We were up early, had a quick but tasty breakfast in our room using the supplies acquired the night before and were in the lobby in good time for our pick up for a city tour. Our guide indicated where the coach was parked and then said nothing more to us until we had reached China Town where some of those collected en route disembarked for other coaches and tours and he then introduced himself. This was in very marked contrast to the guides we had encountered on tours in Australia, where from the moment one boarded a coach one was introduced to the driver and guide and given an overview of the tour with ongoing commentary as we travelled to various pick up points.
Anyway, once the tour was underway, the guide provided a lot of interesting information on the sights we were seeing. He made it clear that this was just a taste of Singapore as we had to make five stops in three hours so he urged us to keep to time, indicating that if we did not return to the coach at the appointed time he would assume we had decided to make our own way to the next stop! I think this was said in jest but I am not totally sure.
On passing some of the older colonial buildings he told us they had been built by convicts, as was the case in Sydney, but these had come from India rather than the UK. Singapore was a tiny fishing village when it was identified by the East India Company in the early 19thC as the halfway point between India and China and suitable for the development of a trading post that would be able to reprovision and handle repairs to ships. It grew from nothing to a thriving port but as an island, everything had to be shipped in and then all of the services and people to provide them encouraged to set up businesses which is why Singapore became, and still is, a free trade port. In part, this explains the wealth and sheer number of ships out I the bay and the size of the port today. I have never see so many ships of all sizes in such close proximity to one another all criss crossing the bay.
We stopped to admire the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. We stopped at the Thian Hock Keng Temple with sufficient time to take a few photos externally and admire the internal decorations and altars to various gods. A factory making some amazing objects from semi precious stones was our next stop. We were told we were not expected to buy anything, even though the sales people approached if one stopped for more than a few seconds at a display case, but in the event anyone wanted to return they only had to telephone the factory and a car would be sent to collect them from their hotel.
We spent a little longer in the Orchid Garden which was full of beautiful flowers and passed through several housing districts to Little India so that we could experience the sights, sounds and smells of the local culture. To Lesley and I this was a little like being back in London as we have many areas where the spices, foods, smells and sounds of India are ever present. At this point the guide left us and we were returned to our respective hotels.
We did learn a number of interesting things about the history and culture of Singapore but we did not feel oriented. The reasons for the different cultures being segregated was historical. In order to ensure order was maintained, the founder of Singapore, Raffles had proposed people of different ethnic groups live together within specific areas of the city with their own leaders who met together as a council and report to the East India Company. Whilst this cultural division appeared to work for several centuries, the current government are keen to encourage more integration. When buying a government sponsored flat, purchasers are entered into a lottery which results in properties being allocated randomly so that one's immediate neighbours may be from any of the diverse cultures in Singapore. Apparently, there is no option to refuse and no one is allowed to sell their flat within five years.
Benefits of purchasing a government sponsored flat appear to be access to cheap housing, local schools, good transport links and shops and, eventually, a multi cultural society. By far the largest section of the population are Chinese with only about 2% now being European. The wealth on display in parts of Singapore is quite staggering and evidenced by the opulence of some of the buildings, the quality of goods and stores in some of the numerous shopping malls and the Jaguars, Rolls Royce, Ferraris, Porsche and other expensive cars seen parked outside restaurants.
Returning to the hotel famished we opted for the buffet which turned out to be sumptuous. The choices of food was staggering, ranging from soups, sushi, salads, prawns, curries, stir fries, beef hotspot and a huge dessert bar with a chocolate fountain, ice creams, tarts and cakes and the quality very good. Feeling somewhat stuffed and tired after our early morning start we retired to our room and I had a micro sleep.
Lesley meanwhile had been in touch via Facebook with a skating friend, Lorna, who was also in Singapore as part of her year long travels before returning to her home in Canada. We agreed to meet up for a drink and so made our way by underground to Promenade and spent a chatty few hours together. Time flew, we parted as she had an early flight to catch to Indonesia the next morning and we made our way back to the hotel, a light supper and bed.
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