Sent on Jan. 30, 2003 from Singapore.
US$ = 1.82 Singapore$ or Brunei$.
0. NOTE. Visiting so many places ever few days soon blurs
memories of what I did where and other relevant info. So
the reports I am sending are actually notes I jot down for
myself that I am sharing, in case some of you have the same
destinations in mind. And I like to know a bit more about
a place I am visiting than just its geographic location,
why I include brief country and historical profiles. After
I return, I will edit and massage these reports and then
include them, along with corresponding photos, on my travel
web sites. Tomorrow, I am leaving to my next destination.
1. SINGAPORE, GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY.
Singapore is an island just off the southern tip of the Malaysian
peninsula, at about 1 degree north latitude. (There are 2
causeways to Malaysia.) It is about 25km (15 miles) north-south,
45km east-west, its population about 4 million. The airport is
at the eastern end, about 20 minutes by metro from the city
center. The MRT metro system from the airport also covers
all corners of the island, as also the very nice bus
system--imagine waiting no longer than 8 minutes at any one
stop. (Reminded me of the 1.5 hours wait with Parents at a
bus stop in Miami in 1996, waiting for the connecting bus
to Coconut Grove.) The Little India part is about 20
minutes metro ride west of the airport, the huge Chinatown
is about 2.5km south from the latter, adjacent to the Bay
and Singapore River. The Botanical Garden is further west,
all covered by a Hop On/Off bus that circles the city every
20 minutes, completing the tour in 2 hours., at a cost of
S$6--US$4. I should add that the theater in Singapore,
while it is not as imposing as the Sydney Opera House, is
an exquisite piece of work. From a distance it looks like
the backs of 2 giant (hill-size) armadillos. The building
is right at Singapore Bay, near the entry to Singapore
River, at the southeastern part of the city.
Singapore means "Lion City" which name was given to the
island by a Sumatran prince who thought he saw a
lion--likely a tiger--when he landed on the island. (There
is a white statue of a lion at the bay, the symbol of the
city.) The history of the island dates back to 1819 when
Sir Thomas Raffles decided that it was just the port he
needed for the British in these parts. (Indeed, one of the
most exclusive sections of the city, and a hotel, are named
after him.) Until WWII, the city served as an important
British trading center and naval port, until the Japanese
took over the island in 1942. In 1959, Singapore became
self-governing; in 1963 it joined Malaysia; in 1965 it
declared itself independent. Under the dictatorial prime
minister LEE KUAN YEW, Singapore flourished. He stepped
down in 1990; leadership passed on to GOH CHOK TONG, though
Mr. Yew continued to exercise power as a Special Minister.
2. ORIGINAL ITINERARY, the JUNGLE RAILWAY. This is my 3rd
trip to Singapore. The 1st time here, I had stayed at the
best 5-star hotel, and I had taken a complete city tour.
It is a very neat, modern, VERY well-designed, world-class
city. (More about this later.) The primary reason I came
to Singapore this time was, yes, to refresh my memory of
the place, but also to take the JUNGLE RAILWAY from
Singapore north thru central Malaysia to the city of KOTA
BHARU. So much for home-made plans. Yes, there is an
express train that does this 1,000km or so trip in 13
hours, BUT it leaves Singapore at 9:30pm, arrives in Kota
Bharu in the morning, thus missing the scenery entirely.
There is also an express bus that does the same stretch;
alas, it leaves Singapore at 7:30pm, going all-night. (I
have no idea why someone did not think of arranging a day
trip, then concluded that perhaps the trip is not as scenic
as implied by Lonely Planet.) Next I checked car rental
prices, for small economy car, mind you: SD150+ (US$90 or
so) per day. I thought to hell with this; I have seen
enough jungles on this trip anyway. . . So I canceled the
tour thru Malaysia and contemplated how I could spend my
3.5 days here productively.
