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Published: December 12th 2007
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Raffles Hotel, Singapore
Home of the Singapore Sling Singapore - the Canberra of SE Asia - was never going to be a tourist stop. The main agenda was to visit my dear friends from Oz - Donna and Scott - working there since June. It also provided a great opportunity to do laundry, restock supplies and relax in the comfort of a ritzy expat apartment with pool. Quite a departure from the backpacking world!
After Vietnam, Singapore was very Western. Clean, green and pristine. It dealt me a terrible case of reverse culture shock. Money has come to Singapore making it a shopping mecca of glass and steel shopping centres, perfectly manicured gardens and stylish locals wearing flashy Western brand names. It's claimed young Singaporeans are all about the five c's - Cash, Car, Credit card, Condominium, and membership(s) of Country club. Seemingly quite a materialistic and shallow bunch! It was difficult to reconcile all of this against the stark realities of poverty and social problems in other parts of SE Asia. I also missed the people - the population in other parts of SE Asia lives outdoors, in streets, constantly in your face and daily routines like food preparation and washing can be observed everywhere, everyday. In
The Newlyweds
Scott and Donna contrast, Singapore is a city where everything is conducted indoors - in monsterous shopping centres, tall airconditioned apartment complexes and other artificially sterile and cool indoor environments.
Donna and Scott's expat lifestyle is fairly conservative in comparison to others. Whilst they have a Filipino maid, she comes only once a week and is not 'live in'. They have their own car and spend as much of their precious free time as possible travelling around Asia. Their apartment is massive, in a complex housing a mix of locals and expats around a pool/courtyard area. In contrast - around the city, hundreds of small Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartments house Singaporeans on a fixed year lease/purchase arrangements. HDB was set up in the 60's when many people were still living in unhygienic and crowded squatter settlements packed in the city centres. It's been quite effective in ensuring adequate housing for all - though interestingly they are not available to the unmarried - only to those with 'proper family nucleus' - meaning unmarried adult children are often forced to stay living with their families! Nannys are also commonplace here - often doubling as maids.
After places like Vietnam and Thailand
Singapore Shopping Complex
Singpore - a shopping mecca. - Singapore's Chinese cuisine was greasy, unhealthy and decidedly less tasty. Donna and Scott frequent various Hawker Markets for dinner each night - feasting on specialities like chicken rice, pork buns and Singapore noodles. It's cheaper for them to eat at Hawkers than self cater - though variety is fairly limited. Also, no hot water in the kitchen makes home food preparation less hygenic. For some home comforts and great international cuisine, many expats head to Dempsey - where gourmet cheese, wine, good coffee and other hard-to-find delicacies from home are available in a lush, inner city, hillside setting. We visited there a couple of times for drink and a meal - sensational!
The 'must do' tourist attraction in Singapore is Raffles - home of the Singapore Sling. A pricy, sweet cocktail consumed in the stately, colonial Long Room Bar by the bucketfull. We spent an evening sipping cocktails and feasting on the free peanuts! Architecture in the Colonial district and the quays is spectacular. Old colonial style buildings like Raffles, the Fullerton Hotel and Singpaore Cricket Club are set against a green, riverside backdrop. Sentosa Island is also a nice daytrip. Donna and I find ourselves one day
Cafe Del Mar, Sentosa Island
Donna and I find ourselves at the Euro-chic (artifical) beachside Cafe Del Mar. at Sentosa's Euro-chic (artificial) beachside 'cafe del mare'. With a clear, blue pool the focalpoint - it's all palm trees, sand, bar and banana lounges. Bright, young, beautiful people with huge sunnies strut their stuff in designer swimwear. We soak up the sun and enjoy a few hours of people watching! Changi Museum also proves an interesting, albeit contrasting stop. When the Japanese invaded Singapore - POWs were imprisioned in appalling conditions. The museum was also a monument to the victims and provides insightful stories from survivors.
The Hindu Deepavali Festival of light coincided with my time in Singapore - the perfect time to visit Little India. The streets were decorated with lights and packed with colour, people and atmosphere - a welcome reprieve from the sterile Singapore streets. Like India proper, the streets were littered with garbage - making it all the more authentic! The Sri Veeramakaliamoman Temple was crowded with devout Hindus meditating, making wishes and giving flower offerings. All too soon, it was time to head back to Thailand. A sojourn in Bangkok before my India stint.
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Andy Horsman
Andrew Horsman
A Different Experience
Hi Ellen, sounds like Singers was a very different experience to that of the rest of SE Asia - amazing how it can be so different yet so geographically close, eh? We found the same after crossing over from Malaysia by bus - what a contrast. Glad that you made it to Changi - one of the highlights for us. How's India going? The weather in Ireland has turned decidedly chilly and with the twinkly lights on the Christmas tree, it feels a whole lot different from Xmas in Cambodia last year! Safe travels, Andy