Singapore. The mention of the country conjures up images a country of wealthy bankers, a repressed society free from chewing gum and people subject to whippings as legal punishments. I knew little about this city-state as I did about just about any other country we've been. However, what we got here was a well deserved weekend in SE Asia’s most affluent country. We arrived in the bustling airport in the afternoon and, armed with google maps lovingly supplied by our friend Zahirah, we found our way to our hostel in Little India with no trouble at all. After settling into our dorm room, we were eager to finally see a good friend's face to face and get a first glimpse of her home town. She surprised us by arriving in a car and with the gratitude to chauffeur us around! We drove straight to a local favorite restaurant and gorged on chicken, rice and bok choy while catching up. Afterwards, the ever hospitable Zahirah wouldn't let us pay a dime for dinner and insisted on taking us on a night tour of the city.
What a place! We drove by the riverfront section where colonial buildings were dwarfed by skyscrapers next door and further out of town to the city’s greenhouses where looking back to the city center, were simply enamored with the skyline lit up at night; the ultra-modern architecture alone is marvelous to gaze at and, for a long while, we did. After snapping some pictures, we drove back near the riverfront and had a walking tour, beer in hand, of a downtown neighborhood where Zahirah told us about some of the sights we passed. We settled down for a while on the river where a concert had taken place earlier in the day and swapped stories while witnessing a spectacular, Las Vegas worthy, water jet and light show across the river. By one in the morning, we had already seen more of the city than I imagined we could in a weekend and I couldn't wait to see what was next.
What a place! We drove by the riverfront section where colonial buildings were dwarfed by skyscrapers next door and further out of town to the city’s greenhouses where looking back to the city center, were simply enamored with the skyline lit up at night; the ultra-modern architecture alone is marvelous to gaze at and, for a long while, we did. After snapping some pictures, we drove back near the riverfront and had a walking tour, beer in hand, of a downtown neighborhood where Zahirah told us about some of the sights we passed. We settled down for a while on the river where a concert had taken place earlier in the day and swapped stories while witnessing a spectacular, Las Vegas worthy, water jet and light show across the river. By one in the morning, we had already seen more of the city than I imagined we could in a weekend and I couldn't wait to see what was next.
After a surprisingly satisfying breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Megan and I began a walking tour of our surrounding neighborhoods. We walked away from little India and through Bugis street market. What a lively spot on a weekend morning! A Quan Yin and Hindu temple with lots of incense and flowers and a man painting Chinese calligraphy with his chin were just some of the highlights of our 90 minute walk, along with a theater sporting a living wall and green roof.
Zahirah picked us up a bit later and we all decided to visit the aquarium which is located off the main island and on a smaller outcropping with a turbulent WWII history. Now, it is home to large theme park, mall and tourist attraction and is quite crowded on weekends. We spent the hour wait in line for the aquarium trading more stories, Zahirah about her new job and upcoming move to California and us about our SE Asia trip. Finally, when our turn came to enter, I was not disappointed in the least. There were tons of exotic fish, many of which we have seen on our dives but some we had never heard of. Most of the tanks were brilliantly lit up, allowing the true, vibrant colors of the tropical fish to shine. I certainly left with an urge to dive deep into the world of marine conservation.
We came back to a little Turkey part of the city and strolled around a nice pedestrian shopping and eatery street and sat down for a coffee and appetizer at a brilliantly decorated Turkish restaurant. Afterwards, we walked around a Malay cultural center, visited a Hindu temple overflowing with worshipers and visited Zahirah’s aunt at a textile store before walking to the national library. Here we were prithee to a great view of the city at the top floor and an insightful exhibit about the history of the city’s rich history of campaigns aimed mostly at straightening out its citizens and creating a model society. I must say, exchanging history bites and political woes was a highlight in itself between the sightseeing and it was a thrill to have the company of a good friend for a few days. Only from Zahirah could we have learned one of the reasons we didn’t see any beggars on the street as roughly 80 percent of the city lives in some sort of public housing. After completely over stuffing ourselves with Indian food for dinner, we parted ways once again with another half day left in this place that continues to surprise us.
On our last day, Zahirah brought us to the gardens, a recently constructed (go figure, the national mascot should be a construction crane, according to Zahirah) outdoor green space and biome exhibit. We walked through two greenhouses, both constructed to keep the heat and humidity out. One houses plant species from every continent in a meticulously manicured setting and the other is home to an indoor cloud forest and global warming discovery center. Both were technological wonders in my mind and gave some perspective on why Singapore is only somewhat ironically nicknamed the garden city (ironic because it used to be covered in tropical forest and is now an environmentally progressive concrete jungle). We said our final goodbyes back at our hostel and after another gorge at an Indian restaurant, we were off on the train to the airport which, apparently, is a destination in itself. After a quick pass through immigration and the nicest, most polite (it asked us about our bathroom experience) restroom we’re likely ever to encounter, we learned the true nature of an efficient airport at our gate, where the first and only security stop was found. As much as we will miss our friend and the comforts of this modern, efficient city, our sights are set squarely on Bali and as I waited at the airport, my mind filled with fantasies of glorious surf, beaches and landscapes of paradise.