Singapore

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Leaving the (semi) civilised shores of Australia behind - we were now back on the real backpacker trail - smelly, overcrowded buses, strange food, language barriers and squat toilets... welcome to Asia!

However, before all that, we had a very gentle introduction to Asia in the modern metropolis of Singapore. This city state is much decried on the backpacker circuit. With its clean streets, visible wealth, designer goods and it's general orderlyness, it's considered a bit, well, sterile. The tone is set at the ubercool airport, with it's cut price ipods, free music, massages and internet, a pool, a gym and a cinema - all for transitting flyers. As you step on the metro, you are whisked quickly and quietly to a spotlessly clean station in the centre of town in 20 minutes. All very easy - and even the city itself - all shopping malls, mobile phone shops, skyscrapers and souless apartment blocks is all very convenient and easy and clean, but it could be anywhere. It's like the Asian switzerland; nice, wealthy, but not amazingly interesting.

But all that said, we had a decent few days here. The Asian Civilisation Musuem, in the grand old government house has fantastic displays on the Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures that all meet here in this cosmopolitan melting pot of a city.
It's modern history dates to Sir Stanford Raffles claiming it for the Empire, and setting up a trading port - it's never looked back, and the many asian cultures all meet here in their unified purpose of getting rich.

The city itself is built around the river - and the charming old world colonial buildings, the post office, the cricket pavilion and of course, Raffles hotel, are cooly whitewashed and sit in the shade of the giant skyscrapers housing the modern Asian corporations. Stepping into these bastions of the Empire feels like being transported back to 1934 - and the oak panelled walls seem to speak of cocktail parties, riotous high jinks (such as chasing a tiger through the billiard room - a true story, apparently), and a time where any half decent hotel was expected to have a billiard room, god damn it.

At night the riverfront comes alive with bars and restaurants - selling Malay, Chinese, Indian or Western food to expat bankers and tourists. To get a budget meal, you need to head to ethnic areas - in our case little India, where we were staying.
This little collection of streets, with the colourful shops selling all kinds of spices, the smell of incense, the posters of Ganesh the cheeky elephant god, complete disregard for traffic laws, and the Bollywood hits playing at a brain meltingly distortionate high volume.. waaaaahaa waaaahaa waaaaha - all brought back memories of downtown bombay.
Anyway, the food here was nearer bombay prices, and very spicy...

After a couple of days sightseeing, and envious window shopping down the plush shopping malls of Orchard Road - (every designer name under the sun, and dirt cheap electronics as well), it was time for us to pack up, and get on with proper Asia, squat toilets here we come!!

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Comments

[Carlota]

Open
The photo The Marlion an te skyscape no open Youhav wonderful pictures. Like Navy's MD i mede 3 trips to the Orient. Six times in Sigapore