Singapore Sling
Oops
After a couple of days in the wonderfully sterile city of Singapore we were itching for a change of scenery. With cranes busy in nearly every corner of the city we fancied something altogether more rural, more ‘Malaysian’. We’d heard about an island called Pulau Ubin from the ‘Yes Man’ book by Danny Wallace. He described it as a tiny Island with hardly anything on it where you can hire bicycles and cycle at your leisure. Great we thought, and headed straight there.
About an hours bus ride and 20 minute bumboat ride from Singapore, it’s quite a trek to get there, but it’s worth it. The island is beautiful and very quiet. In order to see it you have two choices; you can either cycle or hike. We went for the two wheel option thinking it would be much more enjoyable, how wrong we were.
After hiring bikes for a mere £3 we set off on our journey (no helmets included of course!). Cycling for miles we bumped into hardly anybody, sometimes we would pass a heavily armed soldier on patrol or a lizard sliding its way along the road, but that would be it. We had a great day, we lapped up the scenery as memories of the childlike joy of cycling flooded back. Why had we not cycled in so long?!
As the hour passed 4pm we decided to return to the pier. I thought we should make one last video so I stayed back at the top of a tarmac hill. From here I could film the boys as they rode ahead of me. Once they had shot off down the hill and round the corner I set off, hurtling down the hill, camera in hand. I began to pick up speed incredibly quickly, the road was flashing past at a terrific speed. Suddenly, terrified I panicked and squeezed the breaks in my left hand, the only hand I had free. Little did I know, these were the front breaks.
The next thing I remember is lying face down in the middle of the road, streaming with blood. I had no idea where the blood was coming from, and was completely in shock. I had gone straight over the handle bars. Luckily for me, a local was cycling in the opposite direction and saw what happened, he rushed straight down to hill to get Olly who returned as fast as he could. Olly was fantastic, running up to me, he looked me straight in the eye and told me everything was going to be OK. I couldn’t quite comprehend what had happened and shaking I became terrified. I had a large bump forming on the back of my head and blood would not stop gushing from my face, turning my white top a dark shade of red.
At just that moment the army drove past, an absolute coincidence, but one that saved my day. Olly flagged them down and they bundled us into the back of the truck and took us to the Island volunteer centre. Here, a woman came running to meet us, she sat me in the middle of a playground, did all the emergency checks and patched me up well enough to get me back to the mainland. It emerged that I had ripped my chin open and would need to go to A&E to get it checked out.
I was quite a state, shivering, crying and covered in blood. We boarded the boat and after a painful 25 minute ride we jumped straight in a taxi to the hospital. I was seen at Changi General Hospital and I have to say it is the best medical service I have ever experienced. I was put straight into a wheel chair and covered in blankets. Olly was issued with a face mask that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with and whisked off to the payment station. After an initial assessment I was sent for arm x-rays and stitches in my chin. After Olly had returned from the ‘accountants’ he wheeled me round to wait for the operating theatre. We were situated right outside the ambulance entrance, so for the next hour we had front row seats while case after case of emergency victims were rushed in. It wasn’t the best place to wait in terms of nerves, but at least it showed me things could have been a lot worse. Then I was called in.
I would have to say it was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. I was lying in a freezing cold operating theatre, having had six needles in my chin to numb it, followed by six stitches artfully sewn by no less than three medical staff (I think someone was being trained up!). I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. It definitely wasn’t the way I’d planned to spend my evening!
After the stitches it was confirmed that I had fractured my radial head (bone at the top of my lower arm) and I was sent to be put in plaster. What a day!
It is certainly an experience I wouldn’t want to go through again, but the medical care I received in Singapore, and am now receiving in Australia, has been absolutely fantastic. The whole trip to A&E, including all medication, stitches and x-rays cost just £32, and all medical care in Aus I’ve had so far has been free!
Obviously the accident has impacted my blog writing somewhat so we’re now a couple of weeks behind schedule. However I’m pleased to report that my chin is healing nicely, and I’m beginning to use my arm again. I will have a scar and I’m still sporting a fashionable sling, but it will be a good story to tell everyone when I get back! Olly has been a star carrying all my bags for me, though he thinks he’s shrinking under all the weight. It has been a pain not being able to join in with the activities like swimming, snorkeling etc that the boys have done, but I’m sure I’ll be able to make up for that later on in the trip.
An accident abroad is never something that you plan for, but in my case, as horrendous as has been, I have had lots of fun getting over it. Though I will live with the scars forever I’ve found everyone I’ve met to be extremely helpful. Thank God it didn’t happen in Thailand!
I say chaps, fancy a cocktail?
Raffles hotel
Everyone knows that when you’re in Singapore, you have to go for a Singapore Sling at Raffles Long Bar, where that infamous cocktail was invented. We dressed to impress (well as much as you can when you’re backpacking), and headed straight there.
As we walked into the bar, we were quite shocked at what we found. The Long bar is incredibly busy, Singapore Slings fill every waiters tray, tourists fill the isles, taking pictures of each other with the fruity cocktail they’ve just paid £12 for. One of the biggest surprises was the crunching under your feet as you walk into the bar, the floor is filled with shells of monkey nuts! As you may have guessed, we were a little disappointed, expecting a bar that was the height of luxury, we felt like we’d walked into a bit of a tourist trap. Tom and I ordered the obligatory Singapore Slings, whilst Olly in his rebellious mood, went for a Talisker.
