I booked the airport shuttle bus service on arrival to Singapore in late hours. It has been 10 years since my last visit to Singapore and I wonder if things have changed a lot. Airport shuttle bus service is in fair price(9 SGD P/P) and easily accessible in the airport lobby. The city-country is still as sparkling as ever in the evening yet I can't help feeling lonely. I think this would be my last solo trip. Traveling without a companion can be a tremendous stress for girls. Here's another example.
I stayed in the Matraa backpackers hostel for 2 nights. The accommodation is cheap but unfortunately it's at the rim of the city, which is a bit far away from everything else. It doesn't even get to show on the Singapore official map! The advantage is its 7-minute walking distance from the nearest MRT station, Farrar Park.
The host of the backpacker hostel welcomed me with bright broad smile. One of the staff showed me the double room I booked. I can see my roommate has taken the lower bunk. I tried to catch up some sleep after finishing my shower (the place is small but clean) and rang W and Dad via Skype. The bed is the most shaky one I have ever slept on, worse than the one I slept in Melbourne. The handrail is shaky and noisy. There's no way you can get up without waking up your roommate.
So I slept on and off until 4am. I heard someone turning the key. Someone came in the room, someone took off the cloth, someone made squeaky noises when climbing up the bed.
I was wondering for the next 10 minutes.....Is my roommate male or female? It supposed to be a she? But I can sense that person sleeping downstairs is not a GIRL! So I climb down the bed and gave a quick glance over the lower bunk. There he is, sleep like a log.
My double room roommate is a guy, a stranger!
I DON'T LIKE THIS SURPRISE!
So 4:30 in the morning I went downstairs to make the complain. The indian boy seemed surprise to learn the news then he tried to comfort me with "No problem!"
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I have no where else to go but going back to the room and wait for a new day to start.
8:30 am in the morning I packed my stuff and hurry downstairs to ask for a new room, which the Indian boy promised.
Later on the host of the Mitraa explained that the booking info from Hostel. com doesn't specify gender, which inevitably leads to unexpected room arrangement.
He even claimed that Europeans and American girls usually don't mind to share rooms with guys.
Is it true? I think not!
But then again The Matraa does have its own advantages. Friendly staff, for one thing, is one of them.
On the second day in Singapore, my poor sense of direction put me in almost an hour of search for the Matraa after a day's walkabout. The Matraa is situated on the Race course road and the road is extremely long. By the time I finally find the Matraa, I've got blister on my right foot.
One of the Asian-background Singaporean offered two bandages right after I ask for help. For that, The Matraa is still a nice lovely place for budget traveler.
It is, however, a no no if you have an issue to share a room with guys. Also, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who care a little more about sleeping quality.
