“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have begun our final approach
to Changi International Airport, and we wish to remind you that it is not
permitted to bring in tobacco products, alcoholic beverages [exceeding the duty
free allowance], and chewing gum.”
Oops! Welcome to
Singapore!
Guiltily I wondered if my seatmate—a Singapore native—had
noted me opening a brand new package of gum and/or my vigorous chawing of said
substance as we descended, and I briefly considered leaving my one and only
package in the seat pocket. On second
thought, though, I decided to leave that package hidden in the jumbled depths
of my travel purse and risk the hypothetical existence of gum-sniffing dogs at
Singapore Customs and the possible necessity of pleading stupidity.
Never did I look upon gum—that concealed in my purse or
otherwise—throughout my three-day stint in Singapore; I lacked any motivation whatsoever
to relocate my own, and there is no gum for sale in the city or environs.
Nonetheless, I love Singapore! Of Asia’s largest cities, Singapore ranks
number two with me—only slightly behind Hong Kong—and I would return in a
heartbeat!
“Singapore is certainly the handiest and most marvelous city
I ever saw, as well planned and carefully executed as though built entirely by
one man. It like a big desk, full of
drawers and pigeonholes, . . . .” (William
Hornaday, 1883)
And the design of each “pigeonhole” is unique thanks to a
multicultural population—Chinese, Malay, and Indian—shaped by a colonial past
and infused with a Westernized modernity.
The cultural mix fosters an impressive lineup of mouthwatering cuisines,
too, and I partook of some memorable meals.
One always hears that the street food markets cook up some
of the best Asia has to offer. On the other hand, those same street food markets
also carry the reputation for inducing those traveler/toilet twenty-four relationships,
so I have remained leery. Singapore, I
decided, offered the best odds for a positive experience with street food
markets, and there were two within a block of my hotel! I opted for chicken rice—a traditional
Singapore dish—my first night, hawked by a pretty young woman with a very prominent
baby bump who stood in front of a stall with two men cooking behind the “counter.” The chicken rice was excellent, so amazing, in fact, that I
ordered it for lunch the next day at a food court in a very swanky mall. Though definitely tasty, it was such a
distant second to the street food rendition!
So, here is Singapore . . .
And here is Singapore, Little India this time . . .
And here is Singapore--Pulau Ubin, an outer island reached by "bumboat," the place where one can still glimpse what Singapore looked like fifty years ago . . .
