|
This little extensive tale requires the attention of all, as we shall start thirteen months before.
It was the November of 2005, a chilly November from what I remember back in Toronto,
and I decided that a vacation into the tiny island of Singapore would be a splendid
idea. It was ideal for a young traveller: low crime, high economy, and no moats in
the middle of the sidewalk.
I wound up in Taiwan.
Why, must you ask? Why did I not go to Singapore like I was so intent to in that chilly
cold November? Why did I not venture somewhere by myself and experience the jungle that is
a modern Asian city?
Enough questions already. You're starting to cramp my space here.
It was actually the law that prevented me from venturing to Singapore. No, I'm not the mischief
bandit of Pine Valley Drive, and neither have I done anything that bad to involve the law.
Due to my age, I was not able to reserve a hotel room. And since I wasn't willing to sleep on
the road way once I was in Singapore, I was forced to take a tour package to luxurious Taipei.
But what does that have to do with now?
This year, Australia was in my hotlist. I wanted to sip a Foster's lager and watch the kangaroos
hopping by. I wanted to visit relatives, and they were on call to pick me up in Brisbane airport.
What's really bizarre, however, is that the same horrible situation that developed the past year happened
now.
The good part is that I am old enough.
The bad part involves the price of plane tickets.
So off I was, down to the travel agents, and I was appalled at the price tag of a flight to
Australia from where I was, Hong Kong.
Just over ten thousand Hong Kong dollars. That is over a thousand Canadian.
I do not believe anyone would spend so much just on plane tickets. Brisbane is only eight hours
away, and the only sunburn I would recieve would be a hole in my wallet.
So I asked for an alternative. And there is was.
Singapore.
Who would've thought that I could finally visit this high tech sprawling metropolis? Well, I didn't,
and I'm sitting in a hotel room here in Singapore, still mesmerised.
I'll explore the city once the surprise wears off.
Cultural harmony over a tight rope
In a lot of ways, Toronto is like Singapore; a sprawling metropolis full of funny shaped buildings.
However, I come from a barren land, with snow-laden roofs and slushy, cold roads. Singapore, however,
is a palm-tree laden paradise; at least after you get off a plane.
Whenever you get off a plane in a foreign country, the heat gets to you. When I stepped off a plane
in Hong Kong, the humidity (literally) stuck to my face.
But what usually lies ahead is paradise compared to home; a foreign country usually is an exotic
experience that brings pleasure to my bland palette.
Other people use spice and chili for heat. I use travel as a way to add flavour to my life.
The next time you consider bringing your family south to Florida and Disneyland, try dumping several
thosuand more dollars and bringing your family here to Singapore, and the resort island of Sentosa.
Either across the causeway or over cable cars, you could get to Sentosa quite economically.
Of course, I took the more scary way (the cable cars) just to scream my lungs out in fear.
As a resort island, Sentosa is a very nice place. The attractions are informative, the geography
makes sense, and you can take shuttles around; even better, they're free. This definitely beats the
walkaround that befalls you at Canada's Wonderland.
I can see why Singaporeans are so proud of themselves; their multi-racial harmony forms a basis of an
archaic multiculturalism that we Canadians could only dream of years before the reign of Pierre
Trudeau.
This harmony is characterised in an exhibit called "The Images of Singapore". After a spectacular
introduction about racial and elemental harmony, I was led through a long museum full of tastes,
cultures and other images through Singapore's history. Watch out for the snake. The snake that
jumps out ever so suddenly.
A small side effect of coming to Singapore at this time of year are the outbursts of rain that
fall after. It's also called "monsoon", but I refuse to describe it so generally.
This rain, this MONSOON rain, is ever so refreshing when your skin is sticking to just about
everything due to the humidity. It's absolutely refreshing.
Singapore is so eventful sometimes.
|
