The Lion City

It’s hard to think of Singapore and not picture: malls, malls, malls. To be fair, there’s a lot more that Singapore offers. But one look at its downtown and you will understand why this aspect stands out.

Orchard Rd. is the main strip downtown full of department stores and hotels. Well-known brands adorn the windows: Burberry. Prada. Gucci. Orchard is lined with spacious and impeccably clean sidewalks. Crossing the street also occurs underground; pedestrians use underpasses which connect one mall/hotel to another. This, coupled with clear and strategic signage, makes walking around very easy and pleasant (if you can withstand the humidity). If you’re anything like me, though, two days of Orchard is more than enough. One can only take so much of the same thing.

Outside of Orchard Rd. shopping and sightseeing becomes slightly more interesting, which means fewer brand names and more affordable goods. For example, Bugis St. is a fun outdoor market where you find food, fruit, cellphones, handicrafts and clothes, and everything in between. Bargaining is okay to do here, but trying on clothes is no-no. For more info of this kind, you can check out travel books which do a much better job at this. They can tell you about Chinatown, the Botanical Gardens, the Istana (Palace), seafood in the East Coast, etc.

My family and I also did a lot of eating. Food is fabulous in this country because, I don’t know why, Singaporeans are passionate about food. The cultural make-up of the country makes for a delicious fusion of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisines; and great as stand-alones, too. There’s another reason we (my family) like eating in Singapore, especially Chinese food. We enjoy pork – and things cooked with pork are just tastier, I swear! But in Indonesia, which is 90% Muslim, pork is not easily found in dining establishments. So when in Singapore, we (non-Muslims) pig out. BBQ pork. Pork belly. Pork ribs. Pork neck. Pork soup. I know it sounds insane, or at least highly comical, but ask any non-Muslim Jakartans. It’s true.

A friend opined that Singapore is a great introduction to Asia. It boasts first-world features like an excellent public transport system, safety and cleanliness (yes, good toilets), English spoken, trustworthy signage and sticker prices, large selection of stores and restaurants, big chains and street stalls alike, friendly and knowledgeable service staff everywhere. So I agreed with my friend. I enjoy and applaud these conveniences. What more do you want?

Well, I’m not sure, but there’s definitely a void in Singapore despite all the prosperity. I shouldn’t and don’t want to criticize, so let me put it this way.

Singapore to me is like a good first date; no, make that impressive first date, so much that I may even want to go on more dates (I actually did; I lived there for 2 years) because I think, what if this is the one to take home to Mom? But at the end of the day, perhaps she’s too put together, too predictable, too safe for me. Maybe I want someone who’s been through more, someone with an edge, a certain je ne sais quoi; someone who makes my heart beat faster. I don’t know.

So she’s just a friend, one I enjoy seeing.

And I'll post pictures next time.