Why did my travel agent never mention the fact without a doubt it was going to rain in Singapore. Maybe then we would have decided to stay in Dubai longer or have more than one day to rest before going back to work.
It turns out there is no clear-cut wet or dry season and rain is experienced every single month, usually in the afternoons and early evenings. However, there are two main monsoon seasons in Singapore: the Northeast Monsoon Season which runs from December-March) and the Southwest Monsoon Season which runs from June-September. The latter is the one we experienced and it was not fun.
My old school friend recommended our hotel and it was a good spot. It was a bit older but far cheaper than the newer and more ritzy hotels. We enjoyed being in another hotel after so many hostels. As it pretty much continually rained while we were in Singapore we stayed in our hotel a lot of the time. Ordering room service was a treat and it was nice to just hang out in the room together.
The Southwest Monsoon Season meant there were showers and thunderstorm activity between predawn to midday. However, thunderstorms usually only lasted for less than 30 minutes. ‘Sumatra squalls’ are common during this period. These are a line of thunderstorms that develop at night over Sumatra, move to the west coast of Peninsula of Malaysia and hit Singapore during the early morning hours.
Despite the rain we took a sight seeing bus tour and briefly we were able to sit in the open deck area of the bus and enjoy Singapore. However, this was short lived when a crazy thunderstorm passed overhead and sent all is tourists running for cover downstairs. All of a sudden two levels of tourists were piled into the underneath section. Needless to say Lion and I waited the storm out on the bus and got off to explore once the storm had passed.
We discovered Singapore has a rich ethnic, cultural and historical heritage through the sights and sounds of the bustling ethnic enclaves, and the streets of China Town, Kampong Glam and Little India, where religious monuments nestle amidst quaint shophouses. Contrasting with the modern shopping malls and skyscrapers.
We eventually jumped off the tour for good near Marina Bay Sands and went to the shops below it to explore as it was raining, yet again. And unfortunately the rain turned into a crazy electrical storm and we were unable check out the iconic infinity pool at the top of the building.
Once again the sun briefly came out so we hightailed it to Singapore’s official committee-designed symbol the Merlion, half-lion, half-fish, which stares purposefully out at tourists snapping away from the observation deck just opposite. We joined them and were treated to a stunning view of the Central Business District’s skyscrapers.
After taking more selfies than probably necessary we went to get a cab home and finally snagged one at a hotel. We got home and decided we had had enough of sightseeing. It was almost two months of touring 13 places. And it was the best experience but we were tired and wanted our own home and own bed. And Lion had an infected toe from Dubai, so he needed to see a doctor and get antibiotics.
It was the first time I had encountered this nuisance creature and hopefully the last. While they were disgusting, it was the earwig which can crawl into your ear and then lay eggs on your brain, which eventually hatch and drive you mental, until you die. Although the bugs weren’t on our bed, but that of our bunk mate from the US, we opted to get our money back and leave. Lion was so distraught that I just said to him ‘where do you want to go?’ And he replied: ‘Take me to the Hilton’.
Fortunately, I visited Paris with my darling boyfriend, and we both enjoy similar activities and want the same things out of our adventures. We knew what photos we wanted to take and had the equipment to achieve them, even though it made our daypacks heavier than other travellers and our memory cards definitely filled up faster than our fellow snappers.
Thankfully he definitely didn’t disappoint. However, to really get the most out of the time it takes to get to Disneyland Paris and the money you spend there, you really need to go for at least a full day or get a return pass for the next day. We unfortunately missed out on seeing the late night fireworks that light up the iconic sleeping beauty castle as we had an early flight the next day. But one day I will return for a few days and not feel one ounce of guilt that I use up that time to rekindle my affinity with Disney.
This trip to Paris I ticked off a number of Bucket List items including Disneyland and the famous lock bridge. It wasn’t until I left Paris in 2007 that I realised the bridge was actually there. So, I packed a couple of extra padlocks in my bag ready for this occasion. Funny thing was I actually left them in my Montmartre hostel, that looked up to Sacre Coeur. So, Lion and I stopped at a market stall on the river and paid a hefty price for the lock, which we engraved, with the knowledge it would eventually be cut off the bridge by the local government. I remember watching a news story about how every few weeks or so they come and cut them all off because the bridge was apparently too heavy and bending in the wrong places. Regardless, Lion and I wrote our initials, and locked it among the thousands of similar padlocks. We then threw the key over the bridge and onto the water below for eternal love. And of course numerous selfies were taken throughout the whole process.
One of the other reasons for visiting Paris was to catch up with my gorgeous friend, Sarah. We met in 2009 when our mutual friend asked if Sarah could stay with me while she worked and lived on the Gold Coast as part of her gap year. I of course said ‘yes’ thus sparking a year where I had four and sometimes five Germans living with me at a time in a three bedroom duplex in Labrador.
Sarah was studying in the south of France and she came up for a couple of days around Bastille Day. I remember seeing her for the first time in almost five years and how happy it made me. It was like no time had passed at all. We met at the bottom of Sacre Coeur and went for brekkie in the cutest little cafe. The staff however were typically French and refused to speak to Lion and I in English and made my friend translate for us. The final straw was when my boyfriend asked the waiter if there was a toilet. To which the man replied: ‘no, you must go in the corner’. Lion called his bluff and walked over there, seemingly unphased by the public restroom. The waiter them laughed and said to use the one downstairs.
This sort of blatant rudeness also happened when we went out for dinner to an Italian restaurant in Paris. Yes, I know, we are despicable for not going to a French cuisine restaurant but we are pretty plain eaters. Regardless, in the middle of Montmart, they did not even have an English menu, or they refused to give it to us. So we just tried to read and speak French, which we always tried to do in Paris.