I woke up last Saturday morning to the news that Sir Garfield Sobers had died at the age of 89 in his native Barbados. Sir Garry or Sir Gary depending on the writer was the best cricketer I ever saw. And no one has come near him since. Perhaps Sir Ian Botham? Or Jacques Kallis? I saw Sir Garry take a catch at leg slip at the Basin Reserve in 1969. Bev Congdon I think. Well I didn’t see it really. No one did it was so sharp. Sobers had such great hands and his reflexes were phenomenal. Then he would bowl rockets before switching to left arm spin and then some out of the back of the hand. I watched on TV his 254 for the World XI v Australia in 1972 near the end of his career. Some say his finest innings ever including the world record 365 v Pakistan in 1958, a record that stood until Brian Lara passed it in 1994.. And he liked a beer. RIP Sir Garry.
Meanwhile Scout and I met up with our daughters and a grand-daughter in Singapore for a few days. As they say, we needed a holiday from our holiday. The Lion City – so named after a 14th-century Sumatran prince named Sang Nila Utama landed on the island and spotted a strange animal he believed to be a lion. Lions are not native to Singapore so locals now think it was a sun-bear or Malayan tiger. Nevertheless the name, then Singapura, stuck – Singa = lion, pura = city..
The first night we had a drink and nibbles at Spago Restaurant and Bar on “The Boat” or observation deck 57 floors up on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which (by the way) was not cheap. In a way the evening summed up the country. The clientele was multicultural, included businessmen and many families and quite obviously a few very rich and possibly famous people with more than a few bottles of what appeared to be high level champers being poured.. You need to book even for a drink. We snatched an hour and a half window from 7pm and it was a lot of fun. Elodie (the GD) became official photographer for the night amongst a lot of laughter. A few days later we had a drink at Mr Stork. Sitting atop the Andaz Hotel Mr Stork is an alfresco drinking and dining spot that houses 10 teepee huts and offers 360-degree views of the city below. If you are tempted time it for Happy Hour – quite reasonable for such a delightful venue and much easier on the C.C.! Both venues are highly recommended both for their views of the city and ambience.
But this small island nation is, of course, not just about living the highlife 50 storeys up. Singapore has just been announced the world’s second richest nation (GDP per capita) and it is apparent that tourism has a major hand in this. Fourteen million tourists visited Singapore in the past six months boosted no doubt by the seemingly never-ending war in the Middle East and comprising ten percent of Singapore’s G.D.P.. The country’s economy is driven by the services sector – finance and banking, global trade (shipping and supply chain management) along with manufacturing – particularly electronics (Singapore produces 10% of the worlds computer chips), biomedical equipment and petroleum refining. Expats abound, attracted by the international enterprises that operate here and no doubt the salaries. Very impressive for an island nation of less than 750 square kms and six million people. The population is 74% Chinese, 13.5% Malay with the balance Indian (9%) and others (3%). Consequently the four languages mirror this as Mandarin, Malay, English and Tamil all exist as official languages. English is the business and day to day language while Malay is the national language, holding a symbolic place for the history and indigenous significance. The country has a reputation as a very safe stop for visitors and the central city area is a mix of nice inexpensive hotels, many and varied food outlets, inviting shopping malls and high rise apartments and commercial buildings. The skyline at night is spectacular and the tourist area bustling with people along very clean waterways. Tourists gather around Clarke Quay and Robinson’s Quay on the Singapore River which are the centres for the city’s nightlife. Pedestrian friendly malls and restaurants of all sizes and cuisine type abound. Many are contained in converted warehouses along the river. Malay, Indian and other Asian cuisine is abundant along with French, Middle Eastern and Mexican, all of a high standard. Of course it was no surprise to see the ubiquitous Irish bar here. This one, the interestingly named “The Craic House” was full of life and Guinness.
The city provides easy access to tourist bicycles which are available on the pavement for hire and biking is safe and very prevalent. A morning’s biking around Marina Bay and along the Singapore River is fun and a great way to see these parts of the city. So much fun, in fact, that Scout did it twice.
Sightseeing and shopping are easy with popular tourist destinations being the two and a half kms of Orchard Street with its international brand shops and upmarket malls while Bugis Street Mall is the spot for local and less expensive items and street food. Satay Street @ Lau Pa Sat near Marina Bay is a cornucopia of street food in an open air setting where satay stick and curry outlets abound (along with everything else). The food is delicious.
We spent a day on the Big Bus. This is the hop-on, hop-off tourist bus ($67 SD p.p.) and it was well worth it. It is perfect for those who don’t want to endure the Metro System (which is still good). It covers the city from the Botanical Gardens on one side to the Gardens by the Bay on the other – both gardens worth spending time in. It takes you through the historical city areas, the shopping precincts, Marina Bay and of course Little India and Chinatown. These two cultural identities are a must visit if only for the vibrant and very colourful narrow lanes full of food and spice shops, electronics stores, textiles, fashion and clothes outlets and the locals who, let’s say constantly “encourage” the visitor to buy – but in a nice way.
L to R. Art Work – a Bengalese Tiger, Singapore by Night and the Lanes of Little India
And then there is Singapore’s historic Muslim district of Kampong Glam, (centered around Arab Street and Bussorah Street). In the middle is the magnificent Sultan Mosque with its golden dome while Arab and Bussorah Streets are famous for textiles, carpets and perfumes. Plenty of Middle Eastern and Malay delights to eat here as well.
How could we not talk about Raffles Hotel. Centrally located at One beach Road near Marina Bay and the State Government centre of City Hall, this world famous hotel was built in 1830 as a beach mansion and substantially added to until and after becoming the luxury Raffles Hotel. Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, who established a British trading post in Singapore in 1819 and who is considered to be the founder of modern Singapore.
The gin based Singapore Slings (a touch more expensive than your usual G and Ts!! at SD44) and peanuts (free!) in the Long Bar at Raffles are a must. The Singapore Sling was, apparently, invented around 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender at the Long Bar. He crafted the pink cocktail disguised to look like a fruit juice so women could discreetly drink gin in public, as social etiquette at the time discouraged them from consuming alcohol openly.Raffles remains today both a tourist attraction and a luxury hotel with substantial suites and 24 hour butler service.
This is really just a scratch to the surface of a country that offers so much. There are Art Galleries and the Museums – the National Gallery with 8,000 works of South East Asian art, the National Museum giving a history of Singapore, the ArtScience Museum with its design, science and technology exhibits plus many more.
There is the Singapore Cricket Club in downtown near the bay, established in 1852 with its two ovals and that also hosts soccer, rugby, hocket, tennis and netball among others. Of course after match dining and drinking is offered in several bars and the Penang Restaurant. Visitors will never want for something to see and do in this international hub.
If you think the theme here is shopping and food you are spot on. But there is the spectacular night lights, the delightful and unassuming Malay people, the louder but thoughtful Chinese, the Indian traders and a city just bustling with things to do. A delight but it was now time to move on. To Langkawi Island in Malaysia for a more leisurely stop. We thought!
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