I was excited by my first visit to Asia. I had heard so much about the continent. Now apart from just visiting, I would be making a documentary on how the modern man lived in Singapore’s urban centers. In the plane I was flying in with to Singapore, I was having some interesting talk with Tony, the camera man who would be helping me cover the documentary. I had become acquainted with Tony during the flight. He had told me that he and his wife had come to Singapore many times before and that they had become familiar with the Island. He had promised to help me get oriented.

When we got to Singapore, Tony the camera man and his wife were true to their word, they took it upon themselves to show me around the place. They were eager to show me the best tourist attractions in Singapore. It was quite interesting for me and I appreciated the help. It was like I had some free tour guides!

Since the people in Singapore were well knowledgeable of the English language, we had an easy time interacting with the locals. Transportation was easy. Moving from one place to another within an urban center could be conveniently done by using the many available taxis. We could also use buses for longer distances or use the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) that was a very efficient rail transport service.

Food was a major interest for me. I wanted to have a taste of all kinds of exotic foods that Singapore offered. Tony introduced me to the Fried Hokkien mee which he claimed had been an instant favorite for him, his wife Judy however had a different favorite and this was the Hainanese chicken rice which was one of the famous local dishes. The locals however told me to make sure that I sampled the chilli crab and the black pepper crab which were like the customary dish of Singapore. Many times I would request that we stop and have some coffee in the Kaya Kopitiams which were cheap coffee shops that served a particularly nice local tea with toast that is spread with a coconut jam.

When we were in town we resided on the common rooms we had rented from a Malay local whom Tony had befriended in his early visits. When in the City we sometimes lodged in hotels or other cheap local residences that made it quite an adventure.

Once we were able to live a few days in a magnificent condo. The condo was owned by a young bachelor who had inherited it as part of his parent’s great wealth when they had prematurely died in a road accident. He had continued to live in his room and had often rented out parts of the room. The big “master room for rent” billboard on the road had caught our attention one afternoon weary from a long bus ride. After further investigation we found that the young beneficiary was willing to rent out another bedroom which I could use for a few nights.

The condo was very luxurious. It was maintained by some friendly maids who were very hospitable and they prepared for us some delicious Singaporean delicacies.