In the land of the Lion People

The 1st of September this year saw Kumi and I set off to spend a week or so with our cousins in Singapore. And since we were to be in the vicinity, anyway, we thought it worthwhile to spend a few days in Malaysia as well, on our way back, as neither of us had been to that country! This, however, was not our first visit to Singapore. To say the least, this trip was as memorable as our previous one in 2003.

Singha pura - is the land of the lion people, as the derivation of the name goes, based on local folklore. This whole myth is captured dramatically by the imposing image of the "Merlion", half lion half mermaid, that guards the Marina Bay, at the centre of commercial and, at one time, maritime activities of the island.

Singapore is a city after my own heart. To my mind,the place is a visitor's delight. It is clean, pretty, orderly, disciplined, highly civil, totally safe and very very easy to move around in. Above all, it is still quite inexpensive. It is a foodie's paradise. It has wonderful sights to see. It has high-end entertainment in the form of night-clubs, theme parks and casinos. It offers you a drink any time, any place without feeling apologetic or moralistic about it!!!. And it is the epitome of secularism - nobody cares a hoot about your faith, the colour of your skin or the country of your origin.

Singapore is completely and truly cosmopolitan. That is what appeals to me most.

One remarkable thing is that all waitresses,waiters, cabbies,bus-drivers, MRT operators, bell-hops, airport officials - in fact practically everybody - is friendly and helpful and English speaking. Nobody will ever ask for or suggest by body language a tip, although tips are always appreciated.

It is difficult to think of an unknown place of visit which is so completely tension-free and tourist-friendly.

Also,Singapore being a relatively small city, no place is too far! The public transport system is so good and efficient that moving around the city at any time of the day or night , is easy, comfortable (air-conditioned whether you are in a cab, bus or MRT),relaxing and safe. I certainly cannot dream of such conditions in any city in India. It is a revelation,as indeed is the traffic discipline. For a Delhiwalla, it is impossible to imagine that not a single motorist breaks any traffic rule despite the absence of any cops on the streets!!! On our first visit to Singapore, Kumi and I happily went our own ways without any fear of the unknown or the untried.

The buses are beautiful. The only challenge, for a short-term visitor, is to know the intricacies of the routes. The cabbies issue receipts and carry substantial change so that one is never in a bind to pay the fare without hassles.

Achintan & Sraboney Dey, our cousins, and their lovely little daughter Rani live in a wonderfully peaceful residential area on Meyer Road, near the East Coast Parkway, quite close to the ocean.

Well, we arrived at Changi Airport at around 8.30 in the morning of the 2nd of Sept having changed flights at Kuala Lumpur ( a three-hour hiatus, just enough to disembark, do immigration, breakfast, do immigration again, do customs and embark!)The Deys were there to receive us (imagine!) That day was spent on generally relaxing and catching up with some sleep. The next seven days were action packed, to say the least!

We were lucky to have visited Singapore and KL during Id, since both places were celebrating the festival with long week-ends. The festival is known as Hari Raya Aidulfitr and is celebrated with much gusto. I sent a "Salamat Hari Raya Aidulfitr" greetings to my friend Mowla in Kolkata. He must have been totally stumped by the message as he failed to acknowledge it, despite the fact that I had thought it prudent to add a cautious "Id Mubarak" at the end!

In the next week, we drove around quite a bit (mercifully it is a small city!),visited the Jurong Bird Park, took a ride on the Singapore Flyer, cruised on a bumboat down Singapore river, loafed on the famous Orchard Road, wandered around the fascinating China Town, shopped at Mustafa's in Little India, walked along the ocean-front on the East Coast and, of course, gorged on the food that Singapore has to offer in great abundance and variety.

What we did not do was to visit Sentosa Island and the Zoological Park, since we had done that in our previous trip. We were determined to be as little touristy as possible and concentrate on visiting only the favourite places - just to lounge, laze, eat and drink. But we did recall the splendour of Sentosa often enough in our discussions. It is difficult to forget the dazzling laser show with the "Dancing Fountains", the performing dolphins or for that matter the Underwater World where fish, big and small, went about their business above us as we walked under the sea!

As I said, China Town is simply fascinating! It is quaint; it is bustling; and it has an extra-ordinary array of typically and rare Chinese things on offer.It really pays, both in terms of education and bargains, to venture into the deep interiors of shops lining the numerous lanes and interact with the elderly shop-owners who are full of tales of old Chinese practices and customs. Very rewarding. Lovely place to shop for things with local flavour. We picked up a gorgeous looking dice-shaker complete with dice (genuine used stuff of yersteryear, not a replica or toy) which was used in Chinese gambling dens. The proprietess, much taken in by our keen interest in matters Chinese, even dug out two good-luck coins to prepare us for the casinos!!! Little did she know that, unlike most Indian tourists of today, we were not in the least interested in visiting them. We also managed to pick up a famous narrow-necked glass bottle with intricate artwork on the inside, a typical masterpiece of miniature work for which the Chinese are renowned. We immediately decided to present it to our sweet daughter-in-law. These rare items in China Town come a little pricey, but they are worth it, aren't they?. However, most of the things on sale are very reasonable, quite inexpensive. I even picked up a genuine Chinese silk shirt. Very cheap. The question is, when do I wear it? The dice-shaker is now holding center stage in our modest drawing room in C498.