Before leaving that night, we had read in the Lonely Planet that instead of going for the Long Bar, we should go to reception and ask for the Bar and Billiard Room. I tell you, we did, and it was incredible! In the heart of Raffles it seems to only be filled with people ‘in the know’. Gone are the monkey nuts and tourists. In their place we found a beautiful terrace filled with luxurious sofas and personal service from the attentive waitress. We ordered Martinis and sat down, half expecting to be asked to leave for being too common. Eventually we plucked up the courage and asked to be moved to the billiard room where Olly and Tom competed in a game of snooker. We felt like backpackers disguised as the rich and famous. On the table beside us the poshest people you have ever heard drank wine and played billiards. It was like an invitation into another world.
If you are ever going to Raffles, do as Lonely Plant instructs, head for the Bar and Billiard Room, same price as the long bar but more esoteric and a million times better. What a night!
Ps. Olly would like to inform you all that he beat his brother at snooker, after a grueling 50 minutes he sunk the black with an exceptional shot (so he says).
A day at the zoo
It's a hard life in Singapore Zoo
Hello readers and welcome to a different kind of post – one written courtesy of me, Tom. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the blog and do so with relish!
My first post chronicles our trip to Singapore zoo, touted as one of the world’s best no less, which naturally buoyed our expectations. We were certainly not disappointed as instantly we were confronted by monkeys, free swinging in trees above our heads, certainly not something I’ve ever encountered back home in Colchester zoo!
We quickly discovered the importance of feeding time; now please don’t doubt this has been an important occasion for the vast majority of my waking life to provide the necessary sustenance for living, but what I refer to here of course is the feeding of the animals! Not only does this facilitate learning about animals (always good to be on a first name basis with them) but it also provides an insight into just how cool it is to see a polar bear munch through a water melon! Now i can imagine that you’re thinking that a polar bear and a tropical climate go together about as well as cheese and a full stop. However he was well catered for with his own air conditioned den, which led me to believe his plush accommodation somewhat surpassed our relatively modest hostel dwellings.
We preceded through the zoo, taking in a vast assortment of new and exciting animals, each unique in its own way but also often amusing (especially in the case of the baboons!). The particular highlights were the opportunities to take a stroll through the animal enclosures themselves; entering into the inner sanctum of the beasts. These experiences culminated most comically in ‘The Forbidden Forest’, where Laura went to closely observe the Fruit Bats, leaning in and holding onto the handrail to achieve the best position, only then to discover that the handrail objected to being held as it recoiled in confusion and emitted an inquisitive cherp. Laura screamed and jumped back, to reveal the Iguana perched on the rail, suddenly the whole event made sense and a mixture of laughter and relief ensued.
At this point the heavens opened and (as we were later to discover) the Singapore 4 o’clock rain tap was right on cue, so we fled for cover. Luckily we were rescued by the helpful staff driving around on motorized vehicles used to ferry people round the zoo. At least this was the fanciful vision we’d imagined which quickly dissipated when, for the third or fourth time, the vehicle cruised by without a care in the world and we were left to wander back when the rain finally abated, of our own accord. By this time the zoo was closing and many an animal had been seen and photographed, luckily for us we were at Singapore zoo and this was only the first half our adventure, the night zoo was still to follow! A zoo with animals at night – how could that possible be a bad idea..?
Can you see him? No? Neither could we.
So…as you can see (or not as the case may be) a zoo at night, whilst sounding like a capital idea, does actually have one slightly prohibitive drawback. Notably the lack of light, generally regarded as essential for the viewing of animals in their natural environment.
A typical experience consisted of approaching an enclosure, standing and observing silently for 30 seconds or so and then the standard question of “can you see anything” would be posed, only then to be rebutted with the inevitable “nope…” and we’d move on. This formed the first half of our night zoo safari where we decided to fly in the face of convention and wander around of our own accord. This strategy was then abandoned when we had to bite the bullet and pay the $5 for the tram which drove past all the animal enclosures. What followed was a change in fortunes of epic proportions, how wonderful to (finally!) see some nocturnal animals. Not only were we now able to see them, but also learn about them with the aid of some commentary. Did you know for instance that giraffes sleep sometimes for only 10 minutes a night? No I didn’t think so. All this and more is available with the night safari’s tram and its unerring ability to always be at the right place at the right time for the best animal spotting.
We returned after a fantastic day, exhausted from walking many a mile and seeing many a sight. How fitting after a day at the zoo to return to our slightly less than spacious but otherwise perfectly comfortable dorm, to find our other co-inhabitant of non-determinable gender fast asleep, emitting what I can only describe as snoring at a level like I’ve never heard before – to help paint the picture think the volume of a banshee crossed with the low bass tones of a V8 engine. Despite this slight inconvenience (which did have the added benefit of leading to the purchase of an essential piece of backpacker kit – earplugs) we turned in for the night in anticipation of the day to come.
Two become three
Tom arrives
After two months of traveling, two has now become three! We are pleased to announce the arrival of Tom (Olly’s brother) who has joined our traveling clan. Stumbling out of a taxi in Singapore after an arduous 12 hours of flying, Tom bounded over brimming with enthusiasm for the next 3 weeks of our epic journey.
Following ‘The Incident’ in Pulau Ubin which has somewhat impaired my authoring abilities (more information to follow) I hope to recruit Tom as a guest writer in the coming weeks – I just have to put him through the writer’s initiation first, although he assures me he got a A* at English GCSE…
All the paragraphs are by Lau, all the pixels are by Olly. Hope you enjoyed it! You can read more about us on the