Debunking the Boring Singapore Myth
By ADRIAN ISTANI
"Singapore is really small. There is nothing much to see here."
That's what my project manager, a Singaporean, told me confidently when I enquired about interesting places to visit in this lion city sometime after moving to Singapore a year ago.
His comment did not come as a surprise. Even before stepping foot into this city-state, my friends and colleagues who had already gone ahead were busy complaining how boring this place is.
Singaporeans and visitors seem to agree that Singapore is a terribly boring place. But how true is this sentiment? Does Singapore really have nothing much to offer to excite its residents?
I recently marked my first year in Singapore, and am glad to report that Singapore has offered me much more than I initially expected.
To each is his own of course. Taste and preference differ from one person to another. But logically, if you hit Orchard Road, Vivo City, or other shopping centres every single weekend - a habit of many Indonesians here - the urban legend will manifest in your stay here. It wouldn’t take long that you would find yourself glued to the comfy bed or sofa of your little apartment, due to the sad reality that you’re fed up with the same scenery you’ve seen and visited too often.
Due to its petite size, Singapore may not have as many places to visit as Indonesia. But if you try exploring a bit, things may get much better. I’d love to humbly share a bit about some places that I have visited in my one year in Singapore. Since I have only started working and am trying to lead a frugal lifestyle, the places displayed here practically cost very little to visit, and omit the transportation fee, then they are FREE! It may seem inappropriate or ironic that a first-year resident of Singapore is offering some suggestions to you who may have been here longer than me. So let me offer this little guide to fellow Indonesians newcomers who are most in need of ideas of where to go to enjoy the precious weekends. But honestly, I'm regularly surprised that some long-staying friends, or even Singaporeans themselves, have not been to these places.
The first one I want to introduce is Marina Barrage. Ride the MRT to Marina Bay station, the end of North South line, afterwards queue for the shuttle bus outskirt the station. It will take you to a huge dam in the new downtown core of Singapore serving as a new fresh water reservoir which also acts as a sluice gate for flood control and future possibility of water sports arena. I am very impressed with the museum found in one of the building in the complex, in which it exhibited the green knowledge concerning water supply on earth and a miniature of the dam that demonstrated mechanically how the dam works as flood prevention measure and means of desalination. The barrage also has a rooftop grassy garden which you’ll be able to sit on, enjoying a totally different view of the magnificent twilight or even the evening of downtown Singapore including the famous landmarks like Esplanade and Singapore’s flyer in the afar. It’s truly an ideal place for photo-taking or solely to spend your time nicely. I tried quite hard at that time to pull the trick of getting a picture pretending as a mouse running inside a canny wheel like in the movie utilizing the round Singapore’s flyer in the background but eventually didn’t manage to. After dusk, the dam's beautiful fountain would call out at you to watch its performance of numerous shooting water jets that had the colour of the light changed frequently overtime.
Next, there is Little Guilin or Xiao Guilin. Situated at the Bukit Batok town park, a short walk from the MRT station, the Little Guilin features a big boulder floating on a mini-lake similar to the original Guilin in China as the main and only interest. If you like a nice chit-chat and having a little picnic, this place could be a nice unconventional option, though no fishing and swimming is allowed in the area. The park is also said to be popular with wedding couples and photographers.
Stretching from the far south of the Mt Faber park in Harbour Front, through Telok Belangah park in Alexandra, to the west of Kent Ridges Park, close to the Clementi, there is Southern Ridge - a superb trail of greenery and woods that would really cost your stamina, your time and definitely your tummies to explore every corner of it that you may want to consider a new pair of sandals after the trip. A very good place to lose your weight. Along the path, there is the Alexandra Arch Bridge. Out of all, I would pick this structure as my most favourite. I really like how its curved-tilted-white-of-a-yacht-like deck glows brightly in blue at night, very lovely!
If you are bored of the ever-crowded East Coast beach, let me recommend the Changi Point and its Boardwalk. Among all places I ever visited in Singapore, this is my personal darling. I like the fact that at Changi Point, you can still find old wooden ships -which I think will take you to Ubin Island- in the port here just like in the traditional port towns. The beaches were almost pristine with the view of birds, clouds, some little islands in the blue skylines, having no tanker ships within the sight. What also unique was that I could even see the airplanes to land on the nearby airport from afar, closing down, gradually bigger and lower in your visions. Changi Point features a one-mile wooden boardwalk a la the olden days with its continues canopies of trees, salty air and the white sands of the beach accompanying you on your walk. But what was at best during my afternoon visit there, the breezy wind was totally pleasantly, with children running and playing around in laughers, couples holding hands, while families telling their stories. The atmosphere was simply perfect. I would really recommend inviting your lover, friends or even relatives for just a picnic and share the happiness of watching the sun goes down at the place.
