Singapore

Merlion, the symbol of Singapore
One of hundreds of shops in Little India
The World's Largest Fountain - to give
perspective, there are approximately thirty
restaurants surrounding the fountain -
you are looking from the inside of one out
The National Orchid Garden -
considered one of the best in the World
One of the most modern and
cleanest cities in the world
Many places to dine - this one along the
Singapore River at Clarke Quay -
a hopping place at night!
Singapore

The Lion City is your name
Singapore

Southeast Asia has heard your roar
The whole world's learning who you are

Your streets filled with myriads
Each wanting a slice of the pie

Dashing between the cars your game
Quiet will certainly never be your bane

Pictures dancing across your building walls
Techno reigns

Business cut, the dress of day or night
Capitalism and consumerism your mantras

Languages galore heard upon your streets
English for business and not just for the elite.

Chinese, Malay, and Indian dominate your heritage
Despite the obvious stamp of English Colonialism

Singapore, as you hunt the golden grail
Be not deceived

Do not fall prey to the false scents
Followed by so many

Thereby losing your soul


Singapore is known as the Lion City. Along the river a huge statute of a Merlion (head of a lion and the body of a fish) guards the island. The early Malays who founded the city centuries ago saw an animal that they thought was a lion and so named the village. (It was not a lion.)

My trip was one of contrasts. This city-state provided the greatest contrasts from Bali with its emphasis on politeness and the importance of spirituality to Singapore with its tremendous emphasis on consumerism and traditional big city behaviors.

The Lion City has the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia and compares favorably to the U.S., Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia just to name a few.

For the first time I ran into daily rain and, of course, intense humidity. Luckily, every place you went was air-conditioned. Outside, this Ohioan slowly melted. Business dress was the derigueur including long sleeves for the men. After my first breakfast in shorts, I slunked back to the room and quickly changed into long pants.

As the tour guide said, the two major passions of Singaporeans are eating (wonderful restaurants) and shopping (You name the store, and they have at least two from Gucci to small family stalls). There is a tremendous focus on technology – constant noise on the streets from the ads and videos being displayed on the building walls to the ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) system on the downtown motorways that automatically deduct a toll from your debit card as you pass by. Cell phones everywhere. In the banks you take a stub, have a seat in a cushioned chair, and wait for your number to flash letting you know that it is your turn.

I enjoyed wonderful food – some of which I was unsure of what I was eating. My chopstick skills, which were very rusty, improved greatly. Costs there were more expensive than Bali but still less than the U.S. A gourmet meal ran me about $20 U.S. including a Tiger beer or a glass of wine. (I know some of you may question beer and gourmet. Frankly, some of the meals were complemented better by beer than wine.) Patrick would have loved the shopping. I also caved in. Besides some small purchases, I ended up buying two tailored-made suits and a tailored-made sport coat and pants – also included were three silk ties and three tailored made shirts. The total price was quite reasonable.

While touting is illegal (hustling for business), it happened all the time. I must have had tourist written all over me.

Crossing the streets was a challenge. Stoplights were few and far between. Following local protocol, I would make "a dash for my life." Orchard Road where my hotel was had 5 lanes, luckily one-way. The traffic was incessant. I thanked God every time I made it across. It usually took me about 10 minutes to make the dash – the pros did it in several minutes and seemed so calm about it…:-)


Recommendations

#1 There are hundreds of excellent restaurants in this city that loves to eat. I am recommending three of them. The first The China Feasts Restaurant is located at B1-061 Suntee City Mall. I ate at one of the corridor tables looking at the fountain and doing people watching. The drunken shrimp pictured on the right was delicious. Tel: 337 6921 or email Jacky Lim at connoisseur@pacific.net.sg
#2 The Thanying is an elegant Thai restaurant located at fashionable Clarke Quay. The food and service are top notch. Either lunch or dinner - you cannot lose.

Address: Clarke Quay Blk. D #01-14 River Valley Road
Phone: 336 1821 or 5376
FAX: 336 8146

#3 LingZhi is strictly vegetarian with a strong Japanese twist. Chopsticks are your eating utensils. The food is superbly prepared and served in individual bowls. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor in the back corner - a little hard to find but worth the search (across the street from the Orchard St. Hilton.)
Samsvil Fashions is the place for custom made clothing from suits - to shirts - to dresses. Fine quality! If you are in a hurry, a custom fully-lined suit can be made within 8 hours. If you are looking for quality custom outfits priced comparably to an off-the-shelf suit in the U.S., then see C.J. Chandran. The store ships worldwide. The store director is Vilas Francis who oversees all operations.
Tashi Khoo has a fascinating background and is your classic entrepreneur. If you want to travel in class and receive a first class tour of the city, then Tashi is your person. Many of his customers on business contact him to handle their personal transportation while in Singapore. Simply email him to let him know when you are arriving, and he will meet you at the airport. (I am not sure he is still in business but worth a check if traveling that way.
International passengers yearly rate Singapore Changi Airport as one of the most customer friendly airports in the world. It is what every major airport should be like. This is one airport that it is worth going early just to spend time there - yes, I know that sounds crazy, but it has so much to offer the traveler. Some of the amenities are a swimming pool, a fitness center, a free movie theater, bars and restaurants, shopping galore, a floral garden, hairdressing salon, internet access, mini supermarket, prayer room, pharmacy, game room, and a small hotel to shower and catch a couple hours sleep before departing. Changi is definitely passenger friendly!
Beauty 1 2 3 4 5 6 Back to trip start 8 home