Hotels are great when you're looking to vacation and not have to worry about making your bed and get fresh towels daily. However, when you move to a new place and have to stay in a hotel for a week living out of a suitcase filled with clothes for 6 months its not as relaxing. I had the same type of feeling when I went to Indy. By the end of my time in the hotel I was just so anxious to unpack and settle into the apartment I was staying in and I'm getting the same feeling here in Singapore too.
Another part of hotel life that can get old is eating out all the time. It's especially tough in a new country where you can't just walk outside knowing you'll find something you'll like. So yesterday for dinner I was not in the mood to eat anything too heavy and figured I would stop at a grocery store and just pick up something little. This would also be my first time actually taking a look at Singaporean grocery stores.
Let's just say it took me about 2 minutes from walking into the store to realize that I was not in the aisles of Stop and Shop or Kroger anymore...Everything was so expensive!! Produce, dairy, staple foods, all of them were so expensive! What happened to the 10 for $10 deals or Big Y's buy 1 get 2 free deals?!!? Whew it'll sure be a change getting used to these prices and I'll probably have a very plain pantry while here. I mean we're talking Annie's Mac&Cheese was $5! And toiletries are mighty pricey as well. I bought shave gel for $8 and I took a quick peak at other prices for when my TSA approved 3oz run out, $7-11 for shampoo or conditioner. (Maybe their shave gel has a secret ingredient that keeps legs smoother longer, yea that's GOT to be the reason why its so much more expensive!)
Ok rant over, and of course I'll suck it up and end up buying these things out of necessity. And after 6 months it won't even phase me to spend so much. Though I'll probably become one of those crazy coupon ladies when I get home who doesn't pay for any groceries with money, only coupons.
To end on a positive note, something I have enjoyed here are fruit juice/smoothie stands. When you ask for watermelon juice they puree actual chunks of watermelon and its just so refreshing to have in the hot, humid weather. All fruit and no random additions. Last night I got one with kiwi, pineapple, and green apple yum!
Supermarkets in town are on the upper end in terms of pricing.Once you get to heartland(suburban) areas like Simei it should be better. Try looking at Watsons or Guardian for toiletries - most of us get ours from there.
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