Singapore – Shopping, Raffles, and Fellow Travellers

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman away from home on her birthday needs to celebrate in a way she can’t at home.  As soon as I knew I was going to be in Singapore for my **(some secrets shouldn’t be shared on a blog) birthday, I decided that there was only one way to celebrate it, and that was with a Singapore Sling at Raffles, iconic centre of colonial Singapore.  With this in mind, I planned my day around heading there for mid afternoon, after some shopping, and before heading back to the hotel for what I knew would be a good dinner with a good Malbec, particularly given that the day before had been very long and tiring. (see Singapore – Parrots, Pandas and Pangolins).

Breakfast was extremely good, as always with the cheerful morning chef greeting me today with a tuneful “Happy Birthday dear Miss Tracey” before serving up a perfect omelette, served today only with a glass of chilled Moet (It had to be done, really).  After spending a couple of hours working – I know, I know, dedication and all that – I set off for Arab Street, which had been highly recommended for fabrics, gifts, and Middle Eastern food, of which I’m particularly fond.  It didn’t disappoint.  Like the other areas of Singapore where there are clusters of a particular nationality, it was highly colourful, crammed with people and the kind of little shops you could spend hours browsing through.  Fabric shops and tailors were in abundance, and I think probably more so, and higher quality than I’d seen in Little India.  Not having thought through in advance what I might want, I avoided the temptation – it would have been far too easy just to buy up rolls of beautiful silks and cottons without having any particular purpose for them.  One thing I had wanted to do in Little India but avoided (professional business woman and all that) was having a henna decoration.  Fortunately these were also common in this area, so I duly chose a design and sat patiently while my hand was decorated with the thick brown paste.  What I hadn’t realised is that you have to wait for it to dry – so to avoid smudging (well, any more smudging) I found a Lebanese restaurant serving hummus and flat breads, which I could eat with my left hand (having decorated the right).  The restaurant was on one of the many pedestrianised side streets, with cheerful tiles and decorations not common to Singapore, but very reminiscent of the Middle East.  Women of all ages wandered past, colourful hijabs – which I was starting to recognise by style – on display and young children laughed and played alongside them.  At the end of the road was the Mosque – a beautifully gilded building that was clearly the focus of the area, and I was delighted to hear the haunting sound of the call to prayer whilst I was eating.  Once again Singapore had surprised me with its ability to draw you in to a particular place and time.

Chinatown was as busy as ever – I had to return in order to pick up a GST receipt – and it has to be said, full of the best salespeople on the planet.  I may or may not have bought something and justified it to myself as a birthday present, but I then made a rapid retreat in order not to bankrupt myself.

My very efficient taxi driver – is there any other kind in Singapore I wonder? – dropped me at Raffles, where I was greeted by a doorman in white Indian dress, turban and all.  I perhaps should have taken this as a warning at the time, but to be fair, it was mildly charming.  Having visited the restroom, I then headed to the Bar and Billiard Room, temporarily taking the place of the Long Bar as the home of the Singapore Sling, whilst Raffles undergoes some refurbishment.  Again, the queue here should have warned me that my daydream of a quiet, celebratory drink in an elegant bar was about to be shattered, but by that stage – as I imagine most people feel – I was committed.  The wait wasn’t too long – although the queue was growing exponentially behind me – and I was duly ushered into the faded grandeur of the bar.  A note here – Raffles is the only place in Singapore you are allowed to “litter”.  Each table held a small canvas sack of what we used to call monkey nuts when I was a child, and it is traditional to break them open, eat the nuts and throw the shell on the floor, giving an interesting “crunch” as you walk.  As a deterrent to cat burglars I think it has to be up there with geese.  Being a singleton meant that I could be “fitted in” where couples couldn’t go, so I was given a high stool at a table – well, more of a wide shelf than a table really – next to a charming woman of about my own age.  Whilst waiting for my drink – which the waitress had assumed would be a Singapore Sling without really giving me a chance to choose anything else, even if I had wanted to – we got to know each other a little.

Susan was Norwegian, and although I had been unceremoniously dumped on her, warm and chatty and seemed to welcome the company.  We toasted one another, and shared some of our background, and what had brought us to Raffles on this fine afternoon.  Susan shared that she had been waiting 17 years for this – having been in Singapore in 2000 but called away before she had had the chance to visit Raffles – and was now travelling extensively.  In between 2000 and now she had owned a flower shop, and having sold it, intended to spend the rest of her life travelling.  I couldn’t help feeling envious – how lovely to be so free of the day to day, seeing so much of the world, and meeting interesting and varied groups of people.  I sensed that her good humour and ease with strangers would ensure a warm welcome everywhere she went – I certainly felt blessed to have spent my birthday drink with such a charming companion.

However, it has to be said that meeting Susan was by far the highlight of my visit to this once glorious venue.  Although I had enquired about running my event here, and couldn’t because of the refurbishment, I found myself more glad than ever that I had ended up at the Ritz-Carlton.  There was no sense of any prestige – I know I am as guilty as any of the other tourists of wanting to indulge in that Singapore Sling in the Long Bar – but I felt as though I was on a conveyor belt.  The staff were polite but curt – over busy and a little frazzled – and relaxation either for the visitors or indeed the hotel guests was, I suspect, a dim memory.  The hotel is also right next to a busy road – as is the RC, but is designed not to be disturbed by road traffic – and therefore noisy all the time.  And as for what should have been the highlight of the day…..!  The Singapore Sling was watery, more ice than anything else, and I suspect had only been waved at by the gin bottle.  There was also a small piece of glass in the chunk of pineapple – dismissed by the waiter I called over as “probably it was on the table, glasses get broken”.  A further shock came with the bill – a single Sling cost the grand sum of S$38, about £20.  “Bucket list ticked, no need to do that again” was my only comfort.  Disappointment is an understatement, and, desperate to get back to where I knew there’d be a decent drink, I took my leave of my fellow traveller and summoned an Uber to take me back to civilisation.

On returning to my room, I was touched and so pleased to see that the my Guest Services welcomer, Mahesh, had been at work, and had left me a lovely birthday gift, of cake, strawberries and chocolate sauce, a card and rose petal decorations.  I am sure that other guests are treated as well as this, but it doesn’t matter – I felt special.

The lounge staff too were more than delighted to welcome me “home”.  There wasn’t even a hint of “we told you so” when I related my disappointment, but just a “don’t worry, we will make you a proper one”.  This took slightly longer than usual – there was a little whispering and expert Sling maker Chuckie was mysteriously absent for several minutes.  Then, rather suddenly, all the staff appeared, with Chuckie carrying a large Singapore Sling, complete with birthday candles, and singing Happy Birthday.  A gift of roses also appeared, and for a while, all was celebration and selfies.  A perfect birthday gift from a perfect team, more than making up for my previous disappointment.  I was glad to be back with my temporary “family”, who made me feel like a real VIP.  Now that’s service.