Let's take the train!

I love public transportation. I'm serious. In Oregon, we had two cars - mine and his. Here we have one car and we are so blessed to even have that; most families do not have access to a car at all. It is just too expensive. So I use public transportation to get around and it suits me fine. Today, lucky me, I used the three major ones: train, bus and taxi.

Train is by far my favorite method of travel here. It's well marked, well announced, well mapped out, cost effective and you can pretty much get anywhere. I have no problems walking a little ways to get to a train station. (Although the bus might be better during the rainy season.) The kids and I have been consistently using the MRT for months. Cade even misses it now that he's gone back to school during the week. Elise loves people watching and there's always someone trying to get her to smile. I'll be the first to suggest taking the train and I love going to new stations. I can easily say that it is one of the best things about living here.

This morning my daughter and I ventured out to try to learn the bus system. I hadn't used the bus yet because of one reason: you have to fold up your stroller. Have you tried holding a squirming 15 month baby and a diaper bag, making sure a five year old doesn't run in the road and folding up a stroller while a bus driver waits? No thanks. Alas, after watching her big brother get on and off the school (aka tour) bus for the last week and a half, Elise was excitedly pointing to every bus that went by. So I carried her as we rushed across the street to catch the next number 158. The bus system admittedly isn't hard to use and it's very cheap. Although the stops aren't announced so you do need to know, and watch for, where you are going. We ended up back tracking a bit when I decided 'oh shoot, I think we wanted to get off back there and hey, lots of people are getting off here, we should too.' And we walked a bit farther because we got on the number 12 instead of the 31. Elise didn't care, she loved looking out the window and proceeded to point at every bus there after. Once we learn how to navigate the system, it'll be great.

But I'm not a fan of taxis. I'm really not! That's the go-to for many people here but honestly, I think they are expensive and stressful. For example, I was in a taxi on the expressway (yes, Singapore has expressways) when the alternator went out and all power to the vehicle began to shut off: the air conditioning, the power windows, the meter, the radio, etc. We were lucky to pull into my destination. It was scary and you know both the driver and I were praying! On top of that, it was the first time I'd gone by myself and left Ross at home with the kids. Ok, so that example wasn't an expensive one - the meter wasn't working so he couldn't charge me. But it was stressful!
Then there were the taxi drivers who got 'lost' trying to find our destination because we obviously didn't know where we were going. That's when it starts to get expensive. Lesson learned: map out the route before you get in the cab. Or, as I do now, warn the 'uncle' that your baby starts screaming if you are in the cab too long. That'll get you the quicker/cheaper route.
Or the creepy drivers who ask too many questions about your children or just look at you funny.
Or the uncles who lecture you on how you really shouldn't take someone's cab even if it was an accident and you already feel guilty enough as it is.
Or the worst, the drivers who, no matter how long they've lived here or how well they speak English, cannot understand where you are trying to tell them to go. Dude! My condo has been built for 10 years. It's not new. It's not hard to find. (Truth be told, this is the one of the reasons I love the train so much. I don't have to talk to a soul if I don't want to and everything is announced in very proper English, along with several other languages depending on the line.) 
This video is hilarious to me now and very accurate.
But this afternoon, I needed to get somewhere more direct and a bit quicker. So I hailed the next available cab and was able to pick my son up from school and return home for $10. I'll admit, that may have been worth it.

I still vote to take the train.