Singapore, the
fine city, now swings and is slowly dropping its inhibitions.
It is no longer
the staid city of a decade ago, when nothing happens after eight
o’clock. Now the young have a slew of bars and pubs they can
patronize.
First, the
Crazy Horse revue was allowed to operate. Then the casinos are
coming.
Aside from the
ongoing development in the Harborside by the Las Vegas Sands,
Genting recently won the right to build a casino at Sentosa
island.
But don’t get
this author wrong, the city remains as upright as Lee Kwan Yew
wanted it to be. The streets are clean, the traffic, manageable,
storekeepers are largely honest and the city keeps on
progressing.
And Singapore
architecture is amazing. Coming from a city where buildings
generally look like giant boxes, the buildings in Singapore are
amazing since they are designed to be viewed on all sides.
There are so
many avant-garde architecture, one can spend one’s visit simply
admiring the buildingscape.
And yes
Singaporeans don’t tear down their old buildings and turn them
into parking lots.
It is also a
far friendlier city than Hong Kong, of which it used to be a
poor cousin.
The Singapore
Tourism Board and the Cebu Pacific Airways of JG Summit,
recently invited a dozen business journalists from Manila to
take a second..third..fourth look at the city.
What the
journalists saw, proved that planning, motivation and investing
heavily on tourism works.
Most of the
developments in the city cater to visitors, from the exhibition
and convention complex to Sentosa island, the resort island.
There’s the
cable car, the quirky rides, the 4D theaters, and the underwater
world.
The city is
always worth a visit specially now that Cebu Pacific is offering
discounted fares.
Visit Sentosa,
ride the DHL hot air balloon, watch the Crazy Horse revue. Eat
at My Dining Room and try the buffet spread in any hotel, they
don’t scrimpt on oysters.
There are also
other shopping areas than Lucky Department Store and Bugis
Street.
And oh yes the
"pashmina" shawls can be had for as low as three for S$10. On
our last day we saw at Chinatown, offers of 4 for S$10. Don’t
pay more than $10 for the monochromatic and embroidered shawls.
Try the more upscale stores, it
is worth seeing the latest trends, not that Manila is behind.
Greenhills has more to offer than Bugis.
—RTG