2. SINGAPORE THE CITY. To me, a city is not just a place
where people live, but also (soul be) a gallery or museum
of fine architecture and exterior design. By this
criterion, Singapore surely qualifies as one of the most
beautiful cities I have seen. (I had sent a similar report
when I visited Australia in 1998, raving about the city
designs in that country, the spectacular Sydney and Darling
Harbors, classy Melbourne, cute Adelaide, very scenic Perth
with wonderful terraced city arcades, the wild-frontier
charm of Darwin, laid-back Cairns, and fine Brisbane,
comparing these to the ugly city designs in USA--which
would become much clearer to non-traveling Americans, if
they could only see the differences.)
So let me elaborate again, using some of the nicest
sections of Los Angeles as the starting point: Westwood,
Bellair, Beverly Hills, and best parts of the Wilshire
Blvd. including all the wooded areas in these sections.
Add to it the charming arcades of Perth (Australia), the
Darling Harbor of Sydney, Fisherman's Wharf of San
Francisco, Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Bayside of Miami, and
some of the cozy walkways around the Jefferson Memorial in
Washington, DC, then create neat and vibrant sections of
Chinatown, Little India, Arab St.; spice the city with
dozens of Hindu and Buddhist temples, a few churches and a
nice mosque--the Sultan Mosque--then color it with the cafe
lifestyle of Paris, Rome, and Madrid . . . and you have
Singapore. To complete the picture, consider also that
Singapore also has one of the most complete botanical
gardens in the world, several bird sanctuaries, a
world-class zoo (yes, with Comodo Dragons, etc. which I
saw), and at least one national park consisting of the 4
percent of the original forest-lands on the island.
Perhaps there is one downside to all this: since the
population of the city consists of Chinese, Indian, and
Malay, not the most zestful cultures, Singapore seems a bit
sterile compared to more lively Paris, Rome, Hong Kong,
Rio, etc. but it also lacks the danger element present in
those cities at night. I have not sen a drunk, indeed
nothing but well-behaved people of all ages, even at 3am at
the 24hr cafe this morn.
The city is elegantly pretty not only for the things it
includes but especially for the things it excludes. There
are no ghettos, no cheap and ugly commercial streets
consisting of garbage-strewn dead places, gas stations
surrounded by plastic flags, body shops, tire stores, etc.,
and no huge boxy Walmarts that we all over the USA. This
is not just a matter of space, that Singapore has less of
it--so must use the space wisely and nicely--the USA much
more of it, also to abuse. On a per capita basis,
Australia has much more land than the USA. Yet the design
of the cities there too are guided by aesthetics, not just
economic return to a business or developer, that the public
good--a pretty city--is more important than the profit
motive of an individual entity. That is, apparently all
well-off countries have decided that the economic
benefits--of getting things a few Dollars cheaper--from a
huge Wallmart or like--cannot justify the eyesore these
things are to a city. Yet, of course, they have gas
stations, tire stores, body shops, large department stores
too, inconspicuously hidden at places away from sight.
What difference this kind of thinking really can make must
be seen to be fully appreciated: beautifully designed
individual components adding to and enhancing the total, an
artwork of a finely functioning city, that Singapore is,
that Perth is, that Paris is . . . But there is more. A
city is also a place to live. 1) The zoning blends
residential and business and commercial sectors. So unlike
in USA where entire parts of the city and major streets
turn desolate after 6pm, here there is continuity. Cafes,
restaurants, shops, arcades stay open because people also
live there. 2) The ground floors of all major building,
including banks, candos, apartments have shops, cafes,
something. This too maintains activity. In contrast, we
have usually the corners of major city streets in USA
occupied by banks. When they close at 4pm, entire city
blocks become lifeless. 3) Unlike Americans who cannot
wait to lock themselves to their homes after work, people
in the rest of the world live lives where they join friends
at a cafe, to chat, to socialize. This must not be so bad,
for Americans who travel to Europe, Australia, Singapore
rave about the night life in the cities when abroad; yet
they fall back to their "private," reclusive, unsociable,
robotic lifestyles when they return home. (One wonders to
what degree crime, alienation, and problems like alcoholism
and drugs are partly a consequence of the very lonely
American lifestyle, for really no other culture lives like
that . . .)