The Singapore Flyer is also very interesting. The view from the top is fabulous, especially of the bay. In fact, thanks to it, we noticed for the first time that there is a full-sized football field on the water complete with a grandstand on the shore-side. The whole field is enclosed by netting on the sides. I wonder if they award a goal for every lost ball during matches!! We also had a view of the Formula 1racing track! Having taken a ride on the Flyer we were rewarded with a panaromic bird's eye view of what Singapore is. It made us think that the London Eye must be equally fascinating. Now,it remains for us to quickly get to ride the newly opened Delhi Eye!

The Jurong Bird Park was also a treat despite my trepidations about close proximity to creatures of the feathered variety! Apart from the beauty of the park itself - which is green and beautifully ladscaped - they hold a special Bird Show every day that has to be seen to be believed! Huge big birds like vultures and pelicans and horn-bills are made to fly and do tricks in interaction with the spectators! Although I had my heart in my mouth most of the time, I must confess that it was a mind-blowing show of unique performances by different birds.

We spent a lot of time in and around the Singapore river. The river was the lifeline of Singapore for many many years as cargo from all over the world would be fetched by boats from the big ships anchored in the harbour and deposited on the many quays lined along the two banks. Today Singapore is an ultra-modern port with fully automated cargo handling facilities. There is no more need for these boats to run up and down the river to fetch and carry. These "bumboats", as they are known, have been converted into tourist boats, immaculately maintained, to give the tourists a history of the river, the origin of Singapore and information on all the modern wonders of the city that have come up around it. There is a very nice commentory that is presented on board - very lucid and very informative.

For most Indians a glimpse of Little India is a must. And why not? After all Mustafa Centre, the shoppers' dream, is located here! We too made a couple of sorties to Mustafa's. Little India is where most of the locals of Indian origin live. No wonder that this place is a little less tidy and a little less disciplined than the rest of Singapore!

Finally, it is a sacrilege not to spend quality time on Orchard Road. We did it too, mainly because of the lively, energetic aura of the place. Orchard Road is known for its posh malls. This aspect, I suspect, has become a bit passe with the advent of the malls all over India. It is no longer a novelty. However it is still a great experience to idle along all day long with occasional window-shopping, store-gazing and eating thrown in, in good measure! If nothing else, it offers a wide cross-section of people, from all over the world, to watch and observe. This itself is a compelling pastime!

Wherever we went or whatever we did, Kumi and I would invariably fall back on one or two of these delightful places to spend time every day. Since we had "seen" Singapore in our earlier visit, we could take it really easy and savour the places of our choice repeatedly. And we did it with a passion!

The story of Singapore can never be complete without a mention of the food on offer -its sheer variety, the easy availability, the extreme affordability and the seductive ambience of the numerous eating places. Singapore has many top class hotels starting from the grand colonial Fullerton and Raffles to the modern ones from all the leading chains in the world. But,it is not in the precincts of these 5-star giants that one always finds the gastronomic delights that I am talking about. I would rather seek these in the restaurants that line the river on both sides; or in Chinatown; or in that intriquing place called the "Chijmes" (pronounced "chimes"); or in various cosy cafes or restaurants that abound in profusion all over the city; or even in Little India. Let me explain what I mean.

There are two kinds of Indian tourists. One group prefers and sticks to Indian food. There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Little India, for instance. One can have a pick from North Indian to Chettinad food, vegetarian or otherwise. In fact, one evening we had some Chicken Chettinad packed and brought home for dinner.

Then there is the other kind of Indian who likes to taste different kinds of food. For him, Singapore is a veritable paradise. The places we mainly luxuriated in are the riverside cafes and restaurants on Clark Quay or Boat Quay with an array of places serving exotic food from all over the world including, as may be expected, mind-blowing sea-food. These fascinating eateries, right on the bank of the river, also serve many kinds of Continental, American, English or Mexican food. We had a memorable meal at a Portuguese restaurant called Cafe Iguana. We also haunted a place called "Hooters" (believe it or not!), which like all the others, offer delicious fare from T-bone or tenderloin steaks to Lamb Chops, Pork Chops,Fish delicacies, you name it. And of course, there are the sea food specialities! The waterside restaurants also offer very interesting and affordable fixed-price menus which are really value for money. I am simply crazy about Clark Quay where one can spend hours in bumboat criuses down the Singapore river, window shopping or simply lounging in one of the water-side restaurants leisurely sipping Tiger beer (it is excellent) and enjoying the food. And don't miss Clark Quay in the evening. Amazing atmosphere!

