I flew into Singapore in the afternoon. I was very excited to see my girlfriend Polly whom I haven't seen in two years. I was nervous seeing her after so long but I knew deep down that once we saw each other everything will be back to normal, which it became immediately. We met at a hotel called The Scarlet. Its a somewhat dark romantic European styled hotel in the center of downtown and within walking distance from Chinatown. The rooms were comfortable with a hip European design. The first day we set out to explore Singapore's Indian section of the city. The previous night Polly stayed at a youth hostel downtown where she got some local information on good eats around town. We just so happened to walk by the Indian restaurant he recommended. Like all great eateries it was packed with people, most if not all Indian, which is a great sign that its authentic. We finally got a table with some extra chairs so I offered two Indian gentleman a seat with us. Luckily for us they were some of the chefs on holiday for the day. They recommended us some dishes which we were very pleased with. It was actually one of the best Indian meals I've ever eaten. After our meal we walked back to get ready for the National Day Parade which is one of the biggest celebrations in Singapore during the year. On the way we stopped by a street market near our hotel to grab a quick meal. After eating we discovered a film crew nearby filming some guy eating and talking about the food. I asked one of the assistant interns what it was about. He couldn't say. As we were walking away the director came and told us very enthusiastically about their project. They were filming a new series for the travel channel about street food around the world. It will air in November. After giving us a quick explanation he asked us "wanna be on TV?" We said yes. Being on film will make anyone nervous. When he asked where you guys from I said Santa Monica while pointing at Polly and before I could point at myself and say Michigan he was dragging us to the next shoot..... So I possibly said I was from Santa Monica on national TV, haha. I cleared that up later so we'll see if they edit it. My nerves weren't too bad once that started filming. Its an anomalous feeling to be filmed in the middle of a crowded eatery. Not only had we just finished our meal prior to being filmed we also had to contend with the butterflies of being on film; surprisingly we finished most of our second, free meal. In the evening we went to the oceanside park for the National Day festival. There were fireworks, traditional Singaporean boats carrying fireworks, a huge stage full of dancers and a grand finally of fireworks over the city. It was a beautiful event. Over 60,000 people came to watch. We enjoyed it, but to beat the crowds we left early. At night we caught the last subway line to the theater to watch the new batman movie. It was awesome but we were both tired. A perfect first day for sure.
July 22nd
The next Monday we were greeted by a blistering hot Singapore sun and a breakfast full of fabulous fruits. We decided to check out Arab street after breakfast. When we got there we noticed many of the restaurants were closed in accordance to the Ramadan holiday which states that nobody shall eat or drink anything from dawn to dusk during the month long holiday. In retrospect it seemed pretty low key until we witnessed Arab and Muslim communities spring to festive and glutinous life after dark. Anyways we toured a beautiful mosque which was very simple and eloquent in its design. It was my first time inside a mosque. I felt it was more of a place to read the Quran and pray, open all day, with no relics or statues depicting any prophet or God. To Muslims the concept of ever depicting God or Muhammad in any form is utterly offensive. And after seeing how free of any subjective clutter a mosque is I came to realize why so many people's from all different walks of life embrace Islam. There is no white Jesus. There is no white, black, brown, or purple Muhammad. Islam is essentially at its most true sense a very racially non biased religion.
The mosque tour was nice but we were hungry and the sun was hot. We finally found a middle eastern, Turkish restaurant open and serving lunch. We had Turkish coffees, feta cheese and humas plates with tons of fresh olives and some delicious peta bread fresh from the oven. It was divinely good. After lunch we took the subway (MRT) back to our hotel. The MRT in Singapore is something of sheer beauty and practical ingenuity unmatched in almost any major city around the world.
Before dinner we went to the Marina Park Botanical gardens. The location itself sets it apart from any botanical garden I've ever been to. The famous Marina Bay Sands tower with its boat shaped roof connecting three towers stands tall behind the gardens as a reminder your in a world city. As you enter the park you see several steel towers with a canopy walkway connecting them. These towers are shaped like trees and have massive vines and climber plants coating the outside. They are far from complete, with the upper branches still bare, but when these towers are fully vegetated they will be man made forests. Throughout the park there are many signs explaining this permaculture design. All these plant species are mutually beneficial and need no water other than rain. The mix of algae and fungus in the roots act as sponges soaking up water and storing it for the vines to use while producing natural shade and clean air. You don't really get a feel for the implications until you go inside the main biodome. Inside there is a large ten story steel and plant mountain with its own waterfall. The walls are entirely covered with this plant and algae conglomerate, a type or several types of lichen. After walking up and down this huge structure it makes you think about the future of modern skyscrapers. Most buildings in Southeast Asia are being constructed with green roofs and windows. This is an extreme design which would make the whole building look like a mossy hill. I could imagine cities throughout the world looking like huge hobbit dwellings. Birds nesting in the walls and sweet flowers blooming, changing the color of the buildings every season. Essentially living, breathing walls. Imagine the productivity of the occupiers. Every office day would be like a walk in the park. The boring gray structures of the past will be replaced. At this botanical garden you can see the future of urban design. The best part is everyone living in the city can enjoy it for dirt cheap. They charge foreigners an arm and a leg but who doesn't. The locals, especially kids can learn about clean energy and get excited about new concepts in designing buildings. Actually all over Singapore, with one of the best education systems in the world, there are tons of ingenious and creative structures being built. Its amazing to see a city and a society so eager and capable of embracing its future.
At dusk we enjoyed a drink on top of the famous Marina Sands Hotel. It is probably one of the most posh places I've ever been to. The roof is shaped like an old steam ship, with a club, a bar, and a pool overlooking the city. Polly looking absolutely gorgeous in her black dress, I looked pretty drab in comparison. I felt so happy to be where I was. I felt so content with the trip and my life and that feeling has stuck with me since.
No comments:
Post a Comment