Day 129 - Singapore greets me with a drenching - Unfinished Business

September 6, 2023

Day 129 - Singapore greets me with a drenching

I had a sensible date with the Batam Fastboat this morning - 9.20 am departure, with enough time beforehand to get my bike to the luggage handlers.

I was up reasonably early doing frivolous things, like photographing my right leg, so that I could admire my long white shorts and white socks.

I hooked into a hearty couple of plates of noodles, loaded my bike and pedaled to the port at Batam Center, the last official 3.5 km of the great indigo bike ride. In doing so, I landed in a substantial traffic squall that I thoroughly enjoyed negotiating.

At the port, I went through all of the usual rigmarole of leaving a country. It's just that bit stranger when you're jumping on a boat that skims across a waterway in 45 minutes. Having a bicycle makes it that much harder dealing with passports, boarding passes and phones. I'm surprised that I still have any of them.

It was the total red tie day from the start to the finish of cycling.

The fast boat had no problems carrying six passengers and one loaded bicycle.

Singapore's a dark line on that turbid ocean under the same grey sky. A better indication that you're close is the sheer volume of ships. There are millions of tons sitting offshore.

Within a blink I was there - at Tanah Merah, in a country that's not really in Asia. As I went to get my bike from the boat, a crew member stopped me. There's baggage handlers here. What! I don't have to struggle with it by myself? I just had to walk to the x-ray facilities and my bike showed up.

One of the baggage handlers was this fellow. He will be my lasting image of stepping ashore in Singapore.

Vendor of the day - loved having his photo taken.

Another indication of being in Singapore is rules, regulations and warning. Being in a sensitive area, I asked if I could photograph this sign.

One problem with Singapore is that danger lurks everywhere. Travel insurance is frightfully expensive.

I removed my bags from my bike and put them through x-ray. I didn't have to open anything; people were pleasant and helpful. I then wheeled my bike into a sparsely populated arrivals hall and that was it. I had cycled from home in Canberra to Singapore.

Also in the arrivals hall, were staff from The Straits Times - Michelle, a journalist, and Jason, a photographer. Jason took a bunch of photos of which I hope to get copies.

Cora took this one while I performed for Jason.

We then sat with Michelle for an interview from which an article should appear in The Straits Times in coming weeks.

It was mid-afternoon, under darkening skies, that I set off to cycle from Tanah Merah to Hotel 81 Cosy, in Chinatown.

I'll tell you now that drizzle turned quickly to torrential rain that lasted all of the way. It didn't bother me but taking photos was a challenge, and I would have appreciated a ride in the sunshine or even in a quick downpour.

There was construction in places that meant detours and the like. Here are photos from a ride along a beautiful bike path before nature gave me the final test of the great indigo bicycle ride. Birds sang, drummers drummed and grey squirrels performed acrobatics. There were bins but no garbage. There were parks where smoking is prohibited. There were lots of signs about what you can, must or can't do. Above all, it was quiet.

Tanah Merah, where I started, is near Changi Airport.

Drummers drumming - it fitted the impending torrent.

A track diversion - there were 100 schoolchildren doing various exercises here - a fine use of space.

And that was it! The wet had beaten me.

I got to Chinatown easily enough, after 25 km or so. Finding the hotel proved tricky. I had no internet and thus resorted to the old method of asking people. Those I asked fell into two categories- incredibly helpful or incredibly unhelpful.

I got my directions worked out and, as I was getting close to Hotel 81 Cosy, I bumped into Cora. I never did get the "drowned rat" photo. The air conditioning hit me as I walked into the cramped space of the hotel lobby. I had not felt cool for weeks. This was painfully cool.

It had been another day of poor food management. We made up for it in Chinatown - a splendid place for an incredible variety of good, cheap food. I had my first beer in weeks - a Carlsberg stout.

Today's ride: 33 km (20 miles)
Total: 9,636 km (5,984 miles)

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Ian DouglasCongratulations on making it to Singapore! I’m sure there’s a reason the Brits shipped IPA rather than stout to the tropics…
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