Final leg to Singapore

Oh my goodness, I can't believe that after all this time, this post is only just being published! I referred to my blog the other day for something and thought it didn't look right. Turns out I had written the below blog and others after this but had never posted them. So although the post date is 3 May 2012, it should actually read March 2011 - oops, sorry anyone who has been waiting for the final posts!

We were sad and we felt disappointment that we knew our journey was very very soon about to come to an end. Our last two days of cycling from Mersing to Singapore were strange; sullen almost. Torrential rain tore at the coast line and big plops of rain fell on us hard, and it stung. It rained nonstop. At one point it rained so hard that we couldn’t see further than 4 metres in front of us. Visibility was so bad, we had to stop because the power of it and the wind was exhausting; we were concerned that vehicles on the road would not see us far enough ahead. Even with fluorescent jackets and lights on, I could barely see James cycling in front of me. 

It was a sad atmosphere and not at all enjoyable, purely because we knew that our cycling time was ending, but also our time in SE Asia and our time together was ending. I think it would be fair to say that neither of us particularly wanted to go back to the UK. We could carry on, down to Indonesia, or perhaps straight to Australia. I played with the idea in my head, logistically, financially, emotionally. I had an urge to rip up the plane tickets, but I couldn’t. It was time to return to reality. Time to face the sullen, miserable pale faces of England. Time to face the cold weather and time to sort out finding somewhere new to live. Gah! No wonder I didn’t want to go home! 

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for us coming back to England. I was looking forward to seeing my awesome Granpa. He had deteriorated while I was away and it was great to see him once I got back. I was so nervous that he would go while I was on the cycle trip. It was as though he kept on going for me and waited for me to get back to say a final goodbye. James also missed his children dearly and was very excited to see them again. I too was looking forward to meeting them and the rest of his family. Thanks to my fantastic old boss, Christina, I also had my old job to go back to. A huge relief on a massive scale. This made the return feel all the more bearable. Thanks Christina!

Stopping for shelter to let the worst pass. Looking a little drowned!

One of many water sources that had burst into the road. We had to wait a while for the road to clear of traffic before I made James test how deep it was!

My turn!

Road was like this the whole way from Mersing to Singapore.

Working hard!

Going into Singapore was as predicted; terrifying. Busy suburban dual and tri lane traffic squeezed past us. It was so tight, that we were just as stop-start as much as the traffic was, because we just couldn’t get past the cars; especially me being a little wider due to the trailer (not my bum thank you!). Getting nearer, we spotted a lane specially built for motorcycles and we took it, which was possibly the best decision ever! No cars, road width and instantly we felt safer. They even had immigration booths built the motorcyclists, which was great for us as it was quiet and there was no pressure to get out of the way of the cars. 

Sadly our lane stopped here due to road works, but you just about see the bridge over the water and Singapore in the distance.

Getting right into the centre of Singapore was interesting; something had changed. It was no longer torrential rain and the air seemed different. I suddenly felt very inferior. Perhaps it was cycling past the sky scrapers, or the beautiful, shiny and glossy shops such as Gucci, Prada and Jimmy Choo. I saw beautiful girls in heels, dressed up head to toe is designer gear, big face-hiding-sunglasses and silky hair, swishing handbags and expensive mobiles. I saw gorgeous men in pointed shoes, suits, leather briefcases and perfectly styled hair. It was all so.... Western. And for the first time throughout SE Asia, we did not fit in. There was not a cyclist in sight. Bicycles do not exist in this city.

We found our hostel we booked weeks ago to ensure we had somewhere to stay. Suddenly we were back in Western prices and it was a shock to pay £24 each compared to the previous night in Malaysia at £3 each! Still we were grateful to have our own room in the bunkbed central hostel, with a window! And they were happy to keep our bikes in their back yard too, thanks Sleepy Sam’s.