Anytime, Stan! Hmm.. Everything I listed, one could pack into a hectic week. Hectic, but since it's a cheatsheet, it'll be worth every minute. Given the time constraints, you might want to skip ECP and Jurong Birdpark too. Sentosa will be a big day as well. Try to keep the zoo though. However, it's not to say you won't be able to see all of it in 2 days and 2 nights. It's possible, but you've got to be really enthusiastic and quite a day rover- it helps if you're the sort who gets frustrated with slow walkers hehe. I'm like that sometimes, but not to say I don't enjoy an occasional stroll. :)
Have a great trip! Ryan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stan Halpin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004 8:08 AM Subject: Re: Singapore? (Very long: A reasonably detailed walkthrough..) > Ryan - thanks for the detailed reply! Rob, Bob, thanks also. > All good information which I hope to have a chance to put to > use. I am going (probably) for a three-day meeting, may get > one day on front end, one day after the meeting, maybe a few > hours to myself in the evenings. > > I'll read your posts in detail and let you know if I have > any specific questions. > > Thanks again! > > Stan > > Ryan Lee wrote: > > Siglap's a wonderful place to live! Eastside! My grandparents live pretty > > close there (Frankel) and I love the area. Wasn't around 1960s though.. But > > growing up I used to hear stories of how the sea used to come up to their > > doorstep (before land reclamation put a good kilometre between them and the > > sea today..) > > > > Oh and Tiger Balm Gardens aka Haw Par Villa.. *shudder* So not my place. Not > > even sure if it's still there. Supposed to scare people into the right path > > I assume. Not too sure about Hindu funerals, but they still have Thaipusam. > > That's the one where male devotees, mostly Indian, do feats of endurance to > > prove their devotion. One of these feats is that metal spike cage which they > > carry on their skin. Another one is pulling a cart of sorts, if I remember > > correctly, with spikes in their back. Other festivals for the Indians > > include Deepavali in November, the festival of lights, I'm not sure if it's > > at this one that they walk across charring coals.. > > > > For the Chinese, there is the Chinese New Year period, sometime in February > > I think, but that's lots of customs, tradition, decorations etc. > > > > For the Muslims (mostly ethnic Malay) there's Hari Raya Puasa (Hari Raya > > Aidil-fitri), the end of the fasting period Ramadan, sometime in November. > > Also there's Hari Raya Haji, celeberating pilgrimage I think, early Feb. > > > > And of course there's Easter and Christmas too. > > > > For those of you who might not know, Singapore's a bit of a cultural melting > > pot with 4 national languages, English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil; with 4 > > main ethnicities, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian. This peppered with the > > expatriate population, it's pretty cosmopolitan. And everyone coexists quite > > happily (religions side by side too) and there's a lot of goodwill between > > different cultures, especially during festive periods. Kinda hard to do much > > else under the strict govt. But I must say they've got a good formula worked > > out. Occasionally it does produce anomalies like banning chewing gum > > (illegal to sell, not illegal to chew) because it messied up public > > transport, but can't have everything can ya :) Glad you mentioned LKY too, > > he's someone I respect tremendously. > > > > Cheers, > > Ryan > > > > PS. Glad someone read some of that previous post! The scrollbar got pretty > > tiny :-) > > PPS. Bob, I like how you added the soundtrack of the day.. really created an > > atmosphere didn't it! > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Bob W" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004 3:01 AM > > Subject: Re: Singapore? (Very long: A reasonably detailed walkthrough..) > > > > > > > >>Hi, > >> > >> > >>>Grew up there, so I guess I've got some license. I'm now in Brisbane, > >>>Australia, but Singapore's so tiny I may have memorised it :-) > >> > >>Har! yet another of the places I lived in when I was a kid. We were > >>posted to Changi for a couple of years, and lived in a house in > >>Siglap (Beaumont Rd or Gardens, I can still remember). It was the early > >>1960s. Lee Kwan Yew was quite new as the PM, or became PM while we > >>were there. There was rioting in the streets, and 'She Loves You' was > >>the new Beatles record. > >> > >>I think Singapore has probably changed a bit since then. We wouldn't > >>go to the beaches because they were covered in dead dogs and gulls - > >>we went to Changi swimming pool every afternoon instead. The street we > >>lived on didn't have a made-up road, just a dirt track. My mother used > >>to buy live chickens from a cart and the chicken man would cut their > >>heads off and let them run around the garden for a bit. Then he would > >>cut the feet off and give them to us boys to play with. > >> > >>We had a very nice ama called Ann. Once she took us to her home in a > >>place called Kampong and I was horrified by the poverty and the > >>squalor she lived in. I don't know if it was truly like that, or just > >>my childish perception. > >> > >>A place I particularly remember which could still be there is the > >>Tiger Balm Gardens, with a horrific display of people suffering > >>torments in Hell. There were also a lot of interesting Hindu funerals, > >>and festival parades where people ran metal spikes through their bodies. > >> > >>-- > >>Cheers, > >> Bob > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > >
