Sticky-Rice.com » Singapore

The truly unique city of Singapore

Toby — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:26:44 +0000

Landing at Singapore this past week I have been delighted to learn more about the history and society in Singapore. It’s really a unique city with a very interesting government style. Most people talk about how clean it is – that’s true. It’s also true that crime is low and police are hard to see from day to day. There’s also a negative tax rate, believe it or not, for Singapore residents. This is thanks to the way the government has setup universal savings plans that rely on contributions from salaries and employers.

I found Singapore to be a very diverse place, with all sorts of asian nationalities represented and plenty of white folks too. The stats back this perspective- a country of 4 million people, 3 million of which are permanent residents. The remaining 1 million are visiting in some way. You have a majority chinese, then a large group of Malay and finally Indian people too.

The country is making a success of politics quite unlike anything I have seen. Ever the skeptic I try my best to see how the government might have ulterior motives for some of the policies they have implemented, but I struggle. There seems to be a very real purists philosophy as to what the authorities are there for and how they should go about doing things. They seem to really want to benefit society. Obviously it helps that Singapore politicians get paid almost 4 times as much as their european counterparts. Why? Because the most celebrated leader of the country stated that, in order to get the best minds on the important jobs, government had to compete with business for staff. Pay them well and they will come. It seems to have worked in many respects.

If you get the chance to visit Singapore, and you haven’t yet, please do so. It might have an image of a slightly boring but efficient metropolis but once you dig a little under the surface, you may be genuinely impressed by what they have going on over there.

Overview of Southeast Asia

Toby — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:31:16 +0000

On a January afternoon in 1861, Henri Mouhot, a French naturalist, was hacking his way through the almost impenetrable jungle of Cambodia when suddenly he burst into a clearing and stopped dead in his tracks. Before his astonished eyes loomed the outlines of a stone structure. Its long grey battlements appeared to stretch into infinity, magnificent terraces and galleries vaulted upwards and five towers shaped like lotus buds soared into the heavens. Touched by the setting sun, the whole grey mass burned fiery red.

His search for rare insects forgotten, Mouhot plunged about for days exploring not only this great temple, which he called ’a rival to Solomon’s’ but also hundreds of other structures which he found half submerged in the jungle. Mouhot had stumbled upon the enormous ruins of Angkor, legendary capital of the Khmer Empire. The empire had once stretched from the South China Sea to the Gulf of Siam, including all of the present day Cambodia, part of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and had embraced the most brilliant civilization ever to flourish in South—east Asia.

While they lasted the kings of Khmer were a remarkable breed. They tore out the jungle to plant endless fields of rice, they laid out a network of paved roads, they mastered the science of hydraulic engineering and established a water system even more incredible than their temples.

And they dug dikes and canals on the flood plains that provided perpetual irrigation for their fields.

The results of all their labour and the sacrifices their slaves made can still be seen today — and should be seen, for they are truly remarkable. The stony testaments are of such magnitude and splendour as to dwarf the wonders of Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Numbers of tourists to these beautiful countries are growing on a daily basis. This is predominantly due to the word spreading that you will be received with warmth and curiosity rather than resentment and war fatigue. Shimmering paddy fields, exquisite pagodas and sugar—white beaches beckon the intrepid traveller.

Ho Chi Minh City provides a head—spinning introduction to Vietnam, as does Bangkok in Thailand, so trips out into the rice fields, orchards and jungles make a welcome change.

The temples, palaces and imperial mausoleums of aristocratic Hue in Vietnam should not be missed. Crawl through the original Cu Chi tunnels, the underground tunnel system which was home to the Vietcong during the Vietnam war. Have a new silk wardrobe made up at the cheapest prices in the charming ancient port town of Hoi An. And sail through the spectacular world heritage site of Ha Long Bay which is crammed with grottoes, islands and jagged limestone outcrops jutting out of the sea.

In Thailand you must ensure you visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, home of the holiest and most dazzling temple. In Kanchanaburi you could stay in a rafthouse on the River Kwai, ride the historic Death Railway and explore temples and waterfalls by bicycle. For the truly adventurous you could explore the extraordinary Andaman coast by sea—kayaking in the Krabi region.

Laos also has sights not be missed, including Wat Phou which was one of the most important religious sites of the great Khmer Empire. You could take a slow boat on the Mekong River or be the first to unravel the mystery of The Plain Jars which is one of the world’s great archeological puzzles where hundreds of ancient giant stone urns are scattered across the Xiang Khouang Plateau.

And finally Cambodia, where memories of your visit here will remain etched in your minds forever. You should not miss seeing Angkor Wat’s soaring towers, or glimpsing the silver heads of rare dolphins flitting through the rapids at Kample. Nor should you miss the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, whose gleaming golden spires and vivid Ramayana murals making for a stunning sight.

Singapore, a Culinary City

Toby — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 12:02:00 +0000

Singaporeans love to eat. And no wonder, the city is a veritable gastronomic delight. Many may believe that there is no such thing as Singaporean food in itself because of its hybrid and eclectic nature, but this is clearly not the case. It is essentially a combination of Malay, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian cuisine, and the results are wickedly delicious.

New York and San Francisco have more to offer in terms of variety, Brussels is said to have the best French food, and Japan the best in quality. But when it comes to a combination of convenience, quality, variety, price and the sheer joy of eating, Singapore has to be the best bargain on earth.

The king of Singaporean dishes is the superb ’Hainanese Chicken Rice’, which is undoubtedly the city’s favourite. A two—course meal in itself, the tasty dish consists of juicy sliced chicken with a bowl of its flavoursome broth on the side, served with an assortment of condiments like chilli, soy, ginger and scallions. The rice is made with the chicken stock as well, and the whole dish comes together perfectly and deliciously.

For the best Hainanese Chicken Rice in town, try the Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice at Katong Shopping Centre, Sun Kee at the Magaret Drive Food Centre or Boon Tong Kee at Balestier Road.

Chinese dishes like dim sum (bite—sized dumplings stuffed with meat, seafood and vegetables) are popular lunch choices in the city, as is the Malay requisite, Satay, juicy little pieces of meat on skewers grilled over a charcoal fire, served with rice, onion, peanut sauce and sliced cucumbers. Because of the obvious Indian influence in the Singaporean culture, it is also not surprising that Indian food is all over the city, and it’s not hard to come by the city’s favourites like Hot fish head curry or the paper—thin, slightly sour pancakes made with rice flour and lentils.

To eat well in Singapore, one seldom needs to look further than one of the many Hawker centers, popular markets where Singaporeans eat to their hearts content from food stalls serving an array of dishes from main dishes to drinks, desserts, from vegetarian to halal. The food is inexpensive, fresh, varied and of quite high quality. Hawkers usually display their food specialties at through photographs or actual dishes, great for those who may not know what to choose because of the sheer selection! Dishes can be as low as S$2 or S$3 per plate but be wary of the ones frequented by tourists as occasional over—charging does occur at these particular centres.

For those in the mood for international cuisine, Singapore rivals even the most food—savvy capitals, and the fine dining choices are equally impressive. Elegant Italian food can be found at Paladion di Firenze at Mohd Sultan rd., and for a cosier, romantic atmosphere as well as great steaks , the Grill on Devonshire, Devonshire Road, is a must. When in a celebratory mood, nothing quite beats Singapore’s Grand Dame of restaurants, The Raffles Grill, for sophisticated colonial charm.

So when in Singapore, here’s a bit of advice— be adventurous with eating, as there are few places in the world that you’ll find culinary varieties at such low prices.