I love Singapore, though it has corporal and capital punishment, bans the importation of chewing gum, and is an near one-party state where a number of voters fear voting for the opposition because they don't trust the secrecy of the ballot process. Of course I was only there for a day and a half, not long enough to see more than parts of the main city area, but if First Impressions Last then Singapore made a stellar impact.
Surprisingly, though Singapore is a small island with millions of people, it was not a concrete-jungle. There are skyscrapers and built-up areas, apartment complexes, office blocks, and malls, but also large areas of one and two storey buildings, and unexpected volumes of green - large trees, open parkland and reserves, grass verges along the expressways, flowering vines mitigating the visual impact of the numerous overhead walkways, wilderness on the outskirts of the island, and (on the hill in the centre of town) Fort Canning Park with its reservoir.
It may be hackneyed, but on the first afternoon I found myself wading through discarded peanut shells in the Long Bar at Raffles' to have a Singapore Sling. I suspect that if it were not the Done Thing to drink them at Raffles that people wouldn't - its a pleasantish red concoction of fruitiness, alcohol, and ice but nothing special except for its price, location, and reputation. On finishing, I headed down to Raffles' Tiffin Room for High Tea. Unfortunately I failed to make the grade - long pants only; three-quarter shorts unacceptable.
My hostel was just off Geylang Road. When I arrived at around midday, the area had lots of cars, few people, and many eating houses [in addition to standard fare, should you be interested in something tasty and endangered, the specialties of the area include frog and turtle]. When I arrived back that night I discovered I was actually staying in the heart of the Red Light District, which by then was packed with conservatively-dressed young seamstresses loitering quietly, slovenly-dressed older men having Frogs' Legs or Turtle Soup before ambling up and down the footpaths, parlours offering whole body reflexology, and transit hotels for weary travellers in desperate need of a room for an hour before they returned to the airport.
Singapore is a city for Night People. While there are places open 24 hours a day, and presumably office workers start work in the morning, most shops don't open until midday or so and close late at night. This makes sense: Singapore is a couple of degrees off the equator, after all, and its much more pleasant to stroll after dark when the temperature drops to a reasonable level and the streets are bathed in artificial light. It has a zoo that opens at 7:30pm. At midnight when that closes you could go out for dinner and afterwards a movie. I love Singapore, I really do.
