Travel Biography - Week 77.

 The People of Singapore.

All photos, unless specified, are my own, taken in 1997.

The image below is of an unnamed Singaporean model taken from Pinterest. He is typical of the general public populating Orchard Road on a typical weekday. While I was walking through that busy street in 1997, most of them were young men like this one, apparently, all office employees, as the majority went about their business wearing white shirts, and I was near, if not at, the Financial District. A few also wore ties, but the majority had open-neck. This reminded me of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where Orthodox Jews approached the Wall in a white shirt, with or without a tie, but with a yamulka, or skullcap, mandatory for all Jews and non-Jews who wish to pray at the Wall.

A Singaporean model. Stock photo.

Also, all had short hair. Although the ban on males wearing long hair in Singapore was lifted just a couple of years before I arrived, it looked to me that the general male population was still keeping with the ban, with the possibility that short hair was still a condition for employment. Therefore, as I walked along Orchard Road, I must have stood out like a sore thumb with my long hair, even if tied behind in a ponytail.

Of the hundreds of Singaporeans who passed by, only one looked at me with disdain. But then, this sort of thing makes the world interesting. In one shop, three or four young men were in a group, looking at an item on sale and cheerfully discussing among themselves the issue on their minds. Each wore a white shirt without a tie, but their dress code informed me that they worked in finance. Their way of communicating seemed to have indicated a predominantly Phlegmatic temperament, belying the fact that all these fellows served at least two years in the military, as National Service was mandatory for all able-bodied males in Singapore. 

Second Visit to Sentosa.

One morning, I made my way to Mount Faber, a 94-metre-high hill west of the city. Once at the summit, excellent views of the city, residential estates, the cable car system to Sentosa, and the harbourfront could be seen. Nearby was the northern turnaround terminus of the cable car system. The plan was to ride the full length of the 1,650-metre cable car line from Mt Faber to Sentosa Island.

View from Mt Faber. Residential Estates.

View from Mt Faber. The Cable Car Line to Sentosa.

After spending some time admiring the views from Mt Faber, I bought a ticket and boarded a gondola. I was on my own this time and I had the car to myself. The cable car hovered quietly over the woods which covered the hill before entering the upper floor of what was then the Singapore World Trade Centre, a tower on the harbourfront. Here, the car halted, but there was no one to join me, and the car started to move slowly until it exited the tower on the other side. Then it resumed speed for the final leg of the journey. I then alighted at Sentosa Island without a hitch.

This time, I wasn't so much interested in Fantasy Island as I was in the blend of man-made and natural surroundings. That included the tropical-looking Silosa Beach, one of three small beaches on the south side of the island, the other two being Palawan Beach, and Tanjong Beach. Although I wasn't aware at the time, these beaches, although they look so romantic and tropical, were man-made using imported sand. I was able to get there by a light railway with stations around the island. A station served the beach.

Travelers Palms at Sentosa.

Gardens at Sentosa.

There were some local children engaged in a game of beach volleyball. They were enjoying the game and my presence was not a distraction to them. I remained on the beach, undecided about what to do. I never thought about bringing my swimming gear. Yet the shorts I had on, so I argued to myself, were quick-drying, especially under the warm equatorial sunshine. So, I stripped off my top and waded into the Indian Ocean.

I had a good long swim in the calm, warm sea. Yet, at the same time, I kept a constant eye on the knapsack left by itself on the beach. Although the children were nearby, engaged in their beach volleyball game, nobody even glanced at my bag, let alone approach it. This reflects that Singapore is relatively crime-free, making the country one of the safest places in the world to be in.

After the swim, I sunbathed on the sand to dry out my shorts. This was better than the thrills of Fantasy Island, the only other venue where I got wet. This was tranquil, natural, and tropical. Travelers Palm trees backed the beach, along with a bar housed in an all-wooden hut. As the afternoon wore on, I approached the bar. A local sat there with a drink that looked tempting. When the barman approached to serve me, I asked him what was the drink that chap had, and asked if I could have the same. I believe it was sugarcane juice, a popular drink in Singapore, Malaysia, and India. I made the right choice. Sugarcane juice, a precursor to rum, tasted good and it was so refreshing.

Dancing Fountain with Merlion.

Garden view of Dancing Fountain from Merlion.

I was taken in by the abundance of tropical trees and shrubs thriving in abundance. One species which caught my attention was the Travelers Palm, a palm tree with large fronds for leaves and not too dissimilar to the banana tree. At Sentosa, beautiful, well-tended tropical gardens graced the island throughout. The most dominant structure was the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. This 37-metre-high structure was built of white cement, and it made an excellent base at night when different coloured lights shone on it, illuminating it in different hues, such as red, purple, and blue. Then its eyes light up and from its left eye, a laser beam throws an image across the Dancing Fountain.

