood as well! Hot sticky air, moving bags, traveling all day, and a hangover... and now walking in the sticky air to the Gardens. York was trying his best to make me happy, but I was just exhausted. Just as my crankiness was climaxing the rain started drizzling down on us.
"Do you really want to go to the Botanical Gardens?" York questioned to me.
"Of course! We haven't done anything! I didn't come to Singapore to not see anything!" I yelled back.
And off we tredged to the Botanical Gardens. If I wasn't yelling at him, he was yelling at me. Then we would apologize and walk in silence. It was one of those days when the silence was almost worse than the verbal fighting. Eventually, we made it to the gardens and the beauty of the place took the edge off of our battle, but only slightly.
The Botanical Garden was truly breathtaking though! The path entrance felt like I was walking into Jurassic Park or something. The entry way had a splashing waterfall, and every corner had some exotic flower or plant that I had never seen before. The actual park is completely huge with 52 acres, but we were short on time, so we were only able to walk around one of the ponds near the entrance.
When we got close to the pond, I was amazed by all the wildlife. Fish were coming to the edges in masses, and turtles kept popping their heads out and swimming over. I had no idea but there was an area where we could buy fish food, so the animals are expecting food when they see people near them.
After we left the Botanical Gardens, York had to go to the electronics market called Sim Lim to buy a LAN cord for his computer and then we were going to get some food. I was still cranky and we had been continuing on our silent battle for the most part of the day, so it was getting to be a dangerous time in the day. He suggested we go to a place called Food Republic to get some food.
In Singapore, the food courts are supposedly famous for great food, but that doesn't mean I like them. We arrived at Food Republic and it actually looked like there was some good food, but the place was crowded with Chinese people and families with no tables in sight. My eyes were tired, my body was sore, and the noise and lack of seating were driving me crazy.
"York, how about here" I suggested we eat at an Indian Restauarant in the center of Food Republic.
"WHAT!?!?! You want to eat here? You are crazy!" He barked in his German accent, completely shocked that after all our traveling I suggested we eat at an Indian restuarant.
We stormed out of the food court, in silence. Once we reached the street our fight proceeded, with each of us stating a point and then the other debating over how ridiculous the other was. We finally agreed to just go back to Clemente (the area we were staying in) and eat somewhere nearby.
Once we arrived we settled on a cheap sushi restaurant, and then headed back to the dorm to sleep. We both were still feeling angry and cranky, but at least we hadn't resorted to physical violence.
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