Life in Singapore

There is something unsettlingly perfect about Singapore that I, a born and bred Karachiite, simply cannot fathom. This perfection is the first thing I notice about this tiny island nation as I drive out from Singapore Changi Airport onto a perfectly lush-green expressway, into perfectly-flowing traffic. Everything seems to be operating in perfect harmony here: whether it is the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) lines that are never over a second late or the 24-hour cleaning spree the entire city apparently live on. There is simply no denying the impeccability of Singapore. Hell, even the flags that line the pavement of my hotel appear to be swaying with utmost precision.

Hence, much like thousands of other tourists, I dismiss the city as being blandly efficient and unadventurous – a pretty but disciplinarian kind of place where the locals are (allegedly) robbed of the right to even chew gum on the street! But much like the thousands of other tourists, I am wrong.

One day around the city is enough to alter my views. A stroll down the veritable fashion emporium that is Orchard Road tells me Singapore bears no comparison to the pollution and traffic-ridden Shanghai or poverty-stricken Manila. Manicured parks and post-colonial architecture of the Raffle’s Hotel Veranda provide a welcome respite from the city’s modern skyline. And then, as I bask in the bustling nightlife at Clarke Quay past midnight, I cannot help but pray for the safety of other fellow travellers in Bangkok who are probably tiptoeing home by now, lest they get mugged.

Food is a national obsession and Singapore’s rich history of migration has only added to the assortment of cuisines on offer here, rendering it one of the greatest food capitals of the world. A quick check into Chinatown or Little India lends credence to a wonderful ethnic brew, unparalleled by any other Southeast-Asian city. As for the spendthrift, there are bargains on everything from clothing and accessories to electronics and art and antiques, proving that those who say Singapore has lost its soul couldn’t be more wrong.

However, there is much more to the city than food and fashion! There is plenty to satiate the adrenaline junkie, including water sports at Sentosa Island and Kallang River, camping in the local rainforests and the magical ‘Night Safari’ at the Singapore Zoo that attracts visitors from the world over.

All in all, Singapore is fascinating place and well worthy of a pat in the back for picking itself up after a troublesome history, including the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and a SARS outbreak in 2003. Perhaps if the rest of the world could match Singapore’s strides in tourism, education, health care and infrastructure, etc, it could become a much better place.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2014.

Life in Singapore