Walk the Line

To get to Dolphin Lodge, I would have to go through Singapore, self styled, self restrained, self contained city, state and country. An island off the southern coast of peninsular Malaysia, Singapore is the epitome of tidy urban living to some and a sterile, over involved parent to others. In 1994, Singapore made headlines worldwide as the corporeal punishment of caning made news when an American businessman's son was caught tagging cars. Michael Fay, was caned four times, a reduction in his sentence after a request from President Clinton. Let’s just say, I haven’t seen a lot of tagging around town.

Twelve years later, Singapore still means business and the rules are no secret. Chewing gum is not on store shelves. Trash cans are abound and litter is surprisingly minimal for the country’s four million plus residents. Fines from $500 to $2,000 Singaporean Dollars lie in wait for litterbugs and public smokers. Jaywalk within fifty feet of a crosswalk and more fines stand to be collected. Singapore has a diverse population of Singaporeans, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Indonesians and other Asians from neighboring countries. My sense is that most enjoy the order, safety and unparalelled cleanliness in Asia and perhaps the world.

Singapore also has a large western expat community as it is a gateway for the west to the east, a stable economy in the midst of less stable and predictable countries (e.g. Indonesia, Myanamar (formerly Burma)). One recurring story told to me is of the many UK citizens who have settled in Singapore permanently because they enjoy the warmer weather, the slower pace and the “order” of the city compared to non-stop London. One relocated Brit, who declined a position at Cambridge to stay in Singapore described the city as, “what London would be if everything worked.”

Arriving Saturday night, I was curious to see how “clean” Singapore was in reality. Was it really a city of retentives that walked the line day in and day out with universal conformity? Under cover of darkness, the taxi ride from the airport had my neck craned upward as skyscraper after skyscraper came into view. The streets below were “sanitized” as I stuck my nose to the window scanning the highway shoulder for litter with none in sight. The lack of litter was pleasing to the eye and contrary to any country I had visited thus far. In a strange way, it gave me more peace of mind. Perhaps its less clutter outside, less clutter inside?

I checked into my hotel that I had booked off the internet from Cambodia. The “Hotel 81” chain was advertised as Singapore’s premier budget hotel with lots of awards. Walking into the lobby, my spidy senses went off immediately as young women ushered significantly older men arm in arm into the elevator. While I had reserved the room for the night, they had it for the hour.

Thoughts of checking out crossed my mind as I weighed the options, paying more than $160 US night or paying $60 at Hotel 81. Factored into my equation was the fact that it was almost 11 p.m. on a Saturday night and I wanted to explore. Dropping my backpack in the room, I ignored the mystery stains on the sheets and crusty bathroom sink. The sheets and sink would wait, Singapore nightlife would not.

The man behind the front desk directed me to Zouk, a three tiered bar/nightclub/lounge. At 11:30 on a Saturday night it was fairly mellow as groups milled about seated on red cushioned cubes in dim lighting sipping on 2 for 1 drinks. By this time in Cambodia or India, the bars were closing and the streets were empty, but Singapore was just getting warmed up. By 1 a.m., crowds were pouring in and the dance floors were in full swing. Good music and a diverse, trendy crowd was grooving to hip hop and techno hustle. Only a two and a half hour flight from Cambodia, I might as well have flown in from Mars. It was momentary and very short lived culture shock.

By three or four a.m. I called it quits and headed back to the no tell motel. But before meeting my bug mates, I headed to a “hawker” stall where food from all over the map is served 24x7. Ironically, I chose a veggie Vietnamese dish, solid late night carbo loading. And no night out is really complete in Singapore without hitting the 7-11 that can be found on every block. I’d place a modest bet on the fact that Singapore has more 7-11’s per capita than any other country in the world. And these aren’t just any 7-11’s, sure they have slurpees, but they also have chocolate croissants and a half dozen other fresh baked pastries. This was 7-11 gold.

In bed as daylight cracked the darkness, it would be just a few hours of shut-eye with the bed bugs before I would change hotels. By mid-morning the next day, I even contemplated just staying to avoid hassling with the move, but since the people showering down the hall sounded as if they were using my shower, I decided to move. Sure, there were still high heeled hourly hook-ups strutting through the revolving doors, but the walls were thicker.

Sunday in Singapore was a return to an old pass time I enjoyed as a kid, the long lost art of flea market haggling. A local taxi driver dropped me off at a local market where old, new, working, broken, junk and treasures were bartered, traded and sold. It was just what I loved about such markets, you never know what you’re going to find. Unlike the massive malls lining each block of Singapore, the flea market had little order and to find any treasure, the eyes had to focus intensely at each table or blanket on the ground. There were items from all over the world, watches, cameras, computer parts, jewelry, knick-knacks and coins (mostly counterfeit). It was a potpourri of junk. And for once, sanity prevailed as I walked away empty handed.

Post vagabond shopping, I navigated through Little India, grabbing a bite of the much missed spicy and flavorful Indian cuisine. For a few hours I flirted with franchising a business with 3D holographic art. A father and son business, Tushiv is a company that has been exporting edible products such as soybeans for fifty years, but recently stumbled onto an art process that they have now patented. I toyed with the idea of running the summer art festival circuit in California selling out their stock presently sitting in storage in NY, but was not able to get approval from the trip gods, despite another meeting with the owners resulting in reduced pricing today. (There’s a business owner somewhere inside me waiting to get out.)

Singapore is not for the adventure traveler, but if you like shopping and a large variety of international cuisine, Singapore has something in store for you, just don’t spit out your after dinner mint while crossing the middle of the street.