3. MY ITINERARY. Anyway, that I made the right choice of
canceling the Jungle Railway became clear the next day
when I got on the Hop On/Off City Tour bus the next
morning. After taking a complete tour, during which I
marked on the map all the sections and sites I wanted to
hop off and inspect, I began a second circle stopping in
Little India, Arab St., then a much longer stop at the
Raffles Blvd (and Avenue) near the bay and the river. I
completed the day by taking a river cruise. Day 2, I
reserved for the Botanical and Zoological Gardens and
indeed had my Jungle Tour thru Rain Forest, Palm Valley,
Ginger and Orchid Gardens. The garden has samples of every
tropical tree from every tropical region in the world,
including massive Rain Trees from tropical Americas. I
spent some 7 hours there, also writing down the names of
many trees and bushes I had seen (and wondered about) in
Borneo, et al..
CHINESE, THE YEAR OF the GOAT. Day 3, I reserved for the
very special occasion in Chinatown: on Jan. 31, the Chinese
will celebrate the end of Year of the Horse and the
beginning of Year of the Goat. I had seen the elaborate
preparations already in Vietnam; here they were even more
elaborate, as Chinatown covers a huge area in Singapore.
Newspapers state that since the Year of the Horse is
considered lucky and prosperous, in contrast to the Year of
the Goat, marked by hard work and obstacles, especially for
women, many pregnant women have been asking their doctors
to help them have the baby while still in the Year of the
Horse. (By the way, I was born in the Year of Horse.)
All in all, I had a very rewarding 3 full days in
Singapore.
4. THINGS TO KNOW. 1) Upon arrival at the fine airport, I
already had some Brunei Dollars, which can be used at equal
value in Singapore. Nevertheless, since this is an
relatively expensive city, I got some more money from an
ATM machine--not bank, where they may collect a commission,
as Tom and I did as the 1st thing at every new destination.
(By the way, I use only a VISA Bank/Debit Card for my
transactions; this is very handy in that the withdrawals
come directly from my checking account on the spot. This
way I do not get monthly bills--just statements--and I am
charged no fees.) 2) Next, I went to the Information Desk
and asked for a city map, metro map--and learned about the
Hop On/Off City Tour bus. 3) Next, I went to Hotel Desk
and checked into available budget hotels. They mentioned
some at S$65 ($40 US) at the Gaylord Section of the town.
Tom and I had been paying about $15 for pretty decent rooms
so far on our trip. I discarded their suggestions and
checked Lonely Planet. I got a $5 Telephone Card and $15
Metro card--also good on busses--and called several hostels
on BENCOOLEN Street and found room at HOSTEL HAWAII--171B
Bencoolen St. I took the metro to BUGIS Station, walked a
block west and 2 blocks south to the hostel. The single
S$28 was a dump. I rejected it and paid S$12 (US$ 7) for
a berth in dorm room for 4. There were 60 students etc,
staying at the hostel. My roommates that night were one
Dutch, one Indonesian, one British. BINGO. I recommend
the Bencoolen St. location and Hawaii Hostel. In case you
want something better, right next door is the SUMMER VIEW
HOTEL (173 Bencoolen, Tel: 6338 1122), that also offers dorm rooms
for 3 at S$30 each, or regular hotel rooms. This location
is near all you want, incl the BUGIS Metro, 2 blocks from
City Tour bus stop 15 in front of the Randevous Hotel, 3
Internet cafes, post box, a Chinese enclave a block north
and east, 15 min walk from city center, and there is a
Burger King at one end of the block , a 24-hr. Indian cafe
at the other.
ADDENDUM.
* The metro from airport to Bugis station is S$2.60, but it
may be wiser to get a say S$15 electronic card which you
can also use on busses. (You touch the card to an
electronic card reader upon entry and touch it again to
another one at the exit. This automatically subtracts the
fare from the card balance. AND you can redeem the unused
part of the card at any station.)
* Do NOT get SINGTEL Tel. Card. It does not work properly
and subtracts a fee even if the number dialed is wrong or
does not respond.
* All universal and commercial language in Singapore in
conducted in English, though, of course, the Chinese, et
al. may be speaking Chinese et home.
* People dress Western. Rarely do you see an Indian woman
in a sari, etc. Indeed, it is like being in a USA city but
with Chinese and/or Indian faces.
* For the Chinese New Year's, I gave myself a treat of:
baked stingray and ostrich meat.