The other enchanting eating place is the Chijmes (pronounced chimes) next to the legendary Raffles Hotel. Here, the periphery of a big church yard has been converted and is now lined with a series of charming restaurants which offer mouth-watering cuisines from all over the world. We had a memorable lunch in Hog's Breath Saloon where pork is not the only food one gets!!!

We discovered (through the good offices of Achintan) Quentin in the Eurasian Community Centre on Ceylon Road. What we got was a mind-blowing buffet at lunch time which included choices ranging from Shepherd's Pie, through Lamb Chops, through Vindaloos to Saffron Rice!

Talking about food, one must not forget China Town. The best of Chinese food! Really gorgeous! We simply loved a place called Old Cuban where the food is great and the waitresses are better! It is heavenly to try the crab, prawn, chicken or beef dishes and to wash them down with Hoe Garden, a light white Belgian beer. We kept going back to this place, so strangely called Old Cuban because it started off as a cigar store!

And lastly, I just have to write about the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. It is a tippler's temple steeped in history. This is where the famous Singapore Sling was invented, very appropriately one may add, because the hotel itself is named after the founder of Singapore! The Long Bar is also where the likes of Maugham, Hemingway and some other celebrities whiled away many a creative hour en route to fame and fortune! I missed it on my first visit to Singapore, but not this time! Oh no! The Long Bar is one of the holy shrines of the world, much in the same fashion as Lord's in London! I absolutely exulted in the queer tradition maintained here of chucking peanut shells all over the carpeted floor!

I need to mention the exquisite pleasure of biting into the meat of the giant black crabs of Sri Lanka. You can hardly think of a juicier morsel of sea food. This surprise was brought home one evening by Achintan much to our delight, for we had never tasted this delicacy ever before. To cap it all, another Sala Babu from Delhi, Babua the bearded marine, turned up for dinner. He was on a temporary assignment in Singapore.

Well, like all good things, our sojourn in Singapore also soon came to an end. After enjoying the overwhelming hospitality of the Deys, we bid them adieu and left for Kuala Lumpur in the morning of the 10th of September.

We had missed out on a visit to Malaysia the last time around due to some political disturbance in that country. But all was well this time. Our trip was essentially a package tour of 2 nights/3 days comprising basically of a city tour of Kuala Lumpur and a day in Genting.

Kuala Lumpur is a really pretty city with wide roads, lots of greenery, beautiful buildings and delightfully undulating in its topography. Since time was woefully short, for once we were very happy to be on a conducted tour. We saw the iconic Daulat Tuanku (also known as the Twin Towers or the Petronus Towers)and had ourselves duly photographed! However, we did not at all feel like Catherine Zeta Jones or Sean Connery and in no way did we wish to emulate them in cavorting on the precariously hung connector on the 41st floor between the two towers! After all, that was "Entrapment"!

We were hugely impressed by the National Mosque - so beautifully open, modern and precious. We also saw a lovely Buddhist temple, the Martyrs' Memorial with a cenotaph, the King's Palace, the Parliament House and some wonderful buildings from the British days like the old railway station. Lastly, of all things, we were taken to a chocolate boutique which is supposed to be the only chocolate shop in the world that offers chilly chocolates!!! I did not try any!

We spent a day in Genting at an altitude of over 2000 metres and just about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur. Our travel agent had visions of us spending the day enjoying the rides in the amusement park and gambling away in the casinos. We had different views. After wandering around the amusement park for a couple of hours, Kumi and I quietly slipped out. We strolled around in the picturesque town (somewhat spoilt, I thought, by the invasion of casinos, hotels, Theme Parks,etc.)and soaked in the cool atmosphere after the depressing and humid weather of Delhi. It was heavenly to walk in and out of a mist which was rising from the valley as the day progressed! In the bargain, we enjoyed a lovely lunch in one of the local restaurants.

Kuala Lumpur means the confluence of muddy rivers. But what we saw was not muddiness but greenness, in gay profusion. A lovely city with lovely people, gentle and friendly.

We flew out of Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon of the 12th of September to be back home by the late evening.

This account will not be complete if I fail to write about Air Asia. We had a wonderful experience of punctuality, courtesy, good food, efficiency and willingness to help at all times from this incredible Low Cost airline. Considering the unbelievable prices, it was a very very rewarding experience to fly with Air Asia!

Please do have a look at over 100 pictures that I have uploaded on Facebook.