Singapore Shore Patrol

Three days into the Singapore port visit and I had yet to set foot outside a military base. I am just going to accept the fact that port visits can become a nightmare for Supply Officers if everything does not go according to plan. This day I happened to be on duty anyways so I was stuck on the ship for that reason. I knew I was scheduled for Shore Patrol that night so that was a slightly comforting thought. At least I would be able to leave the ship.

To get off the base we took a bus to a train station where we could either ride a train into the city or find a taxi. I had to exchange currency at the train station, luckily Singapore is a bit more civilized than Manila so I felt alright in using their ATMs. The drawback of that civilization was than the dollar did not match up as well as it did in Manila.

The next question was where to go or to put it a little more bluntly, where the crew was going. Singapore is a big city but there are a few spots where most of the sailors tend to congregate. The petty officer with me seemed to know where we should go so I followed his directions.

Singapore has a thriving tourism industry. There were plenty of Americans, Europeans and Australians walking around. The population was the most diverse I had seen since coming to Japan. Aside from western cultures, I saw Japanese, Koreans, Indonesians, Indians and Russians along with many others. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures that could probably only be matched in the states. It was interesting to walk around the city and look at the different restaurants and shops. You could buy everything from a steak to ramen. There was a bar that served their drinks in IV bags and another where everything was made of ice.

Considering all the distractions I was having to deal with, I was starting to think it might be a long night for my patrol. Luckily I had the early patrol so most of the crew was not out and about yet. It gave me the perfect opportunity to scout out all the hot spots for later reference. A few minutes before our relief showed up in a duty vehicle, I started seeing crew members arriving. This day happened to be ladies night so I was glad to go back to the ship without having to deal with any issues. The next patrol did not have any incidents either.