The following is a follow up of my journey to travel across the Pacific Ocean to return home during the pandemic. As with everyone else, I had to serve my Stay Home Notice (SHN) at a dedicated facility upon returning to Singapore. Serving SHN is a boring affair. Here’s a dramaticized recount of my experience being locked up in the most isolated country in 2020 for 14 days straight.
I stepped off the plane and trudged through a dimly lit and cavernous hall. Right after picking up my luggage, I was herded to a small holding area at the end of the terminal. 2 uniformed officers took my particulars, while several others guarded us with watchful eyes. They were wary one of us might throw down our baggage and take off into the vast tropical island.
The group grew as we waited for those from the next flight to arrive and register as well. Throughout this time, the officers avoided my glances or any attempts at small talk. Therefore, I had no idea where I would be bussed to for my quarantine.
Finally, we were let into the bus bay. One officer made sure we stayed in a line as we walked. Another staff helped us load our suitcases onto the bus. I then boarded the bus with my most personal items. I looked around me and for a moment, I wondered if I had entered India by mistake. Nope. The other half of the passengers looked Caucasian.
A uniformed person climbed onboard, counted us carefully, before signalling for the bus driver to move off.
Into The Wild
A sense of surrealism swept over me as our bus snaked through the sun soaked island. Throughout the journey, overgrown bushes and untrimmed canopies hung over the roads. That was so far from the well maintained garden city I had known.
The pandemic has had the foreign workers, the engine behind keeping this city prim and proper, grounded in their dormitories. Just like a flower without bees, this city wasn’t as appealing as it had been before.
Under the watchful eyes of the officer, there was no chance of us jumping off the moving bus as it hurtled down the highway. I know people are dying to come into Singapore to escape from the pandemic raging the world. But being a fugitive on the run would not be helpful.
Enduring the 14 days of lock up would be the best for me, I reminded myself.
The bus finally veered off the highway and into a shroud of skyscrapers. After traversing a few hilly roads, we finally entered the stately grounds of the place we were supposed to be locked up. For 14 days straight.
The giant black marble slab by the sidewalk had a gigantic golden stylised “S”, followed by the Chinese characters: 香格里拉大酒店.
Oh yeah! Have I been transported to the Shangri-la that everyone so looked forward to visit?
No, it was the hotel. But Shangri-la Hotel is a top notch hotel. I think I have struck the jackpot for my Stay Home Notice.
Checking In To My Quarantine Facility – Shangri-la Hotel
Our bus stopped in the driveway for about 10 minutes. Many of the passengers were getting impatient. They were bugging the liaison officer asking why we were still not disembarking.
As it turned out, the social distancing measures in place throughout the isolated island had slowed down the flow of people into the hotel. When it was finally our turn, we could only alight one by one, at the beckoning of the officer.
Somehow, our suitcases had been offloaded the bus before us. A hotel staff asked me to identify my suitcases, and wrote a number on a tag in his hand. He tore the tag into half, tying one half onto my suitcases, and handing me the other half.
“They would be delivered to your room.” He said confidently.
I had not even been allocated my room.
But I liked his confidence in delivering his promise.
The cavernous hall was lined with chairs that sat 2m apart from each other. We had to sit on one, and could only advance to the check in counter when we were being summoned.
My turn finally came, and I found myself face to face with the Front Desk Manager who looked like William Chan (陈伟霆) . But on closer look, I saw his name tag: Ivan. So much for being star struck.
Between us was an acrylic sheet, so it felt like I was at a pawn shop rather than a hotel. Ivan was not wearing a mask (how dare he!), but so were his colleagues behind the plastic shield. I wonder how they would react if I coughed.
But I didn’t.
I was lucky enough to be quarantined in Shangri-la Singapore. No way I would be taking the risk to be whisked off to a real lock up for a childish joke.
Ivan settled my room, handed me my card, whipped out a document and informed me about the stuff I had to look out for in the next 2 weeks. Either I was jetlagged, or my ears had not recovered from the cabin pressure. Either way, I couldn’t really hear him across the plastic shield.
Perhaps the shield was the culprit. I wondered what would happen if I tried to remove the shield.
But no. Jokes of the same nature told twice will not be funny.
