Hitchhiking in Singapore: Immigration and First Day
11th of January, 2025.
After a lot of walking, feeling like someone is kidding us, and simply making us to walk in a zigzag, we get to Malaysian immigration. It still a bit confusing and you have to look carefully where are the stands for foreigner passengers. And the gigantic number of people doesn’t help. I have never been to a border, in the 66 I have crossed, where there was so many people crossing by walking. It’s, seriously, hundreds of them.
After a young boy, who I thought was here just waiting for his father, stamp my exit of Malaysia on my passport, we go to Singapore Immigration. Well, kind of it. You see, as you have to fill up a form, within 3 days of your arrival to Singapore, no matter from which means you are entering, this is the only thing you get to do. There are dozens of scans on the border crossing, you just scan your passport in one of them; look to the camera in the other one, and voila! No need for stamps, questions asked, or anything! You will receive an e-mail with the confirmation of your exit day, and that’s it!
One more thing! When you leave Malaysia Immigration, you can either take a bus to Singapore Immigration, or walk. Almost everybody takes buses. Be careful to not get in one of the fancy buses, if you only want to get to the border. There are local buses for only 2.60 MLR. If it wasn’t for the rain, I would’ve crossed by walking; as it is pouring rain, the three of us take the bus, and Joey pays for me, as I don’t have one single cent.
Once in Singapore, Joey and her partner take a local bus to go to her daughter’s place. We say our sad goodbye and hopes to see each other again. I must remain here and wait for the rain to stop. Well, at least that’s what I thought so…
As the rain is quite strong, I decide to sit down and do some writing. I know I must leave at some point, but I will wait for as long as I can. After I am waiting for already two hours, four police officers approach me. Laugh. People, seriously, I wanted to laugh so hard, but of course I couldn’t. Of course I knew immediately what was going on, but I just couldn’t help but having a laugh out load in my mind, for the fact that they thought they would need four armed police officers to check out what was going on. Let’s take a closer look at this, shall we? And here it goes why the heck I dislike police officers so much. Why couldn’t they send simply one police officer to talk with me and check what was I doing? Peacefully? Friendly? I am not saying that they were rude per se, although the officer who addressed me asked me to stand up in a very straight forward way, instead of simply talk to me or even saying: “Hello! Can I talk with you for a moment?”; but my point is the completely unnecessary intense approach, four armed police officers to come and simply ask a person (a woman), why is she waiting inside a covered area when it’s pouring rain outside. Do you know what I mean? There is no need for this kind of behaviour from police officers. At all! I don’t give a shit that it is an area right after the border. There are no signs (by the way) saying that people cannot wait there. And never the matter, there are ways of doing your job as a police officer, and still treat other humans as humans, instead of treating everybody, before hand, as a criminal.
I love how cool I kept, and even more how I took my time turning off my laptop, waiting until was actually off so I could close it properly; arranging my backpacks; putting on the rain covers; and only then leaving. Oh, yeah, and one last thing, the officer who addressed me let it very clear that they would stay there until I leave. Laugh. Dear, Loki, seriously, it’s like I would tell them that I am leaving, but as they turn their back around, I sit again and remain there. How on Earth are these people allowed to deal with other human’s lives? I thought there was something about protect and serve kind of thing…
I start walking on the rain towards my first destination in Singapore: Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve Wetlands.
I can’t decide if I will keep on walking or trying to hitchhike. Why? It’s not raining so heavily; people tend to not stop when it’s raining; I need a covered place where I can keep my backpack and stand; it would be about two hours walking. But as I get to a bus stop and put my backpacks down to rest, a small truck stops and drop off two men. They are all Muslins, and I ask the driver if he is going towards my destination. Even not understanding where I am going, he tells me, in a very calm and peaceful voice, that I can come in. He’s from Bangladesh but has been living and working in Singapore for six years. He drops me off at the entrance of the park.
When I first walk in, I think that I am the only visitor, but as it turns out, there are a few more people, families and big groups, also walking under the rain.
I spend a lot of time talking with the receptionist, Jessel, a young lady from the Philippines. She has moved to Singapore only three months ago, and this is her second day as a full time receptionist. So I talk with her not about the Reserve, nor Singapore, but about travels. She wants to go travelling and I want to motivate her to go, so I tell her many things about my travels, tips and suggestions, and give her some motivational speeches too.
I go for a quick walk around, as it is 17.00 hours already, and I still must find a place for camping tonight. Jessel tells me that raining days are not the best for spotting crocodiles, as they like to come out when the sun is strong, and just chill outside the water. For that reason, I walk just for a while. I didn’t see any crocs, but I spotted a beautiful monitor lizard.
I will give my impressions of the Reserve on another post, when I write more specifically about it.
When I am about to live, I decide to ask Jessel if I can stay at her place tonight. She agrees at first, and even suggest that we tell her roommates (other three Philippinos) that we are friends. But after a few minutes, she comes to me and tells me that some family members of her fiance are coming over tonight, and they will occupy the living room. Too bad for me!
It’s raining just a little bit now. Another truck stops. A young Indian, and very nice man, picks me up. He is only going to Woodlands though, but I get in anyway. He doesn’t know of any area nearby where there are houses, only apartments. He gives me a package of biscuits. I am starving! He also try to give me a train card (only two ways to catch the trains in Singapore: if your bank card works just by touching it; or the local train cards) but I refuse. I am certain that I will manage in somehow. I should’ve taken it.
I don’t. Everybody keeps saying that it will be raining for a few more days. My backpack is already super wet. I will, most likely, not be able to go around tomorrow with the backpacks, as it will be raining again. I get to a mall where there is a McDonalds and I use the wi-fi. I give up on finding a family house for camping, and decide to find a hostel. But they all are in the city centre, which is about one hour by train from here. And they are not cheap. Plus, the cheapest ones have all a very early last check-in, around 20.00 or 21.00 hours. What a hell is that? So I book the cheapest one I find which accepts check-in at 22.00 hours. I still must run.
If your card is the type you must insert in the machines (like mine), you will need to by a train card. You can by them either in the Train Service Centres, or in 7-Elevens. You can pay by cash in both places but only in the latter you can pay by card. It costs 10 SGD and it comes with 5 SGD. I have to run from one place to another but both ladies from the both Service Centres I’ve been were extremely lovely and helpful. So sweet!
You know me, I manage to get directions to the hostel and all very quickly and in somehow I manage to arrive before 22.00 hours. The Hostel is called The Bohemian, and it’s in Chinatown. It’s my first time ever in a Chinatown. And I’m kind of glad that it’s in Singapore.
10 Years Around the World 