Arriving in Singapore 到达新加坡

2024年4月22日，星期六，在槟城生活工作的第八周

Saturday, April 22, 2024 – Week 8 of Living and Working in Penang

这周同样的平淡无奇，唯一的新尝试是品尝了一种较为温和的榴莲。它的气味不那么刺鼻，吃起来很甜，卖榴莲的大哥很友好的让我俩免费尝试，尝试后，我俩买了一小盒。

This week was similarly uneventful, with the sole novel experience being the tasting of a milder variety of durian. Its aroma was less pungent, and the flavor was quite sweet.

The friendly durian vendor graciously allowed us to sample it for free. After the tasting, we purchased a small box of this durian.

周六，我终于开始了为期一周的假期，我俩的目的地是新加坡和越南的首都胡志明市。上午11点多的飞机，不到一个半小时，顺利地到达了新加坡。入境时，我在通过自动入关机器时拍了一张照片和一小段视频，不料被海关人员看到，她很友好地看着我删除了照片和视频。在某人一再的坚持下，我俩打了Grab到了中国城附近的酒店。新加坡的Grab比槟城的要贵不少，大约30分钟车程就花了23.7新加坡元，差不多折合80多马币！

On Saturday, we finally embarked on our week-long vacation, with our destinations being Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, the capital of Vietnam. We took a flight just before noon, and in less than an hour and a half, we arrived smoothly in Singapore. During immigration, I took a photo and a short video while going through the automated immigration clearance machine. But unfortunately, a customs officer noticed and politely watched as she required me to delete both the photo and the video. At someone’s insistence, we took a Grab to our hotel near Chinatown instead of the bus! Grab rides in Singapore are considerably more expensive than in Penang. A journey of approximately 30 minutes cost us 23.7 Singapore dollars, which is nearly equivalent to more than 80 Malaysian ringgits!

2点多到达酒店后，我们在附近的hawker center吃了午饭，发现价格比槟城贵不少。我点了一小份肉骨茶，花费5新元，约合17马币，在槟城这样的价格足以买两份小吃了。餐后，我们步行前往了新加坡的著名景点鱼尾狮公园。新加坡的步行环境非常友好，宽敞的人行道，让我更感激的是还有红绿灯。

After arriving at the hotel around 2 p.m., we had lunch at a nearby hawker center and discovered that the prices were considerably higher than in Penang. I ordered a small portion of bak kut teh, which cost 5 Singapore dollars, approximately equivalent to 17 ringgits. In Penang, this price would be sufficient to buy two hawker dishes! After the meal, we walked to the famous Merlion Park, one of Singapore’s well-known attractions. The pedestrian environment in Singapore is much more friendly, with spacious sidewalks. What I appreciated even more was the presence of traffic lights and cars that stop for you when crossing.

鱼尾狮（Merlion）是新加坡的标志性雕塑之一，也是该国的旅游象征。鱼尾狮的设计融合了狮头和鱼身的元素，象征着新加坡的过去和现在。狮头代表了新加坡的原名“狮城”，而鱼身则反映了新加坡早期作为一个渔村的历史。

The Merlion is one of Singapore’s iconic sculptures and a tourism symbol of the country. The Merlion’s design combines elements of a lion’s head and a fish’s body, symbolizing Singapore’s past and present. The lion’s head represents Singapore’s original name, “Lion City,” while the fish’s body reflects Singapore’s history as a fishing village in its early days.

很有意思的建筑，绿植环绕，未来与自然的完美结合。- These two are very interesting building, imbedded with greenery – a perfect fusion of the future and nature.

鱼尾狮雕塑位于新加坡的滨海湾区，面向马六甲海峡，是游客拍照留念的热门地点。这座雕塑高约8.6米，重达70吨，由水泥制成，表面涂有白色的微晶玻璃，使其在阳光下闪耀光芒。雕塑下方的小喷泉代表着生命和活力，吸引着成千上万的游客前来观赏。

The Merlion statue is located in Singapore’s Marina Bay area, facing the Straits of Malacca. It is a popular spot for tourists to take photos. The statue stands about 8.6 meters tall, weighs 70 tons, and is made of cement coated with white micro-crystalline glass, making it glisten in the sunlight. The small fountain beneath the statue represents life and vitality, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to admire it.

新加坡的天气同样非常炎热，湿度也很高，稍微逛了一会儿就已汗流浃背。在游逛驳船码头时，雷声隆隆，闪电交错，突然间瓢泼大雨倾盆而下。幸运的是，我俩已经走到了河边的那一排餐厅附近，随便找了一家坐下来，点了两杯啤酒，边喝酒边欣赏着雷雨交加的气象。一个多小时后，雨停了，我们回到酒店换了干净的衣服，再次回到河边的餐厅，享受美丽的夜景，吃晚餐，并观赏来往的人流。

The weather in Singapore was equally very hot, with high humidity. After strolling for a little while, we were already drenched in sweat. While wandering around the Boat Quay, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, and suddenly, a heavy downpour began. Fortunately, we had already walked to the row of restaurants by the river. We randomly picked one and sat down, ordered two glasses of beer, and enjoyed the thunderstorm while drinking. After more than an hour, the rain stopped. We returned to the hotel to change into clean dry clothes and went back to the riverside restaurants to enjoy the beautiful night view, have dinner, and people watch.

偶遇到了三对拍婚纱照的新人 – We happened to come across three couples taking wedding photos.

新加坡的第一印象新加是一座充满活力和现代化的城市，高楼林立，绿化覆盖广泛，整个城市既展现了未来感又保持了生态和谐。街道非常干净整洁，交通井然有序，没有人会随意过马路，当然是因为机会成本很高，但这让在槟城生活了两个月的我俩感到非常舒适。和马来西亚一样，这里的文化多样性也是灿烂的地绽放着，更不要提来自世界各地的游客和投资者们，养眼的帅哥美女们真的是看的眼花缭乱，哈哈。

Singapore’s first impression is that it is a vibrant and modern city, with towering buildings and extensive green coverage. The city showcases a sense of the future while maintaining ecological harmony. The streets are very clean and tidy, and the traffic is orderly. No one casually jaywalks, of course, because of the strict laws, but this makes us, who have lived in Penang for two months, feel very comfortable. Like Malaysia, the cultural diversity here is also brilliantly blooming, not to mention the eye-catching handsome men and beautiful women from all over the world, which is truly dazzling, haha.