Singapore is like a second home. For one, my son lives and works here. He declared somewhat emotionally that Singapore IS home!! He has been here under six months, and is entirely integrated ( calling all cabbies 'uncle', regardless of age). He knows all there is to know about this charming island state, including the best kept secrets - hiking and trekking weekends in the semi rain forests close by. I have to agree with him when he talks about the exceptional quality of life here - starting with the super food. One can eat out every single day for two years, and not repeat a place. Last night he took us to a Belgian Bar serving over 200 premium beers, some of them pricier than champagne. Appropriately called Brussels' Sprout, it is located in Robertson Quay, on the edge of the waterway and serves the best moules and pommes frittes in town. By the time our group was done with the beer (I don't touch the stuff), it was pretty late. We headed to Chinatown looking for a much recommended place simply known as The Chinese Restaurant. It is on New Bridge road, between the Pagoda and the Mosque, right opposite the Majestic theatre. What a feast!! Let me not spoil it for you by going into raptures....but let me add it was Allan Po, the young 24- year- old waiter from mainland China, who made our evening special. Cheerful and efficient, he jumped around guaranteeing each fresh dish in 'exactly 3 minutes.' Allan earns 900 dollars per month, works 14 hours a day, no holidays or time off, and sends most of his salary back home to his family in China. As a room boy at the Mandarin, serving on the VIP floor, he used to make 500 dollars in tips. But the job was monotonous and he quit, after brushing up his english while chatting with foreign guests there. Hard working , upbeat and efficient, I was tempted to kidnap him.
I was equally tempted to kidnap Mia, the sultry dancer at Moshe Moshe Bollywood. Mia is French, earns 5000 dollars a month for grooving to Kaajra Re and other item numbers. She's a university graduate, a trained belly dancer, and exquisite enough to be in movies. So, what's a nice girl like her doing in a joint like this? Her parents have recently relocated to Taiwan, where her father is the general manager of Carre Four. Mia obviously loves her job, and has several besotted admirers showering notes on her each time she appears. The other dancers aren't bad.... but Mia is the undisputed star. How global is this story - a French girl, dancing to Indian music at a nightclub in Singapore, with Japanese men ogling her, as waitresses from Malaysia serve drinks to Chinese patrons. Don't you just love it??
Most of the taxi drivers are real characters - some sing arias from Chinese opera. Others joke, "Do you know what ERP actually stands for - Everyday Rob People!" ERP is the much hated 1 dollar road toll. As we passed the gigantic construction site of the Singapore Casino ( of course, it isn't called a casino here - officials refer to it as an Integrated Resort, if you please!), our cabbie commented it this was THE place to come to if you want to become a beggar overnight. This was before dropping us to the Cricket Club of Singapore - charming and colonial - just like the one in Mumbai. With one big difference - members can buy and sell their membership!! Which means, it is a trading zone, and anybody with lolly can get in. This is just one quirky aspect of Surprising Singapore.The just concluded Chinese New Year has left a few attractive traces behind - like the lucky mandarin orange trees heavy with fruit, and the brilliantly coloured pussy willows in glorious bloom. Shopping at Orchard Road remains a treat - I got the most attractive metallic flip flops for 10 dollars!
Well.... it's adieu Singapore and hello Mumbai. An avalanche of work awaits. But tomorrow is another De....