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Raining on My Parade
Last Day in Singapore
With less than 24 hours left in beautiful Singapore, I decided to get up early and get out on a whirlwind tour by foot and SMRT. My EZ-Link Card had about $45 Sing left on it, so I decided to see how much of that I could use. I found out it’s very hard to spend much using only the trains and the buses.
I went to City Hall Station and up through the Raffles Marketplace to Stamford Road. The glistening white of the Raffles Hotel stood out clearly against a threatening sky. I walked over to the Raffles and took pictures of the Long Bar and other historic sites inside. I came out on the west side, near Bras Basah Complex, where I bought a refreshing peach tea to rehydrate and energize me. I was just getting started.
I could see the Convention Center to the southeast of me, and I knew I wanted to go shopping near there: Suntec City. I made it a whole block before the bottom fell out of the skies. Torrential rain, causing all the pedestrians (and even the taxis) to scurry for cover. I found a comfortable place to sit and watch the world go by. In about 20 minutes the rain began to soften, then slowed to a fine, light drizzle. I continued on my journey.
The two block walk to Suntec left me drenched. Not rain, heat and humidity were the culprits. I swear, this is yet another example of a clear-cut violation of the laws of physics I learned in school. These violations only occur here in Asia; maybe the Eastern Mystique is a real effect, modifying the rules for Westerners. It certainly made 112% humidity possible today.
Suntec has a Carrefour store, a massive installation. Based on the signs, I decided that “Carrefour” was French for Wal-Mart. The place was crazy-nuts full of shoppers.
I walked all the floors, nearly a million feet of shopping available. I went into marketing sensory overload and just walked and gawked. The crowd was growing as the day approached lunchtime. Another rainstorm hit, and more people came inside. I went into the basement to take a shortcut to the Citylink Mall. On the way, I got to see the underside of one of the largest fountains in the world, the Fountain of Wealth. This is the largest monument to Feng Shui in Singapore; maybe in the world. It was not operating; a bad sign for the future, I suppose.
I found the Citylink Mall. Halfway down it I saw a sign for the Esplanade and the Concert Hall. This Hall is one of the engineering and architectural marvels of Asia, a must-see if you’re ever in Singapore with even just one free day to look around. I found it more impressive than the Sydney Opera House and Concert Hall, although it is much less photographed. This week there’s a lot of dance shows as there is a week-long celebration of international dance under way.
I returned to Citylink and went to the MRT station. I got on, went to Doby Ghaut and changed trains, continuing on to Little India. This is the season of Deepavali, and Little India was more colorful than the last time I was there. Street signs and hawkers, goldsmiths and their extravagant shops, and the smells of curry and spices. I had to stop in a small shop and try some curry puffs, to tide me over until lunch. Unfortunately, the crowds were so large I couldn’t get much shopping done.
I returned to Little India Station and caught the train to Outram Park Station. A fifteen minute walk in the blazing humidity and I was home, just in time for lunch.
I cleaned up quickly, stashed my loot and headed down to Xin Cuisine for the Perenakan Feast. (I’ve documented this event elsewhere.) They let me in, even after last Sunday’s plundering they suffered. I restrained myself this time, as I didn’t want to embarrass the staff in front of the other guests. Wouldn’t want them to cause a scene, you know. So I skipped the Bubur Cha Cha this time.
Suitably stuffed, I retired for the afternoon to chill out and reflect on my wonderful Asian trip. I can hardly wait for the next one! Seems I’ll be visiting Shanghai and Penang next time (with maybe Singapore tossed in for good measure).
Enjoy the (Humid) Heat!
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