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March 30, 2005

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Some observations from our Easter holiday in Singapore.

1. There are not enough taxis. A hot and humid city needs plenty of taxis.
2. People are polite, often disturbingly so. It borders on insincerity. The place is eerily clean and ordered. Wandering around Clarke Quay it all felt a touch sterile and planned. Or maybe I've been in Hong Kong too long.
3. Of the major tourist attactions, the zoo and night safari are worth it while the Jurong bird park is not.
4. Despite advertising a closing time of 6pm, in fact everything at Jurong bird park closes at 5pm. If you arrive at 5pm do not expect the lady on the front desk to inform you that most of the park is shut.
5. The Singapore Duck, a bus/boat contraption that potters around for an hour, is a waste of money.
6. A good place for to find queues of tourists are taxi stands at major tourist attractions.
7. Eating out is cheap.
8. Every retailer will tell tourists the GST is refundable. What they don't tell you is the ridiculously complicated process you need to go through to obtain the refund. Obviously it's designed like this to prevent tourists foolishly attempting to get their money.

Some think Singapore pathetic. I disagree. It's hard to feel anything about Singapore. A couple of days is enough to see and do everything a tourist would want. The word that springs to mind are sterile. The word that does NOT spring to mind is spontaneous.

In short: Singapore might be a great place to live but wouldn't want to visit for too long.

 posted by Simon on 03.30.05 at 10:19 AM in the




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Comments:

Well, one win does not a footy season make but clearly the Swans win over a gutless Hawk outfit on the weekend has gone to Simons' head. Desperate to get away from smelly HK harbour for Easter (whats going on there anyway?) he decides to visit, of all places, Singapore for a family holiday!! Not Disneyland, not some exotic beach resort in Thailand or the like. Even Singaporeans dont stay in Singapore on weekends let alone a long one! Why not pack the family in a car and go for a leisurely 57hr drive across the Nullabor next time Simon? I think the last line in point 2 may well be correct....

 posted by: AB on 03.30.05 at 12:08 PM [permalink]

Agreed, it is a nice place to live - but getting out of the country is necessary at every opportunity. Non-sterile locations can be found, but the Tourism Board doesn't care to promote them. You should have got Miyagi to take you on a tour of the underbelly.

 posted by: myrick on 03.30.05 at 04:22 PM [permalink]

I've seen the underbelly, as AB can attest. But with a family in tow it wouldn't be a good option.

Next time I will look up Miyagi and Brown.

 posted by: Simon on 03.30.05 at 04:30 PM [permalink]

Your observation that SG is " eerily clean and ordered" is spot on. And you're not staying in HK for too long :)

Initally, when I went to Macau & HongKong, I was thinking to myself, why are these building so run down? I didn't realise that no one is concerned on the exterior if just maintained your own house. There is actually beauty in this chaos. Compared to the orderly facade of Singapore HDB well-maintained, pristine and thou-shall-not touch appearance. It feel more real. HDB too hollow for my liking (after my enlightenment)

 posted by: Martin X on 03.30.05 at 08:19 PM [permalink]

My experience of Singapore was of catching pneumonia, then being given a speed-like medication that made me work but sweat mountains, then of working like a maniac in a hot office and longing for the bubble gum I had but not daring to eat it.

Yup. Magic.

 posted by: Helen on 03.31.05 at 12:38 AM [permalink]




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