A Guest Dispatch from Dianne

Greetings from Singapore! I know you are expecting Lance’s careful research and pithy insights, but he needs to study. Instead, it is I, his mom Dianne, who will be Guest Author in his stead. Which is kind of fitting anyway, since this is my Megatrip. I turn 80 in November and decided to give myself a trip instead of a party.

We are planning three stops over twenty days — Singapore, Darwin, and Sydney.

We left New York ahead of the late-September nor’easter. Singapore is barely above the equator, so it’s very hot and very humid. I mean, seriously, unbearably hot and humid. Fortunately, they have embraced air conditioning and do it well.

Singapore is an anomaly — a majority-Chinese island city-state located between Malaysia and Indonesia. The British landed in 1819, admired the deep-water harbor, and decided to stay. Singapore has been independent only since 1965. At the time, its survival seemed dubious, but they’ve managed to thrive. Per capita, Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

They have links to both East and West, not just culturally and financially, but also architecturally. Most people recognize the iconic Marina Bay Sands, three tall towers with a “boat” on top. It houses a resort and casino.

Gardens by the Bay includes two enormous glass conservatories several stories tall and a grove of “Supertrees.” During our visit, the Flower Dome was hosting a beautiful display of lilies.

We also saw some of historic Singapore, including temples in Chinatown, and took a tour of the Fullerton Hotel. The site dates back to the nineteenth century, when it housed a British fort and later a post office. The present building was completed in 1928 as the colony’s General Post Office and administrative center, then extensively renovated between 1997 and 2000 to create a modern hotel inside the historic facade.

One of the things that Singapore does well is multicultural coexistence. The people are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants, with various modes of dress and worship and language, and it’s a non-issue. I don’t know why we make it so hard. Another thing they do really well is keep public spaces clean. You will not find a leaf or a piece of litter on a sidewalk. It’s amazing.

Our next stop will be in contrast to this urban splendor. We fly to Darwin, at the top of Australia — Gateway to the Outback.

Also hot, but, as it turns out, much less humid.