Singapore

As you'll know if you've been following our adventures and keeping up with your reading, Friday, August 31 was the 50th anniversary of independence (Merdeka). Since it was a holiday we booked a trip to Singapore for the long weekend. The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore and this statue is a fountain that stands over the river from which the city derives its name.

We had to get up at 5:30 on Friday morning. Because of the Merdeka celebrations we knew that the trip into KL was going to be slow. The people were bent on celebrating and the parades began forming at 8:00 AM because they wanted to get underway before the full heat of the day. To compound matters the taxi drivers in KL went on strike on Thursday. It seems that it has been years since the government allowed a change in rates. This also explains the protracted price negotiations when one wants to use a taxi. Our bus was schedule for 10:30 AM from a terminal in the heart of KL. It's kind of like the Bay Street terminal but bigger, more crowded, dirtier,noisier and full of hawker stalls selling just about anything. Okay, it's nothing like Bay Street except the dirty part. We took the local commuter, a version of the GO train, from Subang Jaya to KL and the LRT (the elevated rapid transit) to a nearby stop. From there we waded through the crowds for about five blocks to the bus depot. We arrived at 8:45 so it went more smoothly than expected.

The trip was scheduled for five hours but traffic out of KL was horrendous and it was a good hour before we cleared the city limits. Stop and go traffic lasted about another hour. The bus was large and comfortable so we both caught a little sleep and a little reading. On reaching the Malaysia/Singapore border we disembarked to go through Malaysian exit customs. We boarded the bus and crossed the straights (about two minutes) where we disembarked again to go through Singapore entry customs. This time we had to take bags and all. The customs declaration includes a large red notice that "The penalty for drug trafficing in Singapore is death." Scary!! The rest of the trip took another hour and all included we were in transit for seven hours.

The bus terminal was simply a large parking lot in a park with a few transit company ticket booths along one side. We asked about getting a cab to the hotel and were told to go to the roadside and stick out our hand and a cab would stop for us. We did; he did. Once on our way in a very clean cab the driver asked us if we had been to Singapore before. Our negative reply prompted a string of "well, here's what you need to know..." verbiage. We learned about the buildings along our route, the way fares for cab are calculated, sights we MUST see and a seemingly endless patter that kept us informed and smiling. This man was a wonderful ambassador for the city; he was so obviously proud of his country. We were warned about the very strict laws and advised that low crime doesn't mean no crime.

We stayed at the Bencoolen Hotel. Its on Bencoolen Street (surprise) and is an older hotel. The room was small and given the climate (hot and humid) the carpet caused the room to have a musty odour. It was OK for a short stay but we probably will not return to it. The hotel is located on the edge of downtown and is an easy walk to Orchard street, the shopping district. We could also walk to downtown locations but tended to take cabs because they are so clean efficient and relatively inexpensive.

The city is extremely clean. The transit system does everything that Toronto has talked about for years. It is safe, clean efficient and responsive. For example, there was a concert at the arts centre downtown and they actually ran the trains later and put on extra trains to accommodate the people. They have some interesting ways of controlling traffic too. Every car carries a transponder and certain areas of the city are classified as restricted zones. In these areas there is a surcharge (a toll) during peak periods. If you want to drive during rush hour it costs you. Furthtermore you need a special permit to own a car and these are sold at auction. A permit might go as high as 50 or 60 thousand Singapore dollars and that translates to $40000 to $48000 Canadian. Afterwards you need to buy a car and these prices are also inflated by taxes. The drivers here are very polite and cooperative and as a people Singaporeans seem most compliant and always helpful.

Orchard Road is the shopping capital of Singapore. We shopped and then headed over to Clarke Quay. It is a redeveloped section of the river front. There are several such areas along the Singapore River. This one is an entertainment centre that thrives on clubs, bars, restaurants and outdoor cafes. The latter have tables hanging right over the river edge. We walked the entire length of the quay and back looking for a restaurant (there were plenty and we were overwhelmed by the choice). We wanted a seat right over the river but this was Friday night - party night and just about everything was full. Eventually we found a place a little away from the river and had a terrific, small meal. We took a bumboat ride to view the city from the water. We cruised past the Merlion , the symbol of Singapore and back to the quay. It was a beautiful ride and a fabulous way to see the city.

When we got up Saturday morning we had breakfast on the sidewalk at the front of the hotel. It was much like a sidewalk cafe or patio in Toronto and we had the opportunity to people watch. The breakfast was an interesting mixture of western and eastern fare.

It has always been our habit to take a bus tour to the various sights and then decide what we want to come back to later. So, we took the Hop On-Hop Off bus. This was similar to the one we took in KL when we first arrived. It hits all the tourist high spots with a small commentary. The driver again, was an ambassador for his city. There are 22 stops and the tour takes about 90 minutes. The ticket is good for the entire day. We disembarked at the beautiful Botanical Gardens and fascinating little India. It has been preserved with the colonial facades and the bright colours preferred by the Indian people.

Sentosa Island is a resort Island just off shore in the straits of Singapore. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge/causeway. Sentosa is a destination for the people of Singapore to vacation or just rest up. We rode the sky tower (another wonderful aerial view of the city) and then visited "Images of Singapore". This highlighted the aspects of Singapore's history and culture in holographic. visual, audio, panoramas and live action. We only had about 30 minutes but we will return to this extremely interesting exhibit in the future. At one point we met a coolie. The young man playing the part stayed completely in character and he was quite a character. He explained where and why the coolies originated and their role in the development of Singapore. He explained that coolies were transplanted Chinese criminals. He claimed he was a reformed pick pocket...telling us that today was his last in that trade. Bill checked his wallet :-) We hurried out and caught a cable car back to the mainland. This had a spectacular view of the area. We then caught a cab back to the hotel to freshen up for an appointment we had set up.

We then went to meet a colleague (from Brampton) Aunt and Uncle. Well, Aunt Terese and Uncle Joe had made all sorts of arrangements for us. We had a delightful afternoon tea with them and then they took us to Mass on Sunday morning then on to lunch with the family. Aunt Terese is a well know figure in Singapore and Uncle Joe made his engineering mark on bridges around Singapore & Malaysia and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. He was so interesting. One daughter works in the financial district in downtown Manhattan and another daughter and her husband have their own architecture business. They launched their business by winning a top Asian award for the design of a multi complex housing development that is now being built.

We had a wonderful time with the Haung's.

We had time to meet up with friends for Saturday dinner at a Indo-Chine restaurant which had the most delicious food. It wasa fusion of Asian and French cuisine.

All in all - we loved Singapore. It is a wonderful country. We can't wait to go back.