11 March Reflections on entry and exit, Singapore

My frustration with Singapore was complete. What a bloody awful place. The rules, the nonsence, the ticket clipping. Where should I start !
I arrived in Singapore and was "waved" through customs after having my panniers "looked in" and assumed all was in order. The path through immigration and customs was amazing. A dedicated bike lane with hunderds if not thousands of bikes.
So I went to the shipping agent. I was told that I could not export the bike due to not having completed the Carnet. However in order to complete the Carnet I first had to visit the AA to buy insurance and a Certificate to allow me to use the vehicle in Singapore.
I suggested that I did not want to do that and "was there another way" ? Yes I could pay an extra $50 and get a certificate that would allow me to ship without the Carnet. Great so I went to the Port. There I was stopped. No Carnet. Go back to AA I was told. So I did. At AA I was chastised for not bringing the Carnet to them before entering Singapore. That is the system. Arrive in Malaysia and go to the border. Leave the bike in Malaysia, and go to AA in Singapore. They will "validate" the Carnet and issue insurance and Licence. Return to Malaysia and collect bike. Ride to customs and immigration and exhibit Carnet which they will stamp. On the way back to Singapore find and hire an electronic card reader which is attached to the bike to enable fees to be collected if visiting the CBD. I somehow forgot to do that. Return to shipping agent and get anothet "letter" to enable Port entry pass to be issued ( after fingetprinting and photgraph). Enter Port. Process Carnet. Told by Customs that I should not ride bike in Port. Told by Port Police that I cannot ride bike in Port even 500 metres to loading shed. Can I push the bike I asked. No not permitted ! I ask Port Police to ask "Boss". Head office reply "too dangerous". So I now wait for two hours for a tow truck to arrive. We load the bike on the truck. Drive 500 metres and unload in shipping agents shed.
That process took me three days. The only reason I went to Singapore was to get the bike to Australia, having established that my plan to ride Indonesia would fail as I could find no way to get from Bali to Dili where I could ship to Oz. Talk about a buggers muddle !
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