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The other Singapore
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Spare some time to venture beyond glossy brochures, recommends HEMANGINI GUPTA
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SUNNY SIDE up The Singapore that everyone sees; but there's much more to this city-country
WITH airfares to Singapore slashed dramatically, chances are more Indians will head for a quick, and relatively cheap, foreign holiday than ever before. And chances are also high they will stick firmly to the recommendations of the Singapore Tourism Board brochures. Visitors will therefore shop madly on Orchard Road, visit the famed Merlion, walk diligently up and down Boat Quay and Clark Quay and, of course, visit Sentosa Island, Jurong Bird Park, the Asian Civilisations Museum, the zoo, the botanical gardens and ride the Night Safari.
New attractions
The island city's aggressive and hugely successive Tourism Board isn't putting its collective feet up as the visitors stream in though; instead, it continuously looks for new attractions to lure tourists. The latest of these is the annual Singapore Fashion Festival, currently in its third year. Unlike the snotty upper crust events most fashion festivals epitomise, this one is democratised — which means anyone who plans in time can be privy to a Givenchy or Versace show; enough reason, STB officials suspect, to organise a trip to Singapore around the time of the festival.
And Singapore is a great city to enjoy a taste of fine living: restaurants have mushroomed everywhere (there's even a DKNY café for those who can't afford the actual clothes), a variety of shopping options includes cheaper options such as Giordano and local brands which retail in shopping centres in the suburbs and the attractions are as well thought-out as in any Western tourist hotspot.
But although cabs are reasonably priced modes of transport, take the time to ride an MRT — even if it's just to one of the tourist attractions. From the city centre in order to get to the Jurong Bird Park for instance you take an MRT to Boon Lay. The ride is long enough to allow you a peek into another Singapore. Unlike the tai tais (middle-aged women who spend most of their day shopping with their rich husbands' money, Chanel bags in hand) of Orchard Road, commuters on the MRT are local Singaporeans who travel long distances to work. They are considerably worse dressed than the bankers in the business district, tired, and jostle for space — a striking feature in a city-country where touching someone even by mistake evokes a startled reaction.
Singaporeans appear, on the whole, to enjoy a relatively high standard of living and absolute poverty, so evident in other parts of South East Asia, is either absent or very well concealed. But talking to local residents, whether cab drivers, students or expats, reflects very real concerns over flaws in what appears to be a faultless system.
Issues of identity
Singaporeans, and especially young students, face complex issues of identity. Students say that the emphasis on English as a "language of development" often alienates them from their mother tongues, whether Mandarin or Tamil. Discrimination is certainly not obvious, and almost never apparent to the tourist, but published Letters to the Editor at the Straits Times reveal undercurrents of acute awareness of racial differences and hierarchies in the multicultural population.
Indulge your taste buds by the riverside, shop till you drop and visit all the mainstream attractions, but take time out to take the local transport, chat with the cab drivers and people-watch in the suburbs. You're likely to be privy to a well-hidden Singapore which reflects its ethnic diversity, economic struggle and common concerns better than a mall at the city centre would.
Hotspots
Most people go to Singapore to shop, of course. Orchard Road is the best bet for serious shoppers, with its large malls Takashimaya Ngee Ann City and Paragon and departmental stores such as Tangs offering leading designer wear as well as cheaper local brands. Lots of options are also available in the residential areas' shopping centres such as Ang Mo Kio and Bishan; these are affordable though not designer and offer a good bargain.
Then there are the `must-do' touristy things: save a day for the pleasure island Sentosa, and another to Jurong. If you take the MRT to Jurong, it will take you about 45 minutes from the city centre. You should definitely stay to watch the special bird shows at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Another must is the Night Safari; with a half-hour show, 45-minute tram ride and smaller trails you can follow on your own.
The Asian Civilisations Museum is a must. It's the kind of place that gets overlooked in the mad shopping rush.
Chinatown is worth a visit, but only if you've done the rest. As is Arab Street where organised walks costing approximately Sing $20 will lead you through the locality.
Commuting is relatively cheap: even a cab ride to the Night Safari will only cost you about Sing $15 from Orchard or nearby Newton Road. Buses and MRT are far cheaper at a dollar or two.
Food holiday
A foodie can enjoy a whole five days in Singapore just eating. Begin, just for fun, at the local food courts where you can mingle with regular Singaporeans looking for a cheap meal of just a couple of dollars. Some food courts, especially on Orchard Road, are particularly good and even vegetarians get at least three dishes on each counter's menu.
At the Esplanade, where all the art and culture activities take place, is My Humble House. Anything but humble, this chain of restaurants extends across South East Asia. The one at the Esplanade serves fusion cuisine and since it overlooks the riverside it's already a very appealing option!
Great, if expensive, food also at Holland Village, an area inhabited mostly by expats. Mostly housing European restaurants, the long, narrow lane prides itself on great food including an all-vegetarian Mediterranean restaurant called Original Sin at Chip Bee Gardens.
Chinatown has lots of options for Chinese food, but for an Indonesian spread definitely try the House of Sundanese on Boat Quay.
Marche's on Orchard allows you to wander through a makeshift underground bazaar, picking and choosing items from various stalls and watching as your dish gets prepared right in front of you. Peranakan Place also has some café options and allows you to soak in the old-world charm of these old inhabitants of the Island City.
But a must-do thing is definitely Zouk. Yes, it's over-rated and yes, it's big and noisy, but billed as Asia's largest and most happening night club, Zouk has hosted some of the biggest DJs from abroad, who arrive in Singapore to beat frosty winters elsewhere.
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