TheTraveler

 

Once Around the Island
by Keith Kellett

If anyone tells me it’s a long way to Australia, they’ll find me in hearty agreement. It seems even longer when you have to spend 24 hours and more in the passenger seat of a 747. But, most airlines try to help to pass the time as pleasantly as possible, and Singapore Airlines’ ‘Krisworld’ in-flight entertainment system is one of the best.

The airline’s base at Singapore/Changi Airport incorporates similar thoughtful touches. In addition to the usual shops, bars and restaurants, there are three relaxing garden areas with fish ponds - the Sunflower Garden, the Fern Garden and the Orchid Garden, and also quiet ‘rest areas’ for passengers wishing to take a nap while waiting for their next flight.

If you’re just passing through, but have more than 5 hours to spend at Changi, the amenities include a free two-hour bus tour of Singapore.

Many like to stop over in Singapore for a few days, and Singapore Airlines can arrange accommodation and tours, as well as vouchers for discounts and ‘free stuff’.

Singapore is an island, a city and a sovereign state all at once. However, anyone who expects to find the Singapore of the ‘old days’ will be disappointed. The city has been ‘cleaned up’ in all senses.

Take a walk early in the morning, and you’ll see street sweepers at work everywhere. Usually, there’s only leaves and other natural litter to clear; if you chew gum or drop litter, even a cigarette butt, on a Singapore street, it’s highly probable that you’ll be invited to make a substantial contribution to the city’s upkeep.

Singapore’s skyline is a sight by day or night. With parklands and open spaces fiercely protected, the only way to build was upwards in the restricted land available, and some of South-East Asia’s tallest buildings are here.

The attraction for most visitors is the shopping. Go to Chinatown for silks, brocades and Chinese artefacts; head down Serangoon Road, known as Little India, for spices and Indian goods.

Orchard Road, with its extensive, multi-storey shopping precincts, is where you’ll find anything else you need … or don’t need, but can’t resist!

We stayed at the Swissotel Merchant Court, on the Singapore River, right opposite Clarke’s Quay. Around the quay is some of the city’s night-life … bars, restaurants, discos, karaoke; you name it, and you’ll find it within a few minutes’ walk.

Shops and market stalls in the area stay open until far into the night, so it’s possible to pub-crawl and shop for souvenirs at the same time!

In search of dinner and a drink, we made an unexpected discovery. Brewerkz is a micro-brewery, with several excellent beers crafted on the premises. Like many places in Europe, the beer is brought to the table in a jug.

However, the cruise-boats gliding by on the nearby river, usually lit by Chinese lanterns placed us definitely in the Far East.

For evening entertainment, we went to the Zoo. Most zoos close their gates in the early evening, around sunset, but that’s the time when a special section of the Singapore Zoo is just opening. They claim to be the first to introduce a Night Safari, to show the creatures of the night at their most active, in as natural a surrounding as possible. The zoo is, in fact, located in a remnant of the secondary jungle which once covered the island.

The Night Safari won many awards, and shares the accolade of Singapore’s top tourist attraction. And, it’s not just for tourists; it’s popular with Singaporeans, too – especially children, who can be seen almost every night, waiting excitedly for the Safari to begin.

There are walkways throughout the area, leading visitors past tigers, leopards and many other animals, but the most popular way is to ride the ‘tram’ – an almost silent electric road-train, with an on-board guide who gives a commentary.

By daylight, the Botanical Gardens, with its inbuilt Orchid Garden is worth visiting … and, if you’ve a long day to spare, you can’t miss Sentosa. Until fairly recently, it was largely covered in secondary rain forest, and contained only a fishing village and a British military fortification.

Co-existing with the forest and the beach, the whole island has been developed as a resort, with attractions designed to provide something of interest for everyone.

The golf course covers about a third of the island, and on the remainder, you’ll find nature trails, bird and animal shows, a Butterfly Park, a Dolphin Lagoon, the Underwater World aquarium and the Images of Singapore museum, to take just a small sample. And, of course, there’s the beach, with all its associated activities.

No longer has Singapore areas where even Marines fear to tread; gone are many of the roadside food stalls, open until far into the night, lit by pressure lanterns. But, most regrettably, gone is the spicy aroma from those stalls, borne on the evening breeze, that really characterised Singapore for me.

But, what replaced it is not bad at all.

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