Jac’s Journey

It’s unlike anywhere I’ve been for the last 9 months.

Some people love it. Some people wrinkle their nose and call it ‘Asia-lite’. I tried to have an open mind. I knew I would be unimpressed by the Asian-ness of Singapore, having just spent 9 months wandering to several corners of the continent, but just as Bangkok is not trying to be authentic Thailand, neither is Singapore trying to be authentic Asia.

I was, however, unprepared for the order, tidyness and regulation of Singapore. Coming through the airport, I remembered with a jolt the packet of doublemint chewing gum in my bag, and buried it underneath my smokes and iPod going through security. Where it stayed the whole time I’ve been here. It’s incredible how quickly you adjust to being rule-bound. Fines-for-everything Singapore; spitting, chewing gum, dropping litter, smoking in the wrong place, not flushing the toilet, urinating in a public place, eating or drinking on the MRT subway system, jaywalking. I suddenly found the famous Singapore ‘policeman-within’ watching me over my shoulder.

Actually, it’s not really as bad as all that. I saw people hock and spit in the street without getting fined, most of the toilets flush themselves and is it really so bad not to be able to drop litter without penalities? Singapore has loads going for it. The most joyous discovery being no mosquitoes!

I’d been told that Singapore was looking to import thousands of professional, skilled workers over the next decade. It added an interesting dimension as I toured the city, thinking ‘could I ever live here?’ The answer has to be no. It’s too regimented for me. I need a little more unpredictability than Singapore could offer, methinks.

However, when it comes to food and shopping, this place is hard to beat. Amazing Indian food in Little India, superb Chinese food in Chinatown, Arab and Mediterranean food in the Arab Quarter, where I was staying, and all of the above in the delightful, messy, cheap, very Asian, Hawker Centres. And while I was here, it was the ‘Great Singapore Sale’, which runs for the entire month of June, and many stores offer additional discounts. Nice one.

My biggest adventure in Singapore was in a teahouse in Chinatown. I was lapping up my cup of DragonWell Green Tea, imagining myself back in Hangzhou, when all of a sudden I got into an argument with some boiling water. The water got a punch in before I decked him, so I spent the next two hours with ice on my face and three hours in Singapore General – not part of the plan! It’s all ok though, no permanent scarring! And another very good Asian healthcare experience!

The great melting pot of Asia, with all its very different cultures creates an interesting place to visit, and is a thought-provoking example of where economic success has been achieved without democracy in the truest sense (although there is voting on the westminster system, there is no opposition to speak of, the same government has been in power since Singapore became independent and speaking out against the government is prohibited).

An enjoyable few days adjusting my senses from ‘east’ to ‘west’, Singapore has been the perfect place to help me do just that.

Singapore