After pretending to understand what he said, I collected my card key and walked into the direction he pointed. A lady caught my attention and beckoned me. As I closed in on her like a hungry corgi, she gestured towards the flight of stairs beside her.
これは何ですか?!
I had to climb up the steps to the next level to get to the lift lobby.
With my carry on luggage.
That I stuffed to the max of 7kg.
Sigh…
Perhaps that was their informal way of testing if I had Covid-19. I might pass out before I reach the top if I were positive.
But I wasn’t.
It was tough gasping for air behind my mask. But I survived.
Shangri-la Hotel Deluxe Room For 14 Days
I thanked my lucky stars again when I found out that I got the room 2 doors from the lift. There was a time when I was assigned a corner room at Novotel in Suzhou, which was like 100m away from the lift. It was hell trying to lug my suitcase across the carpeted floor.
Spending 1 year away from Singapore didn’t make me lose my identity. You can take me away from Singapore, but you cannot take the Singapore away from me. Yup. I pressed the doorbell before I tapped my card key to enter the room.
I guessed I got the (standard) Deluxe Room, but it was huge nonetheless. I mean, I was supposed to be locked up in there for free, so I was already thanking God of Zenovia for not throwing me into Hotel 81 or Hotel Jen (which was also part of the Shangri-la hotels group, but low end).
Entering The Start of My Quarantine
Like many upscale hotels, the luggage rack and wardrobe was right at the doorway. The full length mirror of the closet by the door, the minimalistic void and lighting at the rack, as well as the glass display case style of the larger wardrobe made one free from claustrophobic blues.
Right by the glass wardrobe, the vanity desk, with its hidden mirror, stood astutely. The thin TV console drew a line from it all the way to the other end of the room, connecting to the expansive study desk looking out of the window.
The King Size Bed Where I’d Spend 1/3 (Or 5 Days) of My Quarantine
The 40 inch (I guess) LCD TV stared right into the king sized bed donned with 4 pillows and white sheets.
After sleeping in the sub standard bed of my rented room in Canada, the white lofty embrace of this bed brought me right into the legendary Shangri-la. It was so big, my buddies whom I smuggled in was able to share the bed with me!
Study Desk
I spent most of my waking time at the study desk. It faced the full length window that looked out onto the city skyline, from the downtown on the left to the heartlands on the right.
The desktop was padded in leather, which made it a joy to work on. It also had sufficient power points for me to charge my phone and watch YouTube hours on end.
Bathroom – Place Where I Wash Off Any Remnants of Contamination
The bathroom was also another joy to be in. There was a spacious vanity counter that separated the bathtub and the shower stall. Since I did not have bath bombs with me, I did not use the bathtub at all.
However, the shower stall was enjoyable enough. The water jet was so powerful, I could feel the pores on my body cleared out in seconds. The bathroom was stocked with fragrant bath gel and shampoo, coupled with replenishable toiletries.
Routine – What It’s Like To Be Under Surveillance During Quarantine
On the vanity desk beside the wardrobe laid an instruction sheet similar to the one Ivan showed me. It was then I realized he was telling me the routines. After all, we were being locked up, so of course we had routines to follow!
Room Service – How Shangri-la Helped Keep Us Hygienic (And Alive)
Every day, the meals would come in between 8am – 10am, 12pm – 2pm and 6pm – 8pm. The staff would leave the food on the serving tables placed outside the door and ring the doorbell when it was ready for collection.
We could send our clothes for laundry every Tuesday and Thursday, 10 pieces per pack. We should leave the laundry at the door by 10am on the designated days. But I must say the laundry came back smelling so bad, I stopped sending them out by the 3rd round. I reckoned it was the soluble laundry bag that caused the stench. I wore one of those washed singlets to bed and the smell was so repugnant, I woke up halfway at night to take it off!
The bedsheets were also collected every Sunday, to be exchanged with fresh ones. I must admit, changing sheets for such a humongous bed was an arduous task. So I just erhem… slept on the same one throughout. After all, I was in an airconditioned environment all the time, and I only slept on the bed after I showered.
I am fat, but I am not dirty.
They also changed the towels every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That, I changed regularly. However, I didn’t surrender my used towels. I had other uses for them.
Staying Contactable – How Everyone On This Island Conspired To Make Sure We Remain In Our Rooms
Every day, we were tracked of our whereabouts. Yup, I was in one of the most regimental regimes in the world after all. In the morning, plain clothes officer would knock on the door and verify my presence by checking my identity card.
