Arrived in Singapore!

Finally Ive managed to find an internet access point! - Singapore is so wired that every home has net access and there are no internet cafes here. I just found a spare pc in the hotel Im staying in...

Anyhoo... after a raucous last night in Bangkok (!) (where I spent a bit too much money than I would have liked...) I checked in well on time this morning. Predictably my OVERSIZE case was 45 kilos (10 kilos overweight!) and so I had to take out one of my backpacks and repack some of my stuff into that.. not really too much hassle since I was WELL EARLY (3 hours before flight!). Had to pay 25 US dollars for the overweight bags though

Flight was really nice on Cathay Pacific.. had a whole front row to myself with lots of leg room so it felt like a first-class flight... flight was only 2 hours and then we arrived at the LUSH Singapore airport. This airport really IS nice! Its nice to be surrounded by so much luxury after the last 3 months without.

To put it straight: Singapore aint cheap. All the hotels I checked are around 35 Singapore dollars minimum (17.50 euros) per night and are usually far out from the centre. My taxi driver recommended I stay closer to town since Id save more money by not having to take transport everywhere if I was already in the centre. Sounded sensible enough to me. I found a hotel right smack in town for 50 S$ (25 euros) per night... sure Im only here 3-4 nights so I might as well live in style for a while!

Ive just come back from my first look at the nearby electronics plaza. This place has EVERYTHING! Its a gadget-loving-freak-heaven, my kinda place. The prices are really good though. Easily a lot cheaper than anything that Bangkok has to offer (although my PC was on sale at a higher price than what I paid for 3 days ago! ROCK!)

Singapore is quite unlike any of the other countries Ive visited in South East Asia. Apart from the abundance of wealth, the tech-savvy culture, the skyscraper skyline and spotless streets (you get fined HEAVILY if you drop litter or chew chewing gum), most people speak English (with strong American accents) and even all the local tv is in English?! Cantonese is the local language Ive been told, but with so many diverse cultures (Indonesian, Chinese, and Indians can be spotted mingling in the markets) theyve decided on the lowest denominator language: English.

The food selection here is quite fantastic too. At last I can eat exotic food WITHOUT having to worry about it poisoning me!!

Roll on tommorrow when I start making some super money-saving purchases...