Back to the west side, there is the Haw Par Villa. Known as the “oldest tourist photo taking spot in Singapore since 1937”, Haw Par Villa has undergone face-lifting and continues to offer its charms. It is basically a park which showcases the rich Chinese heritage culture, folklore and mythology. Not long after stepping foot there, I already encountered Buddha, Kuan Yin, and the Monkey God. I was especially fascinated by its main attraction, the “Ten Pits of Hell” which would take you to a cave, inside which showcase the different treatments for your sins. I was really impressed by how each torment was delicately and artistically visualised. Diverse daunting tortures by various god of hell will certainly make you think twice to ever commit those sins! Considering this was built more than 30 years ago, the visionary creators of this park are definitely impressive! Anyway just for this moment, please forget that I mentioned everything is “free” since it costs a buck to enter the attraction.
If you are not an outdoor person, Singapore has a lot to offer as well. For one, why don't you visit the National Library? Located in the vicinity of the Bugis MRT, is a sixteen-storey huge building that does not only offer an enormous and well-updated collection of books. The library itself has quite interesting green, light-transparent, energy efficient architecture with plenty of gardens in it. Two of the gardens are accessible to the public giving the visitors a nice place to enjoy their readings or simply to have a nice view of the city. Even if you’re not book lovers as I am not, it is still a place worthy of your visit.
Pay also a visit to IKEA. It is often perceived as just a retail store selling furniture, household necessities, and kitchen items but actually, there’s far more to it. The IKEA shopping experience is different as it consists of a huge, continuous stretch of showrooms. I am constantly impressed by the creativity of IKEA's interior designers (or retail assistants?) to arrange the different showrooms and make them looking so cosy and homely. The arrangements are changed regularly too, giving you frequent ideas on how to style the tiny spaces we all may have here in Singapore. I also like the fact that IKEA endorses one direction shopping from the entrance to the exit so you’re encouraged to attend every single section during your visit. It even promotes its own style - the IKEA culture, its very own way of shopping where you to get the furniture on your own, and finally assemble them on your own.
Singapore is special for being a melting point of different cultures. Go and visit the colorful Malay Village or Geylang Serai during the Hari Raya holiday, ever-vibrant Chinatown just before the Chinese New Year, and lively Little India during the Deepavali light-up. You will feel lucky indeed to have access to the unique cultures of different communities just by being in Singapore.
Singapore also spoils its residents with the variety of festivals all year round, such as the Singapore Film Festival, or the Singapore Arts Festival, or the Food Festival, or the recently concluded Singapore Fashion Festival, just to name a few. The key is always to find what your interests are, and I'm sure you will never get bored being in Singapore.
I can go on and on, but I shall not. I suppose you've got the draft. The above are not Singapore Tourism Board's sponsored ads, but merely a guide that I hope illustrates the point that Singapore is not necessarily a boring place. They are considered ‘normal’ places to visit, so can you imagine how many more out there left to explore if you try venture out to the unbeaten path? If you think your life in Singapore has been quite dry recently, try to explore more. In reality, there are numerous other places such as the Singapore-style farms in the far north in Kranji or the kampong life in Pulau Ubin that have not been mentioned here but are looking impressive. Thanks to Singapore's excellent transportation system, most of these places are pretty accessible as well.
I often ask myself what makes Indonesia seems more interesting to my fellow Indonesians than Singapore. Are you not doing the same thing in Indonesia, such as eating out, going shopping, or hanging out with friends? To a large part, this may be a generalisation, but I think the only difference why being in Indonesia is more enjoyable is simply because our family, close friends, and other loved ones are there. Somehow, the food tastes nicer, the scenery looks more beautiful, and our feelings are much happier.
There is nowhere like home indeed, this I have to agree.
But till your next flight home on your next official leave, why don't you try to enjoy the unlimited - and I really mean unlimited - uniquely Singapore experience that this little red dot island has got to offer?
Lastly, if you happen to find exciting place which you would love to recommend to me, please do.
Good day and stay positive in these harsh weekdays!
Adrian Istani is an IT consultant bouncing back and forth Singapore and Jakarta. Visit his blog at sphyrna.wordpress.com
Photos by Oscar N Prawata, IPA Deputy VP for IT. Visit his gallery at www.flickr.com/photos/oscarprawata