February 29, 2004
It already started on the plane. I felt like entering another planet when I stepped into the Singapore Airlines wonderland. Since everyone had their own LCD screen to choose from the myriads of films, games or music which you could personally control, the famous airhostesses had a hard time communicating with the childlike costumers fidgeting with their new toys.
I say 'famous' because my boyfriend used to sing praises about the exceptional beauty of these girls but what I actually experienced was far from my expectations. They must have cought the bird flue - I concluded - or they have all been redirected to the Thai airlines, where they had dazzled me a while ago.
Arriving at the airport, which is another small city within the small city of Singha (lion) land, was like arriving to the country of convenience. Everything I needed was right there in this huge aircon building next to some beautiful orchid arrangements: the 24 hour post office, the helpful info service and a complete hospital named after Mr Raffles, the `founder` of Singapore. Plus I could have gone for a free city tour if I stayed for a day only and I could have checked my luggage into my next flight 3 days earlier for free and walk into the city lightweight like a princess! :)
Of course, I chose not to check in and thereby leave the opportunity of changing my date of the next flight open. I did rightly so for I extended my stay with an extra two days later. Which as a matter of fact was still not enough for discovering all the wonders of this huge but compact playground.
But first I have to warn you about the welcome test of the clinics here. When I naively stepped into the spacious waiting hall of the hospital the first thing the smiling assistant did after greeting me in perfect English was that the she walked up to me leaving no time to realize what a horrible offence she was about to take: she stuck a digital thermometer in my notoriously sensitive part, my ears, which left me shivering with goose bumps for the next hour or so! ;)
In the following 4 days I had glimpses of the old Chinatown (where the Paranakan Chinese had originally settled), the recreational island of Sentosa (where we took the cable car that allowed us to view the famous ports of Lion City and where we saw a funny monkey show), the botanical garden with its world famous orchid park (which was actually just closing so I had to senak in through the exit. Sorry about that! :), the world of mouthwatering smells and shiny saris in Little India (where I actually stayed in the most friendly, clean and modern hostel I have ever stayed) and the endless shopping malls full of electrical gadgets, fashionable clothes and golden acessorizes present in every corner of the country. You cannot miss them!
At the hostel we had a little noughty cat called Christmas who was a restless entertainer of us all. Especially me and an English boy who worked as a dolphin entertainer and whom email I have unfortunatly lost (so if you read this please email me).
The buses and hairdo salons have LCD televisions, the tube system and the ticket machines are just so efficient to use, the taxis are talkative if you forget something and after taking a picture from the 72th floor of a hotel you could walk in a pleasant aircon subway all the way to the world`s biggest fountain to view the laser show. I had fallen in love with the architecture of one of the modern building by the bay near the legendary Merlion sculpture and really enjoyed the exhibitons of sienna coloured pictures of the people living here a while ago. (I often wonder what kind of life they could have had...)
Perhaps the biggest change after Indonesia and the poorer countries of the region was the complete lack of rubbish and smoking people on the public places and that everyone could speak excellent English and were very very friendly. They even have laws against not flushing the toilet or chewing illegal chewing gums here! On one occasion I had no exact change for the bus and a charming Indian couple helped me out just out of friendliness! This is something I was not used to for the past couple of months. There are small signs (not a overwhelming array of giant posters like at home!) everywhere for reminding the already polite and friendly people to be even more kind to each other and it seems to work very well! Feels a bit utopistic, though.
The highlight of my short stay, apart from the excellent food and the meeting of a couple of interesting local friends of my boyfriend, was undoubtedly the Night Safari located next to the zoo. After the excellent animal show (where my favourite was the funny garbage-selecting otters and the beautiful wild serval) and the comfortable train journey we (some 12 people from the hostel) took the walking trails through the land of snowleopards, tarsius, fishing cats, squeking tapirs and many many more. I just loved it! :D
There was another thing I loved: the variety and quality of cakes, breads and sandwiches. The latest 1 year old craze in Singapore. Some of the shapes of the bread were rather 'confusing' I should say... which just reminds me of the 'bodyworld' exhibition I saw here. (You know, where they have specially dried out European specimens to let the living part of the same human species to learn about their body, to get scared of cancer on seeing the pitch black lungs or, how shall I say, let the poor Asian man feel intimated on seeing the usually unexposed parts of their white fellows... Yes, I did see some of them raising their eyebrows a little more high...).
Unfortunatelly, as times go by many of the traditional customes around the world disappear. It is no different in Singhaland where as Sunday morning arrived I happily set out to see the famous bird singing where proud owners gather their object of love in cages corresponding to the shape of the birds: that is the little fat bird in little fat cage while the tall slim one is in the tall slim cage. :D I said I set out but as a matter of fact I never made it because this is another thing that has just recently died...Unlike the woman wearing those elaborately intricate saris on the streets of Little India. Truly adorable!
On leaving the country I took advantage of the 24 hour post service by sending my next package of gifts home after which I wandered into the departure hall where the free mobile charging and internet service availability made me forget about the waiting time for my night flight to Osaka.
Yes, right now I am in Kyoto trying not to hybernate in the -15C after the heat and humidity of Lionland. (Actually this name is a mistake because it was not a lion but most probably a tiger that the namegiver of Singapore had seen.)
I do hope you are all well and looking forward to the coming of spring! (I personally can't wait for the cherry trees. ;))
Take care! To you Ervin, happy birthday!!! :D
Tiglis