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It has felt like one of those marvellous excursion to the big smoke days of years gone by today. The sight of five Lawrences trogging round a capital city wearing waterproofs and rucksacks full of water bottles in Singapore could easily have been set in any capital and, at times, it felt a bit like we were from a little old country town visiting the big smoke.
But just when I started to get all nostalgic Singapore came up and tapped me on my soggy shoulder (it has rained a lot today) and reminded me that it is not the 1980s and we did not have to catch a coach or train back to Norwich at 5.30pm.
A few weeks ago myself and two colleagues took a school trip to Singapore to watch R&J at Fort Canning Park and, based on the very long journey time to and from , we decided to fly instead of driving. The departure time of 6.20pm meant that we did not have hurtle to the airport at the speed of light, preferring a more sedate sound-speed motoring. And thanks to the efficiency of Singapore's Changi Airport and connecting transport it didn't take too long to get to our cheap and cheerful hostel.
Singapore accommodation prices are nutty compared to other countries in the region (our five beds in one room for two nights was the same price as four nights in the Cameron Highlands. Never mind though it is clean and tidy and there were loads of loaves of bread available for children to eat as much toast as possible this morning.
After toasting we collected our stuff and walked and trained off to find the WW2 bunkers in Fort Canning Park so as to make the visit here into a historical and cultural expedition. Slightly frustratingly we missed the 11.00am tour by minutes (everything runs on time here) and so had to book onto the 1.30pm instead. And so we began our tour of the park and then on towards Clarke Key.
After enjoying iced coffees in a hawker centre, much better and way cheaper than Starbucks et al we completed the economy family on British style holiday / day out look by donning our waterproofs necessitated thanks to the heavens opening. As experienced Britons we were not going to let a mere tropical downpour and five sets of wet feet interfere with our day and so after getting completely soaked we arrived back for our bunker tour, drenched, carrying with us more water than we set out with and accompanying smell.
The bunker tour was really impressive. The guide gave a detailed account of the last days of British rule in Singapore before the surrender to the Japanese army on 15th February 1942. Apparently this has become known as Black Sunday. I am sure that my Mum has a thing or two to say about that given that as the various British military men were relinquishing control of the City she was taking her first breaths.
Hungry after our tour and with our feet starting to get warmer but not dryer we took a train to Little India for an excellent, but good value lunch of various curries, rice dishes and drinks. And this is where the London day out comparison came into its own. You are fine in Singapore just as long as you don't convert the Sing Dollar back into Ringgit. Our lunch was $55 and if we focused on the 55 part and allowed our brains to think that it was really in Ringgit then that was fine. RM55 is pretty much want we pay for a decent meal out in KL. We tried not to think that there are almost three ringgit to the Sing Dollar. When In London as a tourist / day tripped you are often able to ignore inflated prices writing them off with the refrain of 'Well it is London after all.'
However there are some advantages to the high prices mainly in the appearance and cleanliness of the City State. The fronts of most places in KL look pretty good although they are always in an inverse state of cleanliness to the rear. Service streets are often really dirty. In Singapore dirt appears to be illegal and rubbish is cleared away. Side streets are really quite pleasant.
Now full of food and still with wet feet we carefully managed to go to the wrong station to view the Marina Bay Area (that bizarre set of three blocks with a garden on top) and then had to head back to Fort Canning to be in time for Romeo and Juliet.
I wrote at length about the play a while ago but the experience this time was different watching it as a family. We somehow managed to plonk our slightly soggy beach mat onto the front row, just to the right of the premier seating (slightly posher ground sheets) area. And it was so close that we almost managed to collect what would have been a great Drama Teacher's souvenir: Romeo's poison bottle, which he drank heartily from and then hurled towards the audience. After the show a polite security bloke politely gave me a polite "No chance mate" look when I made moves to collect the discarded plastic bottle in question. Shame. It would have made a great item for a display at school.
Back at our hostel after the show it was bliss to remove my damp socks and trainers and shower away the city day out. I don't think our room will smell that blissful she we check out and go back to KL tomorrow.