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sanitised singapore

so we’re here in singapore. a lovely, sparkling city. full of shopping. and restaurants. in fact, the whole city is pretty much like a gigantic outdoor shopping mall. nothing particularly wrong with that. we’re staying in the “little india” section of the city, which is basically like being back at home in tooting, london. except pristine and quiet and safe. nothing wrong with that.

there are lots of banks. and “body shop” stores. and “starbucks”. (which i usually call “four bucks”, except here it’s more like “eleven bucks”. even in singaporean dollars, that’s friggin’ expensive.) there are lots of tall buildings. there is a beautiful metro system. there are nice comfy cinemas – we saw “thank you for smoking”, (which i highly recommend, especially because i adore william h. macy). everyone speaks perfect english. customer service is a dream. even chinatown is squeaky clean. nothing wrong with any of that.

i can get my favourite american deodorant. there’s hot water in the shower. my feet are not blackened at the end of the day, and my face is not grimy with dirt/dust/soot. there is air-conditioning and clean public toilets in abundance. i can get a high speed internet connection – amazing.

nothing wrong with any of that.

it’s all a very welcome respite from the hectic, slap-dash, bare-bones, gritty existence we’ve experienced the past 6 weeks. in fact, i can hardly believe that just three days ago i was tromping through mud with my pack crossing jerry-rigged wood planks over a major bridge which had given up the ghost in the rains, only to have the bus require an impromptu clutch replacement, followed by spending a final 5 hours of the most cramped and spine-jarring ride i’ve ever experienced. it’s like being on a different planet.

so why does it feel like there’s something missing?

3 Responses to “sanitised singapore”

  1. daddio
    July 12th, 2006 02:49
    1

    but can you chew gum?

  2. Kerryn
    July 12th, 2006 09:49
    2

    Did you leave jonno in the mud somewhere maybe?

  3. Jen
    July 12th, 2006 12:00
    3

    trust me, it was veryyyy tempting!! ;)

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