In the early afternoon, someone would call me on my mobile and have a video chat with me to make sure I remained in my room. However, it seemed like a one-sided love affair, for the other party never turned on his/her video.
Late afternoon, the hotel staff would call via the direct line to ask me to report my temperature.
The rest of the day was peppered with replies to SMS that would track the GPS location of my phone.
To be honest, I could have snuck out after figuring out the routines. But I didn’t. I’m a person who lives an upright life.
And the hotel has CCTVs.
I would be a fool to think I would appear invisible to those all present sky eyes.
Other than that, I also used the towels to line the floor, so that I could do workouts on them. Yup, when you’re locked in for 14 days on end, you gotta work it out before the boredom wears you down!
Foodies Be Foodies – How I Grew Fat During Quarantine
Believe it or not, food was a great part of my life in those 14 days of isolation. For one, they were on time, so it was sort of a countdown to the end. Secondly, they brought colours to the monochrome room.
No, the room’s design was warm and inviting. But when you are facing it 24 hours for 14 days, it does get to you.
43 Days of Christmas – A Rundown Of My Meals
The first 7 days were spent guessing what might come in my bento box. It was like having 43 days of Christmas unboxing presents! Mostly, the chef didn’t disappoint.
I got plenty of fruits and most likely had my most consistent intake of calcium in the whole of my life. I wasn’t a fruit person, so I had some difficulties finishing the generous servings of fruits. But nonetheless, just look at the size of the banana!!
In the next 7 days, I worked to confirm my guess that they would repeat the menu. However, there was also this challenge to figure out what subtle changes they made. Initially, I didn’t video/ took photos of all my meals, so that made the challenge even more interesting.
The mains were rotating between Chinese, Western and Indian fare. Yup, I recounted all the meals and found no Malay/Peranakan meals that should have been representative of this part of the world.
If You Can’t Be Out In The World, Bring The World In To You – Food Delivery
And then there were times when I felt I did not have enough protein.
But that was OK, because there was always FoodPanda and Grab.
I started with fast food that I missed. Trust me, I never knew fast food could be different, until I stayed in Canada for a year. This place, the most isolated island in the world, had Chicken Floss Chicken on promotion that month! In Vancouver? KFC was just KFC, day in and day out. Bah!
My friends also sent me food to show their undying love for me. Oomph!
Halfway through, I was told Pappa Rich would be closing down. And since it was in the vicinity, I ordered it a few times throughout my stay. It would be a shame if Pappa Rich never returns!
Introvert Pretending To Be Extroverted
Speaking of friends, my buddies whom I smuggled in were the only ones accompanying me everyday. Yes, I saw human beings on the day of my swab test (about 15 of them in total), but throughout the remaining 14 days, I could only remind myself of how humans look like via YouTube.
I got to speak to the hotel staff who took my daily temperature and took my room service order, and to the staff who checked on my whereabouts everyday on the mobile. Oh, of course, and the immigration officers who knocked on my door every morning.
I got frequent pings on my social media asking after me. It was heartening to know that people (some of whom I’d only communicated online) are concerned about me. A lot of their queries also revolved around something along the lines of: “Are you bored?”
As a matter of fact, being quarantined is nothing for an introvert. In fact, there has been numerous reports about how introverts are celebrating (in their introverted ways) how this pandemic had pushed ahead working from home. Yay to less human interaction!
There are lots of things we can do even for introverts. In Singapore, there’s internet. In Vancouver, there were open space parks and the mountainside. I think we tend to underestimate the resilience of human beings at times.
Celebrating NDP During Quarantine
Another highlight of my quarantine was the display of fireworks on the night of Singapore’s National Day.
Earlier in the morning, given my expansive window, I could have witnessed the fighter planes streak across the sky.
Except that I had my curtains drawn up watching YouTube and missed the timing. Haiz!
However, I made sure I was ready by the window to view the fireworks.
They were distant, but with my vantage point, I could see fireworks from 3 different places. Due to the pandemic, the fireworks were “dispersed” throughout the island. Therefore, I was lucky enough that 3 of the fireworks display were within my field of vision!
