Singapore revisited
My memories of Singapore as being rather like a concrete tropical garden were valid. Although it has been almost twenty years since my last visit, the pace of change and urban development seems to have accelerated , with new high rise apartment blocks and condominiums everywhere and construction cranes sprouting like an of invasion of giant birds.
That said, the essential nature of the place is unchanged, that fascinating and multi-cultured combination of commerce and tradition that has been the ethos of this small island since Raffles first walked ashore back in 1819. Raffles came to open up a trading post for the British East India Company, something that was a spectacular success, guaranteeing his place in the history books, a permanent position for his statue on the banks of the Singapore river and a place in the hearts of Singaporeans.
I tried to locate the Marco Polo Hotel, my location on past visits and a place with happy memories, but like so many other buildings it has been replaced by a condominium tower block, one of the huge number that dominate the downtown area.
We walked around the vibrant Orchard Road shopping area, a locale that had changed and expanded since my last visit (more big name brands and expensive boutique malls) – but still a place to pick up a bargain and packed with shoppers and youngsters out for a promenade. Visitors to this island nation regularly comment on the politeness and humour of the mixed ethnicity and multi-cultural Singaporean society here, something that is well demonstrated on Orchard Road. The service quality in the stores is smiling and efficient too, lessons that could be learned by shops back in the UK.
The weather was overcast and very humid for us, overcast skies becoming more leaden as the day progressed and with warm rain in the afternoon, a lot of the locals carried umbrellas, so this type of weather must be a feature of life on the island at this time of the year (November).
The photos show images from our river trip (on a Singapore bumboat!) to see Raffles in all his glory and some flower pictures from a visit to the Botanic Gardens -a must for anyone interested in tropical plants, particularly orchids.