01 February 2007

The republic of endless malls

Jon Harris spent 6 weeks in Singapore late 2006. Here are his chief impressions of our city-state. Guest essay.

4 comments:

onekell said...

A lighthearted piece with a refreshingly balanced perspective. Thank you, Jon!

rezipping said...

> Only one issue I have with the MRT.
> Let people off first! The train is
> not going without you, and if you
> wait until people get off there
> will be more room for you. Honest!

Actually, the train does frequently go off without waiting for all passengers to board. This is especially so in stations where many people alight, e.g. Orchard, Somerset etc.

Anonymous said...

Your friend gives an all-rounded review of Singapore, but you chose to highlight the "endless mall" aspect in your title.

Anyway, I agree that one's impression is often endless malls -- and identical HDB flats.

To go to anywhere interesting, you really need to leave public transport behind. Unfortunately, that's not something most tourists -- nor locals -- will do.

Anonymous said...

Nice piece. Well done. As a fellow Aussie who recently spent a month there with my bi long-term girlfriend, I totally agree with all your comments.

She had no problem when she wanted to embark on her little adventures with another woman, so it was all good.

nhyone: well we went off the beaten track a little, and on our next trip we'll be doing that more.

Thanks, Jon, for a good piece.

Cheers...