Singapore

It’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve blogged, but life has been busy! Nursing school is challenging and I’ve met some great future colleagues. Darling boyfriend was sent to Singapore for work and the trip coincided with my Spring Break in March (coincidence? I think not…just amazing planning by darling J)

Our trip began with packing for a week in 100* weather, while it was about 50* here in South Carolina. Needless to say, I had to put outfits together, buy some new clothes and shoes, and fit it all into my duffel bought especially for the trip. Bags get so banged around during shipping and handling, on and off the plane, even the heavier duty ones, that I don’t think it’s worth spending much on the bag, unless you’re willing to spend a few hundred, or unless you’re toting designer clothes (always take your jewelry in your carry on!). Even if you do love your clothes (which I do), travel insurance makes for a nice backup plan if your bag gets completely destroyed. We bought foldable duffels from Wal-Mart for about $15. Mine got a small tear and darling’s got soaking wet en route to Singapore and darling’s got a small tear headed back.

We arrived at about 4am and were swiftly taken by taxi to the Swissôtel Merchant Court. The service was the kind that almost makes you feel bad! The bed was a massive white downy cloud and the breakfast selection was expansive.

Swissôtel Merchant Court Breakfast

Clark Quay

Chinese Herbal Remedies Store     

Our hotel was located on Clark Quay (pronounced like ‘key’) a bay enclosed by luxury restaurants and shopping. We were about a 5 minute walk from China Town, where I spent most of my free time. I ate salted, fried dough, red bean, yellow bean, and black bean buns, innumerable cups of boba milk tea, and an authentic Chinese street vendor lunch and dinner with darling boyfriend. The thing about Singapore is that no one is ‘Singapore-ese’, everyone is Chinese but has lived in Singapore for perhaps many generations. There is no ‘original’ Singapore culture, everything is simply Chinese. One of the Singaporean women darling worked with said that Singapore culture was “shopping”; I had heard this before visiting but didn’t believe it until I had spent a week attempting to hunt down places and events of unique cultural significance with no luck.

Chinese Street Vendor Lunch

Jumbo's Crab Restaurant, Clark Quay

Lunch in Little India

That's not to say there isn't plenty to see in China Town, Little India and of the remnants of British colonialism. A 20 minute tube ride on an immaculate subway complex took me to Little India where I wandered and had lunch in what looked like someone's home with an open air kitchen at the front. A sweet little Indian man served me lunch from a selection of curries and fried unknown dishes. I then walked about the 5 miles back to Clark Quay through town, stopping along the way to try a soya milk bubble tea (AWFUL--not like our soy milk!) and a red bean bun.

The major cultural attraction is the mall at Marina Bay and Marina Bay Sands, a resort hotel and gambling center. We heard that Singaporeans actually have to pay to get into the gambling area, whereas foreigners are allowed in for free! I guess they want their citizens saving their money.

Marina Bay nighttime water show

Helix Bridge @ Marina Bay

The taxi drivers (anywhere, really) are a wealth of information not only about what do to and where to go, but will share just about anything with you: views
on politics in their country and yours, religion, cultural tidbits that you are just too far removed to find out about, and details about their families and their personal history. Besides the actual information being communicated, just hearing how these taxi drivers speak about these people, places and politics gives you an insight into the mentality and perspective of the country you are visiting.

We had a really interesting conversation with one young taxi driver who was so outraged about Singapore’s open immigration policy; he made the classic argument that these people were taking jobs because they were willing to work for less than Singapore citizens, and were sucking government resources. When I responded by saying “interesting”, he nearly shouted “No! Not interesting, it’s terrible!” Needless to say, that wasn’t really a two-way conversation. When in someone else’s country, it’s best to just soak it all in and listen :)

Fort Canning Park

The Fort Canning gardens across from Clark Quay are a must see and they make a nice walk to the National Museum of Singapore. While in the park be sure to see the Westerner's cemetery, some of the tombstones date to the 1600's and are British sailors, officials and wives and children of the men in Singapore during British colonialism.

Take plenty of water if it's a hot day and take a taxi back through the Orchard Road area. Orchard Road is the '5th Avenue' of Singapore with plenty of huge multi-storey malls and upscale restaurants. You will find affordable places along the way, however. Darling and I ate at a sushi-go-round and had ColdRock Ice Cream for dessert (ColdStone here in the states).

We concluded the trip with a jaunt into Johor Bahru, Malaysia for the day. Malaysia is what I think of when I think of Asia; congested, busy streets, crowded, un-air-conditioned shopping malls, street vendors on every corner, sickly sweet smells of trash mixing with savory food smells in the street. Singapore is the opposite; everything is clean and all glass and metal, and legislation keeps vendors off the street. So don't go to Singapore expecting Asia, rather, expect a very clean, very Chinese, well ordered New York City; expect to wear fashionable clothes any time you go out or expect to feel out of place. Expect to have numerous food options but half of them American or Continental. Expect beautiful parks, perfect English spoken by everyone and amazing Asian hospitality.