Bus back to the Hawaii hostel. Off to Little India for tea. Meal of the trip so far. Chicken curry. Good belt off the curry. Chipatis are way better than nan bread. I had been investigating decent pubs on the web, so we got a cab to Harry's bar on Boat Quay where Nick Leeson used to drink. Boat Quay is a massive strip with a lot of pubs blaring shite dance music with big screens showing Champions league. Harry's was a touch fo class though. There was a female Jazz singer with a double bass, guitar, drums and keyboard. They didn't use it in Rogue Trader. Met Harrisson, a Singaporean of Chinese extraction. He proved to be the ford between Irish and the local culture we needed. Two English blokes recommended Orchard towers. Fours floors of pubs. Lots of Thai and Filipino ladies. Hundred dollars a pop. Harrisson decided to join us cos he'd never been there. On the way down Boat Quay, H mentioned the Molly Malone. We had to call in. It was across the road the Chairman Mao Tavern which had an impressive red facade but was empty inside. MM had the expected green facade and the sounds of a live trad session greeted us. The players play casually on Wednesday nights and were really good particularly at the jigs and reels. They had to rely on lyrics sheets a but for the songs though. Enter the lads. Mac grabbed the guitar (which had a broken string) and I the bodhran (from a Singaporean chap who had a spare one) and sang a couple of songs. We met Emer from Tallow who knows Robbie Hamilton, Hilary who works with the Dow Jones and a bloke from Fermoy whose name eludes me. They told us about a trad conert where they couldn't sing the national anthem or wave the Irish flag because it was considered un-Singaporean.

Harry's

Molly Malone

One of the biggest crimes ever committed and in Singapore. It pissed them off SOOOO much...

They warned us about Orchard Towers and said that you'll get your goolies grabbed and there was loads of arrests and ladyboys... Off the Orchard Towers in a cab. Downstairs pub. Live band playing classic rock covers including classics such as "Sweet Child o Mine". Middle-aged European blokes with girls at most half their age. Cheesy. Upstairs to the Crazy Horse which had been recommended by the English blokes in Harry's. More of a heavy R&B stlye with DJ. Younger blokes. More forward "ladies". This big bald bloke asks me for a fag. I had just lit up my last. Harrisson noticed there were two Italian bloke with him. One was heavy in more ways than one with a galzed expression like Pauly from Goodfellas. The English lads from Harry's arrived and showed us how to pull the birds. Shooting fish in a barrel. They were nice blokes just out for a laugh though and left soon enough. The big bald bloke got kicked out for being too pissed. I kept a close eye on them as they walked out and the heavy turned to me and made extended his thumb and little finger and put them to his face indicating I'll call ya later. I can picture us on the road to Sydney. Phone rings. Muffled Russion accent. "If the camper van drop below 50 miles an hour". We got a taxi home with our goolies intact said a decade of the rosary and a good act of contrition and slept sound