Singapore, Republic of Singapore
March 11, 2007
It’s easy to give one word to describe Singapore…CLEAN! What an amazing place. There is virtually no pollution, no trash, no chewing gum on the streets…Clean! Clean! Clean! This cleanliness has indeed become a trademark for this, the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Everywhere you go there are signs…the small red circles with the diagonal bar running through…showing what you may not do and what the fine will be….$500.00 for spitting….$1000.00 for littering….$600.00 for gum….you name it there is a symbol and a fine! There are so many of these signs that the tourist t-shirt shops all have some variety of these symbols printed on the shirt and available for 1 dollah…1 dollah….big size!!!!
My day started with a visit to Chinatown to run through the stalls….with the ever present merchants trying to sell us tourists their junque!...and calling it junque is being kind! While in Chinatown I enjoyed a very passionate lecture about TEA from one of the country’s leading experts and sellers. I learned more about tea in one hour than I ever knew existed and was reminded that when one finds his or her passion it is a good thing. This lovely gentle man is committed to educating the world on the finer properties of tea…he is very convincing.
From Chinatown we ventured to “Little India” for more ethnic shopping. Scattered in among the trinkets and flower stalls were stalls selling CD’s of exotic sounding music. The aromas of the spices from the adjoining restaurants mixed with the smells of fresh fish from the “wet market”….such an exotic experience.
It seems that strong ethnic communities are the norm here. When Mr. Raffles laid the city out in the early 1800’s he provided certain land and sections for the various ethic groups that were migrating to this beautiful part of Asia. Those areas thrive today. It was fascinating to see row after row of colonial styled buildings of shop/homes where the two or three stories house small shops on the lower levels and living facilities on the upper floors. Each of these “malls” were beautifully and intricately colored in many pastel hues with white heavily ornate trim….all falling in the shadows of tall multi-storied modern high rises. Mix in an occasional Chinese Buddhist or Indian Hindu temple and your have a colorful city indeed….a city of dramatic contrasts with an extremely high standard of living ranking 11th in the world. Yet, through all this hustle and bustle of 21st century commerce there still remains an awareness of the past and, because of the “village concept” a nice human scale. It is a lovely place.
Lunch was a given….A steak at the Long Bar of the famous Raffles Hotel!!!! Starting with a Singapore Sling (a virgin one in my case!!!!) and ending with a delightful and tasty steak lunch I was fascinated by this beautiful and historic old landmark of the city. With more than 17 dining venues and countless high-end shops, Raffles is the place to see and be seen. I will always remember sitting in the Long Bar, nibbling on parched peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor as we sipped those tasty drinks under wicker fans slowly moving the humid air….I felt like I was in a movie!
Returning to the ship I marveled at the scores of barges being loaded with containers….yes, Singapore is a busy port… a place to which I will return.
March 11, 2007
It’s easy to give one word to describe Singapore…CLEAN! What an amazing place. There is virtually no pollution, no trash, no chewing gum on the streets…Clean! Clean! Clean! This cleanliness has indeed become a trademark for this, the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Everywhere you go there are signs…the small red circles with the diagonal bar running through…showing what you may not do and what the fine will be….$500.00 for spitting….$1000.00 for littering….$600.00 for gum….you name it there is a symbol and a fine! There are so many of these signs that the tourist t-shirt shops all have some variety of these symbols printed on the shirt and available for 1 dollah…1 dollah….big size!!!!
My day started with a visit to Chinatown to run through the stalls….with the ever present merchants trying to sell us tourists their junque!...and calling it junque is being kind! While in Chinatown I enjoyed a very passionate lecture about TEA from one of the country’s leading experts and sellers. I learned more about tea in one hour than I ever knew existed and was reminded that when one finds his or her passion it is a good thing. This lovely gentle man is committed to educating the world on the finer properties of tea…he is very convincing.
From Chinatown we ventured to “Little India” for more ethnic shopping. Scattered in among the trinkets and flower stalls were stalls selling CD’s of exotic sounding music. The aromas of the spices from the adjoining restaurants mixed with the smells of fresh fish from the “wet market”….such an exotic experience.
It seems that strong ethnic communities are the norm here. When Mr. Raffles laid the city out in the early 1800’s he provided certain land and sections for the various ethic groups that were migrating to this beautiful part of Asia. Those areas thrive today. It was fascinating to see row after row of colonial styled buildings of shop/homes where the two or three stories house small shops on the lower levels and living facilities on the upper floors. Each of these “malls” were beautifully and intricately colored in many pastel hues with white heavily ornate trim….all falling in the shadows of tall multi-storied modern high rises. Mix in an occasional Chinese Buddhist or Indian Hindu temple and your have a colorful city indeed….a city of dramatic contrasts with an extremely high standard of living ranking 11th in the world. Yet, through all this hustle and bustle of 21st century commerce there still remains an awareness of the past and, because of the “village concept” a nice human scale. It is a lovely place.
Lunch was a given….A steak at the Long Bar of the famous Raffles Hotel!!!! Starting with a Singapore Sling (a virgin one in my case!!!!) and ending with a delightful and tasty steak lunch I was fascinated by this beautiful and historic old landmark of the city. With more than 17 dining venues and countless high-end shops, Raffles is the place to see and be seen. I will always remember sitting in the Long Bar, nibbling on parched peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor as we sipped those tasty drinks under wicker fans slowly moving the humid air….I felt like I was in a movie!
Returning to the ship I marveled at the scores of barges being loaded with containers….yes, Singapore is a busy port… a place to which I will return.
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