Sentosa – Singapore’s “State of Fun”

It’s been a couple of days since I’ve even had time to write something, mainly because I’ve been “off gallivanting” – giving me material for several postings!

We wrapped up our meetings on Thursday morning, and by lunchtime it was decided by two of my three colleagues that we would got to Sentosa Island – an “integrated” resort just to the south of Singapore.  Although an Island, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway and a brightly coloured tram, which, you would think, would be the easiest and least stressful way to get there.  But my two companions – half my age and twice as daring, decided that the cable car was the way to go, so we duly travelled via the Metro to the harbour, where we purchased round-trip tickets for not only the “there and back” cable car, but also the one that crosses the island from side to side.  Sigh – Singapore might be relatively flat, but it seems I’ve been destined to spend time as high up as possible.

A word about the Metro.  As you would expect, it is pristine, efficient, and thankfully, air-conditioned.  In spite of apologies about minding the gap, there is never a gap wide enough for a mouse to get through – if indeed they were even to be tolerated anywhere near the stations.  The carriages are wide, interconnected and while there is adequate seating, the efficient Singaporeans have designed the carriages to accommodate large numbers of standing passengers comfortably.  There is also, prevalent among the people who live here, a “think of others” state of mind.  Signs remind travellers to place their bags on the floor to enable more seating, and even those standing up are encouraged – politely – to place their backpacks on the floor so as not to knock or irritate other passengers.  The whole operation is smooth and, although we didn’t travel at peak times, an entirely comfortable experience.

So, back to the cable car.  I have a particular nervousness about them – they tend to swing, and historically I have friends (you know who you are) who think it is amusing to jump up and down in them.  This particular cable car is really quite high, and although one of my companions teased me about cable cars being his “blue smartie”and making him want to act a little crazy, he was gracious enough not to carry it out.  Had he done so I would have had to grin and bear it, on the premise that “the client is king”.  In truth, it was a very smooth journey, no juddering even as the car passed over the cogs on the upright supports, and the views were extraordinary.  I don’t know if you have ever seen dolphins swimming around in a pool 50m below you, but it’s quite a sight.

Sentosa is described as the “State of Fun”.  Comprising a large resort, with hotels and apartments, Universal Studios and a huge water play area, it would be easy to avoid if you weren’t particularly keen on theme parks (which I’m not, much to my children’s disgust).  However, that isn’t all it is.  We headed straight down to the beach, which is, although part of the resort and therefore reasonably developed with restaurants and bars, an absolutely beautiful beach.  Just offshore there are a string of tiny islands, which are used as securing points for strings of buoys, creating a safe lagoon for swimming.  It’s all sand, calm water and palm trees – a tiny piece of paradise.  However, Singapore is one of the largest anchorages in the world, so just offshore are dozens, if not hundreds of ships, container, freight and all sorts, almost basking in the warmth of these southern seas.

Having introduced my companions to the idea of “paddling” – their English is perfect, having been educated in Durham – but walking in the sea is perhaps not something that is commonly done by university students in the North of England – we wandered along the beach for quite a while, chatting about the differences in our culture and just generally getting to know one another.  I was charmed by these lovely people.  In the West we have strong prejudices about our Middle Eastern neighbours, and in my experience I have found these to be just that – prejudice – and not at all a real indication of how warm and how similar they are to us in so many ways.  We talked about work a little – mainly our own stories about how we came to be where we are in our professional lives – but we covered many other things, as new friends do.  We talked about our cultures, the differences and similarities, about families, friendship and food.  We talked about wearing a hijab – did you know that each country has it’s own way of wearing it, and as a result they can tell immediately which country the wearer is from?  Or that there is a whole fashion “thing” – apparently this year it’s “in” to wear a lace hijab, and my charming companion has whole collections in different colours and fabrics, depending on the season.  I was daring enough to ask whether the men preferred a hijab to uncovered hair – to which the response was “it depends on the hair”.  Ask a silly question……!  We talked about dating and marriage – my male companion was surprised when I asked him if he was married “I’m only 25!” he said, shocked that I could think he’d be so foolish as to enter the minefield that was marriage at so tender an age. Westerners think they are pushed into agreed marriages and while that does sometimes happen, these young people have plenty of say in the matter.  In some ways, I really like the way they get to know one another.  We seem to have lost the skill in the dance that is dating – in a world ruled by Tinder and instant gratification, we have lost the desire to get to know someone properly before making any physical commitment – such as holding hands or that first kiss – to one another.  I miss those days…..

Back to Sentosa.  Having walked for some time, and for me at least starting to feel the effects of the sun, we headed back on a little tram, to the area of the Island that houses Seloso Fort, which, by contrast to the rest of the island, is somehow appropriately quiet.  The surrender chambers were being renovated so I wasn’t able to visit, but this is a part of the history of Singapore that to my mind is understated and not given the prominence it deserves.  This is an important bit of British history in this far outpost, and I admit to having a “moment” of real thoughtfulness and remembrance.  Again, my companions were so very considerate and without saying anything, left me for a minute or two.  While the thought of a resort island might put you off visiting, it really is worth it.

We took the cable car across the island to Merlion station – Singapore “City of Lions” has seven of these statues, of a lion’s head on a fish tail.  The most iconic is usually in view of the Ritz Carlton club lounge, but unfortunately this week it is covered for cleaning – I check every morning to see if it has been uncovered, but alas.  The Merlion on Sentosa is very much a tourist attraction – with stairs inside and lookouts at the top, and while we took some photos, we weren’t interested enough to look closer.  The Chinese celebrate New Year for a very long time, and the open area below the Merlion was set up with lots of red lanterns, wishing trees and various other indications of oriental celebration.  After a very refreshing and much needed iced tea – sparkling passion fruit, highly recommended – we set off back to the cable cars for a return journey to the “Big Island” – this time continuing on past our original embarkation point to visit the top of Mount Faber – apparently the highest hill in Singapore at 105 metres. I wish I had done a little more research before I went – there is some interesting history around this part of the city that is worth looking at.

Tired and happy after a long day we returned to the hotel, where we met up with our colleague, who was considerably less tired, having spent the day wandering around the nearby mall and in the hotel swimming pool.  They had a late flight home that evening, so we chatted for a while over supper in the lounge before they left to pack.  I can genuinely say that this week has been successful professionally, and, more importantly perhaps, I have made some new friends.  They returned to make their farewells, urging me to visit them soon, and I was considerably saddened by their departure.