From Golden mile complex (final stop of our bus from KL) to our hotel near Bugis
junction, it was drizzling and so I
could see Singapore only through those hazy window panes of the taxi. Unlike my mood in KL during my landing, I was
excited and did not want to miss one single view through those window panes.
For this was the city that was on my wishlist since my school days.
During school days,
map reading was one of my past
time. I would spread the atlas in front of me and run my fingers through all
those places which my geography teacher had mentioned as beautiful valleys,rivers,
volcanoes, plateaus, deserts and cities.
One of the cities that fascinated me was Singapore. It has been an inspiration for lyricists( joyful malaysia, colorful singapore,,,goes the song) and moviemakers who introduced me to this city as a beautiful, clean, litter free and disciplined
city. I have read that the civic
values and values like punctuality,
discipline were not instilled in people overnight. It took them more than 20 years of public education
through handbills, films and other media to convert this fishing city into a
clean green super city.
I now could see whatever I heard about the city. I saw the discipline on the roads. At the traffic signals, the cars aligned
themselves in a matrix of 3 in the 3 way
lane. The pedestrians only crossed at the pedestrian crossing and never ran
across the road by holding their hand against the car. There were no puddles or water logging on the road
despite rains. Where did the rain water drain? No wonder they must have had
good road layers and drainage system.
As I was observing all those city scenes, My taxi slowed
down in the portico of the 18 storey hotel which was to be my place of stay for
the next 3 days. Luckily, this time we
and our children got to stay on the 18th floor on the opposite sides. After the touristy things like check in, We took the lift and when we opened our
rooms and I went near the window to watch the city below. A huge lawn unfolded in
front of my room beside a government primary school. The
green well maintained lawns were public property. No one dared to walk over the lawns everybody
went around the lawns which was not even fenced or guarded or there was not
even a notice board telling people not to walk over the lawns. Yet another
example of their sense of discipline and
respecting government laws.
I then crossed
the corridor to my teens room and they had one of the best views of the city –
the boats bobbing in the bay faraway with the Singapore flyer. The sky was still grayish but the drizzle had stopped.
There was so
much to see and do for me in the dream city for the next 3days, I should
getover the glamour and poshness of the 4 walls within the room and move
outside the hotel to see what’s in store for me. We refreshed and went to the base of the hotel to see the glitzy Arabian mall which had arabian lifestyle products and culture on display. We finished our window shopping and moved towards the hotel lobby by 6.
I recalled our driver Matthew’s voice when he
dropped us. “We singaporeans are punctual and respect time, so please be here at the lobby by 6. We will leave for the Rivercruise"
My next post will be on my cruise experience down the singapore river.
the traffic alignment that i observed at most signals
the traffic alignment that i observed at most signals
There are buttons on the traffic signal lights to halt the traffic so that the pedestrians can cross the road. the traffic halts for 90 secs. Very safe.
there are no puddles or water logs.
A quaint quarter of singapore, Arab street(above and below) on which our hotel stands. The other side of the hotel opened to victoria street.
The first 3 floors of the hotel is an arabian mall belonging to the hotel group. A window to Arab 'Maal'
/ the entry to the hotel
the room view ( the faraway bay and the singapore flyer on the banks of the bay
The lawns in front of the hotel where no one walked again a room view.
Dear Asha,
ReplyDeleteYou write so beautifully that I felt it was me savoring the scenic vignettes you just described. Looking forward to more pics. Looking forward to the next Singapore article with pics:)
Awww..... swapna your comment is as sweet as you, Thanks so much for the encouraging words.
DeleteNice Pics Asha, waiting for more. Discipline comes from within. I think we will never match them. Bcos here we take everything thing for granted. For us rules are there only to be broken.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chitra:) i feel discipline comes from training. Look at our Indian army they are disciplined and so are their kids. but again there are exceptions everywhere.
DeleteThanks for the excellent travelogue on Singapore. I like it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks SG:)
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteHowever, it somehow irritated me a lot when the people in Singapore kept on insisting people especially the Indians to be clean and punctual, as if not reminded a hundred times in a day we might litter in their country.
Of course it is well known to everyone in the world that littering is punishable in certain parts of the world.
We Indians would never blink while throwing trash in our own country, but when we know we are in a strict country we somehow automatically follow their rules.
How I wish that we too could be called a clean country.
I understand what you are saying Rama. Sad, they think that way, it is time they brush up their GK to know india and indians. There are many parts in our country where cleanliness is worshipped, infact cooking is done only after a bath in many homes. It is annoying to read negative reports about india/indians. It is time we stand with pride and flaunt our unique qualiites. Every country /city has its own charms and harms.
DeleteAsha,Singapore is my dream city also. Your narrative is so fine and lucid that I felt I was also there. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful locations through the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you ma'am for such kind words.
DeleteAsha, I had posted my comments earler on this space, but they are not to be seen now. What can the mystery be?
ReplyDeletei hope you are referring to the above comment ma'am and i hope i have published them all.
DeleteSingapore is indeed an interesting place - they have succeeded in making it "plastic". Serangoon Road is as chaotic as Chennai, but Singapore is overwhelmingly a clean, orderly, disciplined city.
ReplyDeleteBut that discipline is forced. Its good to have, but in that process, it has become a trifle "soulless".
Plastic?!
DeleteRamesh, you have traveled worldwide and you know better. But as a tourist for just 3 days, i found singapore fantastic and connected with it better than KL. I had a crush on this city since school days:)