Steven Raucher's World Tour

2001-10-06 in Singapore
A small country with a big heart and loads of bureaucracy.

I had been warned. It is difficult to drive in Singapore; it is paperwork and toll booths and funny gadgets that get zapped when you enter the heart of the city. I had to see for myself. Plus I needed to visit BMW for a major service.

What a way to start! I get past immigration with no problems, always a relief for a South African, and am instructed to go and see the LTA Office (I think this stands for Local Transport Authority but I can't be sure), anyway they tell me I need to buy insurance and an Autopass card (a smart card that let�s the government charge you for using the roads and staying in the country with your vehicle). They also tell me that I will need to take a taxi into to town and leave my bike at the customs checkpoint in order to have my carnet endorsed by the AA before they can let me drive in the country. I was playing dumb all this time even though I had been warned by fellow overlanders (thanks Rachie!) to run like hell once I hit the border. I had a plan of my own: somehow I managed to convince the AA to accept a fax of my carnet, then sign the fax and fax it back to the LTA office at the border, I then talked the LTA into accepting the fax as endorsement as in the best case they would only ever have a photocopy of my carnet for their records anyway. Well, it worked and I saved myself a very expensive cab ride into town. All told it took me just over 4 hours to get my bike legally on the road. After being told to go directly to the AA after leaving the border to get them to stamp the original document as apparently the AA had, by the flick of a switch, blocked my bike from leaving the country. Unbelievable! At the AA I was told I needed to rent a �gadget�. This is a machine that mounts on the bike which the scanners, known as ERP�s, can automatically deduct money from you as you pass under them. Very clever indeed. Finally with �gadget� and all my stamps in, I entered Singapore town centre. I�ll take Pakistani �baksheesh� over Singaporean efficiency anytime!

This is where my time in Singapore gets a bit boring for the readers, I spent the next three days in the BMW workshop where we removed the entire rear of the bike to get into the engine and replace so many parts that it pains me to think of it. (If anyone wants pictures of a burnt out please let me know). See picture below for details. The good news is that by way of hanging around the BMW showroom I have met loads of local riders and have my evenings with them enjoying the food and in the case of last night giving advice on route planning in Vietnam, see picture.

Tonight is apparently the weekly get-together of all the big bikes in Singapore, I just wonder if I have enough chrome and flashing lights to compete with them� oh well, mud will just have to do!

Tomorrow I leave for Malacca and then hopefully into Indonesia, (Mom, I am still wating for your Kevlar vest!)

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a nice warm welcome...

having a night on the town with Wade, Jo-Anne and Kenny Eng

need a lift? someone took my rear!

in serious talks with Singapore bikers, where to go in Vietnam

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