Singapore

I (Iris) went to Singapore for 3 days this week. 9 March I had been here for 180 days (time flies!!!), which is the max for my visa. I have to go outside the country to be able to come back with a new visa an stay here legally again. This time I fix my visa through other people then Sjaki, because I don’t work there anymore. This is not a big deal now that we live and know people here. I was able to get a new sponsor and gat a phone number to an agent in Singapore that was going to fix everything for me. Relaxed, so I could enjoy Singapore even more! ;-)

My days in the Asian Big Apple were wonderful, it was nice to see something new again and Singapore is such an impressive city. Unbelievably clean, high-tech and hip. We were here already 1 day in September, but it was nice to be able to explore more of the city now. Rino doesn’t have to go for his visa and therefore the trip would have been too expensive, although he would have liked to see Singapore again too.

Wednesday I met with the agent for 2 minutes. It felt really weird to give a guy I never saw before my passport and 170 S. dollars…. But in the afternoon he came to my hostel with my passport and the social visa inside. Just perfect and I could enjoy the rest of my time in Singapore knowing that my way back to Bali for the next months was safe! :-)

I slept in the hostel Rucksack Inn that we discovered last time. We LOVE this hostel; it really must be the nicest and coolest hostel in the world. It has a fantastic atmosphere and you feel like home immediately, which is a very good thing for backpackers who travel all the time. Fun and genuine staff who are backpackers themselves, homey, cozy and clean.
I talked to a couple of the other people sleeping in the dorm with me and I joined an English couple sightseeing the city. Later we went out eating and drinking beer with other travelers in the hostel. I love Singapore, it is a must see and perfect place to hang out a couple of days when you do South-East Asia. Shopping heaven, fun, hip and impressive!

I am safely back in my little paradise Bali and I am very very happy to be able to mingle in this relaxing atmosphere a while more. On the other hand I for a second there recognized the urge and nice feeling again of traveling and discovering more of the world.