Week 11: Singapore

This week I ventured out of Malaysia to the Southern port land of Singapore. Known for its extensive expat population and huge ports, it was a cool place to be and was reminiscent of the United States. My first day there began with a trip to the Marina Bay Sands hotel, famous for its rooftop pool and boat shape. While only guests were allowed to bathe, I enjoyed a view of the nearby ports and city, an interesting juxtaposition. Singapore is one of the few remaining city-states, and because of the limited size, the city is packed with tall skyscrapers and small public parks. However, they also have room for a large zoo and Universal Studios, so it’s an interesting mix to see.

My second stop was the famed “Gardens by the Bay”, complete with a special orchid exhibit in their indoor, temperature controlled dome. This facility is maintained at the correct temperatures and humidity levels to allow flowers to bloom all year round. More exciting than this dome was their facility dedicated to recreating an indoor cloud forest, complete with a waterfall. The live exhibit showed the different flora and fauna found at various altitudes in cloud forests, complete with a nice escape from the humidity outside. Like so many other parts of Singapore, they dedicated the exhibits inside the mountain to displays on conservation, an important message especially for such a small country.

I decided to pass the afternoon away in the Museum of Asia Heritage (or something like that) and was treated to performances by students participating in a choral concert that weekend in Singapore. There were some amazing singers from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and probably others. It was very enjoyable to see the coming together of cultures through music. I also enjoyed their displays on the history of trade in the region and how the passing of history affected the different routes used and types of goods being traded. This topic was especially pertinent because trade plays a huge hand in keeping the country so prosperous these days and shaped the country.

My busy day ended with a trip to the night safari at the Singapore zoo. This exhibit has nocturnal creatures for visitors at night. They are lit by lights that match the shade of moonlight so it does not disturb them, and because they are nocturnal, most were actively up and moving, which is not always seen in day zoos. The biggest problem the park has is preventing tourists from using their flash while taking pictures. Overall I thought the tourist trap was very well executed and it was cool to see a few different types of animals from the norm.

Sunday brought a trip to the Mustafa mall, a sensation my taxi driver had told me about. He explained the complex was at least a kilometer long, so I was intrigued to see what it was all about. Contrary to my expectations, this was not a typical swanky mall, filled with nice consumer goods in brands I’d recognize. Rather, it was like a cross between a multi-level Costco and a department store. Each of the 4 floors was dedicated to a specific type of product: the bottom floor was electronics and household machinery (washers, microwaves, etc.), the middle was a storehouse of shoes and sporting goods, the third floor pharmaceuticals and toiletries, and the top floor was a grocery store. What made it stand out even more was that the second building (also the Mustafa mall) contained the exact same goods and the exact same layout, but was separate.

After my adventures in the mall, I spent some time touring Chinatown. After living in Shanghai for 2 months it was a bit anti-climatic, but it’s always fun to see what kinds of gadgets they have for tourists like me. I also had the pleasure of touring and eating in Little India, which was like a 2 street bazar with ample restaurants and storefronts. Thus concluded my brief time in the country, as I needed to go back to Kuala Lumpur for work the next day.