But this time, I didn't ascend to the top of the Merlion's head. Instead, at the appropriate time, I took a seating spot at the Dancing Fountain theatre. I was in a better position than on my first visit. This time, I was facing directly at the fountain rather than from an angle, as I did before.

I also noticed that as the theatre began to fill, the expectant crowd was mainly of locals. I have wondered whether after a day's hard draft, what a tonic it might have been to cross into Sentosa and watch the fountains perform. Like before, the fountains had put on a wonderful show, with the Merlion adding to its climax. The fountains then returned to their normality, a row of waterspouts arranged in a straight line in front of the seating and remaining illuminated throughout the night.

Later that evening, I boarded a cable car to alight at the World Trade Centre. I then walked along and arrived at the Singapore River. I crossed over on the bridge and recognised where I was. It was Clarke Quay. The surrounding buildings were well-lit up at night, enhancing the whole area surrounding the calm water. Within the last couple of days, I stood at the same spot, admiring Clarke Quay during the daytime. I then walked back to the hostel. In fact, across central Singapore, I walked to everywhere I wanted to visit. The only exception where I took public transport was when I was with those two backpackers from our hostel. With them, I bussed to the World Trade Centre for the cable car to Sentosa. Then, on my own as usual, the MRT train to Chinese Garden Station from Bugis. And of course, a bus from and to the airport.

Potted Shrub Exhibition, Chinese Park.

At a Chinese Hut, Chinese Park.

A Word on Cuisine.

Will's Homestay, the hostel or pensione, only give us access to the kitchen for breakfast. Therefore, throughout my five-day stay in Singapore, I had to eat out. The sugarcane juice I tried at Silosa Beach was an eye-opener on Asian drinks. But there were others too, mainly based on noodles. The restaurants in Singapore looked more like car park headrooms than traditional eating venues. Within the large space surrounded by paneless apertures, tables were arranged in front of a serving bar. It was at the bar where I placed the order, and the food came promptly. Although, while I'm on my travels, spaghetti has always been my staple diet, technically, spaghetti is noodles.

Therefore, Singaporean noodles weren't that different except for the taste, but that didn't mean that such was undesirable. Rather, it depended on what was added to it. Chicken pieces were one good addition. Or there was Hokkien Mee, noodles with egg and rice. Various sauces arrived in their own dip dishes. Some of the sauce was okay and went well with the meal. But one Singaporean classic side juice was so hot, like pepper, that it burned my tongue when I tasted it! Fortunately, in 1997, I didn't find such meals too expensive.

The Flight to Cairns Draws Near.

It was more of Sentosa Island that really drew my attention rather than Central Singapore itself, as the former had some of the lushest vegetation I had ever seen - so far. After all, I was on holiday and not on business or on a field trip. However, having said that - this RTW trip has offered quite a high level of educational experiences, and Singapore was no exception. Whether it was about food or visiting, Chinese and Japanese Parks with their Oriental architecture and their blending with Lake Jurong, the Islamic Mosque, the Hindu and Buddhist temples, Little India, or the pace of life in general, visiting faraway places was always an eye-opener, no matter where the location is.

Yet, on the fifth day after arriving in Singapore, I knew that the time had come to move on. The thought brought mixed feelings. Indeed, I was excited to set foot in Australia, the first of the Blasi clan ever to do so, as it was with Singapore. Yet, I was sad to leave this fascinating island state off the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Yet, I was fortunate. Very fortunate. I arrived in Singapore just a couple of years after the ban on men wearing long hair was lifted. Some famous celebrities refused to enter Singapore during the ban. One pop group was the Bee Gees, who had a gig cancelled due to their refusal to have their hair cut. Another singer was Kitaro, and the group Led Zeppelin also had their gigs cancelled.

Clarke Quay.

Silosa Beach, Sentosa.

After checking out of Will's Homestay that morning, my flight wasn't due until well into the evening, as this would be an overnight flight. As such, the proprietor was willing to keep an eye on my rucksack until I returned to collect it. I spent that day walking through the central city and visiting locations I had missed or simply revisited.

That evening, I felt sad as I collected my rucksack from the hostel, and made my way to the bus stop from which I knew the bus would transport me to the airport. The journey went without a hitch.

After checking in, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of the Changi Airport departure lounge. Of the listed flights displayed on the departure board, one was destined for Darwin, then Cairns. That was my flight. Not a direct one, but mine nevertheless. And so, I sat and waited to be called to the gate.

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Next Week: Arrival in Cairns.