Singapore, Singapore – Part VII

Singapore, Singapore, I’ve Finally Arrived!

My heart was racing as I exited the plane at about 2 a.m. Tara’s last show for the night/morning finished at about 5:30 a.m. so I was just about 4 hours away from seeing her. And just knowing that I was standing on the same land that she was standing on without oceans and countries between us was enough for me. I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs, “I’M HERE LOVEY!” but I resisted, knowing she could feel my presence with out all the dramatics. I was beyond giddy walking through the airport corridors and as I looked around, my thoughts became distracted by the floor. Yes, the floor… it was so clean and shiny that you could see your own reflection. At that moment, I was thankful to be wearing pants. Luckily, the majority of the tiles were light in color minimizing the need for worry but still, I was thankful. My attention soon rose from the floor to the bright orange cushioned chairs arranged neatly in the lounge with sleek silver tables strategically placed amongst them. At such an early hour, the lounges were quiet but I can imagine that they were probably close to picture perfect anytime of the day. Another surprise was the live greenery, everywhere. Plants and trees, and orchids, OH MY! I’m talking about an orchid garden that could very well be displayed at the gates of heaven. I hadn’t even made it through customs yet and I was already overwhelmed by Singapore’s beauty.

Getting through the formalities was a breeze, now to catch a cab. I had already asked the customs official what I should expect to pay for cab fees and she had told me that S$20 plus the airport fee was about right. Tara had told me that I should pay no more than S$30 so when the gentlemen approached me and said S$15, I was pleased. He spoke to many of the attendants as we neared the exit and people seemed to know him well, but when we walked through the doors away from the taxis, I got a little nervous. We went down another hall and exited to another parking lot. I felt a little more at ease when we approached the well marked van in a specifically marked space but I still watched his movements closely and made sure I had control of the locks once I was in, call me crazy! The cab driver was a nice enough fella. We talked about his city, my city, and then he mentioned that the rate back to the airport for my departure would be much less expensive due to (Insert Sound Effect: Extended Record Scratch) what??? I’m not sure what he said but I immediately thought there must be a misunderstanding because S$15 was half the rate Tara told me and still significantly less than the other quote. So back up, what was he saying? “Excuse me sir but you quoted me S$15, correct?” Calmly, he said “No, S$50, 5…0.” Flashbacks of New York City, 1984 rushed in as I recalled a shouting match with a taxicab driver that was trying to pull a fast one on me. In that scenario I reached in my bag of tricks and came up with a nasty NY attitude (thanks to my Puerto Rican BFF at the time) that attracted the help of the NYPD. But that would not be useful in this case. I read that Singaporeans avoid confrontation and find public displays of emotion to be humiliating, so I lowered my voice and spoke extra slow, “Sir, I would not have agreed to pay S$50 knowing that the rate should be closer S$20, no more than S$30 for any reason.” My voice was calm but I think he saw in my expression that there was a pressure cooker sitting right behind my smile. He hesitated, and then sadly negotiated a fair rate. I arrived safely at my hotel, he was professional and kind as he carried my bags to the porter, and we thanked one another before saying goodbye. No drama. No police. Just a quick re-negotiation and everyone was… fine. Ten minutes later, full of excitement, I’m calling Tara… “HI LOVEY!! I’m here! OK, but they won’t have my room ready to check in for HOURS. No worries, I know you still have another set but I’ll wait for you here in the lobby. I LOVE YOU MORE!!” I grabbed a cup of tea from the courtesy bar, found a comfy seat in the lobby and for the first time pulled out the book I had planned to read on the plane. As I cracked open the book, I paused, then a huge smile spread across my face and I said to myself, “I’m in frickin Singapore!!!”