I'd wanted to walk around at night again to take some pictures of the iluma building and Clarke Quay, but I was just too worn out last night for that, so this morning, I chose to snap some while on a leisurely morning stroll, even though it wasn't as pretty. So I woke up, got another Popiah, and headed out, walked around and took way too many pictures for a few hours, then headed back to the hostel to get my stuff and check out. On the way, I got a watermelon juice with tons of ice in it because it was beautiful and clear, but very hot outside. I'd never really drank watermelon juice before, and at first was a bit unimpressed because it was so sweet. It was also very textured, which many people hate in their drinks, but for some reason I love having junk (seeds, pulp, whatever) in mine, so I didn't mind that and it was really, really cold. As the ice melted and diluted the juice a bit, lessening the saccharine taste, I discovered that I actually LOVED watermelon juice- it tasted so good and perfectly sweet and refreshing, like lemonade. Like lemonade, however, it was all gone far too quickly, and then I was a little sad.
iluma Building
After checking out, and loaded down with my backpack, purse and another bag, I walked over to the Raffles Hotel; an arcade with stores (of course), restaurants, a hotel, and most importantly, the Long Bar. The Long Bar is where the Singapore Sling was first mixed, and I HAD to have a Singapore Sling in Singapore, so even though I knew it would be expensive, I figured I'd just suck it up and call it a special treat. A sign directed me towards it, telling me it was 45 steps away so I counted and it actually took me 46 steps, but I had to move for an old couple, otherwise I'm sure I could've made it in 40. It's a lovely bar. Dark wood juxtaposed with cream colored walls in a 19th century colonial style. Low wicker chairs with thick cushions sit on a mosiac of tiled floor covered in peanut shells while paper fans swim synchronized overhead, connected by an ancient copper wheel device. While not the longest I've ever seen, the bar does live up to it's name and is also made of the shining dark wood on the walls. Behind it is a soft, nude painting of a woman from a time when Britain ruled the waves, though I feel certain from her smile that she was not lying back and thinking of Britain.
Long Bar
One of the waiters brought me a drink menu and I think my eyes bugged upon seeing the prices. Most of the drinks were around $30 SD! A Singapore Sling was $25, but I still had to seriously consider how much I wanted it, before ordering anyway. I decided to try to make up for it in peanuts, literally. Each table had a box of peanuts on it, so I started munching away, throwing my shells on the floor and adding to the pile near me. At least my drink was quick, and it did look really cool- bright pink with white foam on top and a stirrer with a pineapple wedge and cherry, and it was cold and sweet and barely alcoholic. I took my time, working on the drink and a single glass of water (and lots of peanuts) for nearly an hour. When the waiter brought the bill, I was shocked to see the price was $29.40 since they'd added in tax, which was ALWAYS included everywhere else I went, and a service charge. I tried justifying it by converting the cost into USD, but it was still a $21 drink, so I converted it back in my mind so I could think "Oh yeah, but that was in Singapore dollars," so it wouldn't seem so bad.
I left for the airport with tons of time to spare after the last debacle, checked in without any problems and grabbed a cheeseburger at Burger King since that and Delifrance were the only places with food in the terminal and decided that a chocolate croissant would be good for the flight, so I was standing at the Delifrance counter waiting, when a British guy came up to me and asked if I was getting something to eat there. After my affirmative answer, he handed me two pieces of paper and said they were $40 worth of food vouchers, and he wouldn't use them since his flight was finally taking off. I started thanking him very much, and he said sure and ran off to fly home to London, as that was the delayed flight. I obviously didn't want anything else from Burger King so I got two prepackaged cookies, two packaged pieces of raspberry butter bread, a turkey and cheese croissant, a chocolate croissant and a bottle of water and it still only came out to about $17. With nowhere else to use the rest, I decided I would pass the other $20 voucher on to someone else, so I left it between two girls who were sleeping in the terminal. I hope they enjoyed the surprise when they woke up.
The flight to Kuala Lumpur was only 35 minutes long and I had all that food and an exit row seat so I was quite happy. We landed, and on the way to immigration, I passed by a large circle of green, with a sign that said KLIA Jungle Boardwalk. I almost kept walking, but then remembered how short life is, and that I might never be there again, so I went in. I don't know if it's a theme with Asian airports to have large green spaces inside, but I like it very much. The tiny boardwalk was just a very short little path with a waterfall, but it was nice, and felt totally separate from the airport outside.
From the airport, I had to take a train to the city (30 minutes) and then a short taxi ride to Chinatown, the area I was told had several hostels in it. Found a cheap hostel, hung out for a bit, talked to an interesting girl from Germany who was leaving the next day after 13 months away, and went to sleep.
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