Trifter

I visited Singapore twenty years ago and had the opportunity to visit again this year in 2007. It is interesting to see the development of a destination with such a significant gap in time.

PEOPLE

Clothing sizes were now selling in a wider range of sizes. It was noticeable that the people were also in a wider range of sizes! Where my own lack of height twenty years ago had seemed close to the norm, I now found myself dwarfed by many of the younger locals.

The mixture of ethnic people had changed a little too. There were many from the Philippines, mostly young women, often with blonde children in tow. These were the maids who had come in their thousands to satisfy the demand for maids for locals as well as ex-pats working in Singapore.

The most noticeable, were the number of Europeans who have flooded into the country to work. One suburb, Holland, was pointed out to be the meeting place for many. Here the ex-pat workers could find produce from their home countries in Europe or Australasia.

Twenty years ago a question about the many regulations and laws would bring muffled grumbles about Lee Kuan Yew and restrictions on civil liberties and freedom of speech. Today the same questions bring quiet acquiescence to the greatness of his achievements and the quality of life enjoyed by the inhabitants of this fortunate city. They are aware that they have an enviable lifestyle, prosperous and contented. Freedom to walk about at night and enjoy human habitation without the embellishments of graffiti and garbage, have somehow a greater appeal than the freedom to wantonly live in individual freedoms that mean pain for others.

SAFETY AND COMFORT

Singapore has to be one of the most modern and comfortable cities to visit as a tourist. It is easy to get around with signage in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. The MRT suburban rail system is fast, reliable and easy to negotiate.

Personal safety is as good as it gets anywhere. I saw five school girls come to eat at a city food hall. They casually placed their bags with all their personal belongings at a table and disappeared to buy their food! There was not thought of anything being stolen in their absence.

As it is considered culturally poor practice to put a bag on the floor, handbags are often slung over the back of a seat while dining. Singapore lacks the tension that often accompanies a traveler in a strange place. It means that exploring this city can be a relaxing experience, at least from the fear of some villain watching for the unsuspecting tourist to pounce on. People continue to be helpful and friendly.

SHOPPING AND SIGHTSEEING

Singapore needs more than a few days to do properly. Sights include the Jurong Bird Park, the zoo, especially by night and Senosa Island. But visiting the various regions of the city can be just as interesting. Orchard Road is a long lushly lined boulevard. The huge tropical trees provide shade for the wide walkways and everywhere there is space, tropical plants add flashes of colour.

This shopping strip can provide days of shopping, as it is a long line of enormous shopping malls from the very expensive and chic to bargains and tourist trinkets in the famous Lucky Plaza.

The Marina area has theatres and more huge shopping centres including the largest in Singapore, Suntec. Here the magnificent theatres with the distinctive huge domes, originally depicting microphones, but more reminiscent of the forms of enormous durian fruit, dominate the landscape. Around the marina there are park-like gardens and a waterside walkway where a visitor can see the statue of the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore, across the water.

A visit to Little India to sample excellent curries for as little as S$4.00 per plate is a must and don’t miss the conglomeration of goods sold in the Mustafa Centre. Visit Arab Street for a browse through Persian carpet shops and purchase some wonderful material from one of the many shops there.

China town is worth a visit, though it is a little touristy, but the old shop houses are preserved well and there is still something of an atmosphere in this area that is of interest. For cheaper eats, visit one of the hawker stands outside of the tourist strips. If you are not so adventurous, Smith Street has a range of good restaurants to try.

Visit the old Raffles Hotel which has been beautifully renovated and preserved. The glamour of the age has been retained, especially in the hotel lobby and staff present accordingly, especially the turbaned and white jacketed doorman.

Clarke Quay looks a bit tired by day, but is a good diversion on the way to China Town. It looks like it rocks at night, with many restaurants and nightclubs.

When the shops have become too much, a quiet walk through the botanical gardens, culminating with a walk through the orchid gardens to see the national flower in its many different forms, is a tonic.

EATING

Hawker stands are the basic level of eating. The government monitors these stands for hygiene and awards owners with a grading system. The best receive an “A”. Each stand must display their grading. If there is no grading, the stand may lack any standard, best to stick with graded stands and “B”s and “C”s are still fine to buy from. Try some of the desserts such as pineapple and coconut or mango and almond jelly. Many of the desserts come on finely crushed ice. These are delicious, especially in the humid heat or after a spicy curry.

Food halls offer a wonderful range of foods from the wider region, Malaysia, India, China, Taiwan, Thailand. The best food halls in my opinion are the Food Republic food halls. There is on Orchard Rd and I found one in Suntec that had a theme of an old library. It felt rather odd sitting amongst panels of old books while eating, but the food was excellent. I tried dumplings in the shape of goldfish… interesting.

Restaurants range from basic and cheap to very exquisite and expensive. To try some of the signature dishes of chili crab or pepper crab, my favourite, visit Newton Circus as the hawker stands there all specialize in seafood. Or if you have the chance, visit one of the huge eating conglomerates at East Coast. Crab is sold per 100gms, so this makes the dish a little on the pricey side, but well worth the expense.

The local water is safe to drink, therefore ice is a welcome addition to drinks. Food is an art in Singapore, and a way of life! Make the most of the different tastes. Forget trying to eat Western food, the local food is the highlight. Forget trying to find good coffee. Cafes are everywhere but good coffee in my hunt was not to be found. Much of the coffee comes from Malaysia and is a dark roast, often made worse by the preparation.

SINGLISH LAH?

Singaporeans converse using many slang words. Coffee is referred to as “kopi”, if someone seems a little slow on understanding, they might be asked, “why you so blur?” Or when someone acts in a way that is questionable, a friend may say, “why you so like that?” Tenses can get a little mixed but are always understandable and at the end of almost every second sentence comes the expression that simply means, “you know?” or endorses a sentence or question, “lah”. This is a very catchy phrase lah, you hear it everywhere in Singapore lah.

What a vibrant city. It gets better every twenty years. I must make a note to visit it a little sooner next time. And next time, I will remember to take an umbrella. Ask a local if the rain is going to clear during the day, the answer may be, “I don’t know lah. It might. It might clear then rain again later lah. Never can tell what the weather might do isn’t it?

Singapore. My tourist T shirt reads: Food shiok lah, everything fun to see lah, everything to see must buy lah!