Swab Test – The First Time I Got Poked
On my 11th day of quarantine, I was called down to test for Covid-19. That was probably the furthest from my room I had ventured during my lock up. In fact, some people suggest I leave my ID in the room, so I could get to stay outside longer. The organizers had repeatedly sent me reminders about the test. Their goal was to make sure I didn’t bump into my neighbours on my way in and out.
Shangri-la is a maze of a place. After getting down to level 3, I was made to surrender my key card. A series of ushers then directed me here and there before I entered a ballroom one level down.
I “checked in” with a reception at the door again, and was ushered halfway across the ballroom. Over there, a line of tables and chairs were set up for the test.
A man in full PPE gestured to me to sit down in front of him, and he proceeded to draw out his equipment for the test. My heart froze when I saw how long that freaking cotton bud was. I looked away as that stick got near me, but half my brain was in a coma already.
Eventually, that guy entered me with his long tool. There was no pain. It felt ticklish instead. In fact, I had to hold back from sneezing! I couldn’t imagine where the stick would end up in my brain if I sneezed! So imagine me clenching my fist and my body shuddering as the stick probed me at places I had never been touched before.
Just kidding. Any Asian who has had rice sucked up his nose in an eating operation gone wrong would understand that feeling of having something up in the back… of his nose.
That moment when the guy’s stick was inside me felt like eternity. He finally withdrew his tool, and it was covered in mucus. He handed me a piece of tissue to clean myself, but I used it to wipe the tears that rolled down uncontrollably as I was being penetrated…
Checking Out – Rounding Up My 14 Days of Quarantine
The day came when I finally finished serving my quarantine. On the day before, I was given my check out timing. Again, it was to minimise my contact with my neighbours. They also awarded me a certificate to congratulate me for surviving the 14 days of isolation.
I thought it was an overkill. But hey! If I got arrested on my way home, I could at least show this certificate to verify that I did not escape from my mandated quarantine.
Amazingly, despite finishing the coffee and abandoning the portable kettle I brought from Canada, I still had trouble fitting everything back into my suitcases. I guess the packet fruit juices and soda that I brought back for my niece and nephew more than replaced the space…
At 12.15pm, I kissed goodbye to the room that I had left so much of my breath and dead skin cells. According to the instructions, I had to make sure I brought everything I wanted with me. Because the staff would empty the room for disinfection and throw all the disposables.
Gosh… I decided to stun the remaining bath gel. It smelled nice anyway.
Following the instruction to proceed to level 1, I found myself stepping into the bustling hotel lobby (different from where I was checked in). Wow! It was the first time I felt I was back to civilization!
Interestingly, Ivan handled my check out too. From the way he spoke, I don’t think he remembered that I was the one who tried to cough in front of him. I mean, he spoke to me as though I was checking out of the presidential suite or something! Or was it just because Shangri-la staff were all well trained in customer service?
While waiting for my Grab to arrive, I realized in horror… I left one backpack in my room! OMG… And my illegal immigrant buddies were in the bag! Remember the staff was to clear out the room for disinfection? My heart raced as I imagined my buddies being cremated for overstaying >.<
This time round, Ivan remembered me and proceeded to issue me a card key. He also stopped the housekeeping staff from cleaning my room.
My good old buddies were retrieved safe and sound from the room. And together, we boarded our ride back home.
Parting Words
The driver was a chatty person, but it was enjoyable to be able to speak freely and to someone in a familiar tongue. I told him about the pandemic situation in Vancouver, Canada, while he updated me about the turmoil that happened in Singapore since the pandemic tore the city off the world map.
I also shared with him my 14 days of lock up deep in the heart of the city. From my being herded into my isolation, to the tracking by the authorities every other hour, to my first experience of being prodded by another man (to do the swab test), to my everyday gastronomic surprise, down to the night when I watched the fireworks on the day Singapore turned 55.
I do not wish for another pandemic in my lifetime. This experience, of flying across the Pacific Ocean through the pandemic, to being isolated for 14 days, was something so unique, I believe it would stay in my memories for time to come.
Till then, stay healthy and wanderlust!
Thanks for sharing the insight and welcome back to the society 🙂 Being quarantined for 14 days is suck. But at least you got a good room, with city view haha. Didn’t you have to wear hazmat suit during your flight and transfer to hotel?
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