One night in Singapore

  Singapore, Singapore
Sunday, September 7, 2008

"Wan nah-yeet in Sing-ah-por on-ee ahh?", asked the immigrations office at Singapore's Changi Airport when I told him I was only staying in Singapore for a night. It's called Singlish - Singapore's pidgin version of the English language - a blend of English and Chinese (Hokkien). It's quite funny listening to them speak, that is if you understand what they're saying.

Singapore is a rather quirky country, albeit one that's done very well for itself considering they don't have any natural resources to speak of. It's really just a city on a small island (that keeps growing bigger by means of land reclamation). It's squeaky clean and very green - the government must have whole armies of street cleaners and gardeners as the streets look pristine and the many, many gorgeous trees and bushes are neatly pruned. There's hardly any crime and the government preaches a brand of laissez faire that's unique anywhere in the world. It's the survival of the fittest (rather Darwinist really) so Singaporeans work hard and play hard but if you fall behind, well....tough. There is no safety net. Fascinating stuff.

Anyway, I stayed the night at my friend's (Senthil) place.

View of Singapore from Senthil's place

We went for a walk around Chinatown that Sunday afternoon and there was a lovely buzz in the air. Little stalls selling cakes, herbs, souvenirs, jewellery and colourful (i.e. garish) Chinese clothing and decorations. Senthil showed me a stall that was selling clothes. A little board hanging over the stall advertised: "Special Offer: 2 bottoms and 1 top for $20"!!! Classic.

One thing that struck me about Chinatown is how lovingly restored the old buildings are.

Chinatown

Most of these buildings were built (probably) in the early-1900's, some in the late-1800's in a mix of colonial and art deco styles. They now house a wide variety of businesses: restaurants, bars, antique shops, etc.. but these beautifully restored buildings still ooze a unique old-world charm.

Me @ Senthil's place

That evening, we went out for dinner and let me tell you: it's a big challenge trying to find a restaurant in Singapore that's open on a Sunday night! I don't know what the reason is (they're not all devout Catholics or something) but Senthil and I walked miles to find a decent place (other than the fast-food chains and Korean noodle shops which were open) and finally settled for a steakhouse where I ordered fish & chips (haha!).

Anyway, my visit to Singapore was short but very interesting. One of the highlights was definitely seeing the new Airbus A380 for the first time at Changi airport. I was really hoping to catch a glimpse (Singapore Airlines is currently one of only two airlines that have them) and I was really excited when I arrived at the airport and there they were: yes, two of these massive machines, parked side by side. What an impressive sight! OMG factor: 9. Kicked myself that I didn't have my camera ready.

I'm now in Perth, Western Australia, where I'm staying for five nights (will tell you all about it in my next blog). I arrived here yesterday afternoon from Singapore. The Southeast Asian leg of my trip has now come to an end. I had a truly amazing time. Breathtaking sights, great food, fantastic company, made some new friends, had some spectacular adventures,... Wow! A big THANK YOU to my friends Allan and Nigel for the fab company in Siem Reap and Krabi, and another big THANK YOU to my family in KL who spoiled me tremendously!!

Take care!


Cheers,
Keith