SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE, ICH BEIN LIEBEN ZIE!!!

Singapore is a small, but beautiful country. It is actually an island consisting of about 4 million people.  They have got it together. The trains, buses, subways, and taxis are all fantastic. When I got off of the plane I was trying to make some changes on my flight plans.  Unfortunately, where I wanted to go was booked for the next two weeks.  I left and caught a subway into the city.  After going two stops, I got off and went back to the airport to see if some other alternatives were available.  I met Robert and his wife on the train. Actually, he came up to me and said that he had observed that I was a well traveled person the way that I was handling every thing.  He took me to a hotel and offered to take me with his wife to see some of the places in Singapore.  We first went to a swash tournament since he had recently retired as a coach.  They treated me very well and gave me a tournament T-shirt. 

The next day, I went to Sentaso Island which is one of the better developments I have seen.  It not only has resort hotels, but a monorail, cable car over to the island, magical fountain that operates to music with a laser lights show, a virtual theater, orchid garden, a fantastic aquarium with some of the fish I saw in Australia, good restaurants with tall glasses that sit in a stand (rough night again).

Robert and his wife picked me up and drove me all over the island, stopping at their son's place, yacht club, shopping malls, and other places where we had lunch and later dinner. I had chilly crab that was the best.  These people really went out of their way to make sure I had a good time in Singapore.

The night life has been acceptably well.  I had met Shirley who owned two clubs and one was a Karaoke bar.  She is in her forties.  The second night she invited me to her birthday party.  I accepted and then she said she wanted me as her present.  If I am relegated to being a player, so be it.  I did it many years ago when I was traveling in Europe, except it was called something else then.   Anyway, the party went acceptably well and everyone was having a good time.  There was another one that I had met earlier and she wanted me to leave the place but I told her that I had a commitment.  Since I was leaving the next day by train to Kula Lumpor, she could meet me at 8 am and go.  Boy, was I in for a surprise.  Christie was there and we left.   I am finding out that it is nice to have a companion.  We will see what happens the next couple days as that is all the time she could get off work.  What a beautiful place.  I really hate to leave it, but the adventure has got to continue in a new territory and a new style.

It is off to Kuala Lumpor, Malaysia by train, naturally first class coach.  We will see how this experience does.  After a few days in Kuala Lumpor, I will go to the northern part of Malaysia to an island called Langkawi.  It is just below Thailand.  If someone could call John Davidson and have him ask his father-in-law where is Kat Coon (phonetic spelling), I would appreciate it.  I can't find it on the map.  It is supposed to be south of Bangkok.