Thursday, May 04, 2006

Taxicab confessions

I was at work all day today. If the coffee wasn't free, I'd be complaining more.

While we are over here our primary means of transportation to and from work is by taxi. The Metro doesn't go close enough to our building, and the bus would take too long. Taxis are pretty cheap - a roughly thirty minute ride is under Sing$11. Here is me in a cab coming back to the hotel:


The building to my right is where we had lunch today - some very good Indian food. I had mutton, rice, some vegetables, some veggie roll things (like soft egg rolls), a thin round fried tortilla-looking thing, and cucumbers and some other vegetable in a creamy yogurt bath. I forgot my camera, so no picture, but I'll be going back.

Singapore is astoundingly lush and green. This is a typical view from the taxi:


Singapore is promoting itself as the "Garden Country" or "Garden Island," or some variant. I wish we could have as much greenery in the US.

I took a flash picture in the cab and almost made the driver run off the road. They have automated cameras that take your picture if you commit an offense. Unknown to me, he had run through a red zone (or something, I don't think it was exactly like running a red light but it wasn't a freebie) and he thought he got away with it. I flashed and he thought a camera got him where no camera stood! We had a good laugh, but I took some points off his license anyway.

Driving is insane over here - everybody merges and honks, and mopeds are tearing up between the lanes of cars. It's not as bad as my trip to Russia where our vehicle full of students sideswiped a military vehicle and everybody just kept going.

I saw a sweet red new Ferarri, but it was roaring and gone before I could get my camera out of my pocket.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, sounds like a big brother country over there. Can you see the cameras everywhere?


JMR

Trey said...

Most of them you can, but they tell me that some are mobile and you never know where they might pop up.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or are there more Ferraris and Lamborghinis in that one city than in the entire state of Texas?! I am sooo moving there!