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  Today Online 19 Mar 07
Nothing to see? Look again
Singapore has more attractions than some visitors realise
Letter from Yeo Siok Peng

Today Online 16 Mar 07
Sweet Sour S'pore: Tales of a tourist--from a host's viewpoint
Tabitha Wang
We had a guest from the UK recently and, as I couldn't plead work engagements, I became the designated tour guide. I thought it was going to be a simple job: Just go to the Visitor's Centre and grab some brochures.

Given the accolades Singapore has received tourism-wise, how difficult can it be to show it off? How wrong I was.

As a local, I'd never given much thought to how Singapore looks through foreign eyes. I'm too busy tracking down the best or luak at hawker centres to visit the zoo or snap photos of the Merlion.

My frequent traveller friend, Dan, had boned up on Singapore from guidebooks, so he knew what he wanted to do. We started off at the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, which he enjoyed. "It's fun seeing the animals up close," he enthused. Changi Village and the Changi Museum were our next stop. He loved the laid-back feel of the Village and raved about the replica wartime chapel. I felt smug.

Then, it all went wrong. It started with the Merlion. We got there at 2pm, so it was hot everywhere. The sun beat down, the stones reflected the glare, and there were no trees to hide under. Surrounded by skyscrapers and made of concrete itself, the statue made mockery of Singapore's Garden City image. Dan took a few photos and left.

Having read so much about Sentosa, he wanted to go there next. Figuring he would be entertained there, I put him on the cable car at 9am, and I told him I'd come back for him at 5pm. He came back by himself two hours later. "There was nothing to see," he said.

I hoped Memories at Old Ford Factory would make up for it. We went on a Sunday, when my husband was free to drive us, but the museum was closed. We weren't the only ones caught out. A few bewildered tourists were milling about, after taking a taxi from the city all the way to Upper Bukit Timah Road.

We went to Battle Box at Fort Canning instead, which was a mistake. The 10-year-old museum was showing its age. The animatronics were jerky, the sound was muffled, some headsets didn't work, and we had to take turns at the viewing screens, as many were out of order. So much for Singapore's image of efficiency.

On Dan's last day, I didn't dare suggest other tourist attractions anymore but he knew exactly what he wanted to do: Have tea at Raffles Hotel. I sighed with relief; the grand old lady will not let us down. But she did.

We had to ask for water three times. The waiter replied with "I must check with my manager" every time he was asked a question, then disappeared. Our food came without sauces, the tea without milk or sugar, and the waiter gave us marmalade instead of cream, and then insisted it was cream. Two women at the next table were given prawn rolls even though they had specified they were allergic to seafood.

In desperation, I plucked the sleeve of the door hostess: "Can you help us?" To her credit, Val did her best. Although it wasn't her job, she waited on our table, making sure we got our sauces; our tea was topped up and the marmalade exchanged for cream.

Still, it's a sad day when icons, even, disappoint. Singapore doesn't have many natural features, so we've got to rely on man-made attractions and sterling service to pull in tourists.

We don't want to be a stopover city that mostly attracts tourists to our world-class airport just so they can fly off to places with unspoilt beaches and mountains.

The Singapore Tourism Board plans to attract 10.2 million visitors this year, up from the 9.7 million last year. More are expected to arrive when the Integrated Resorts open in 2009.

How can we get them to come back if all we have to offer are outdated attractions, an apathetic attitude and sloppy service?

I don't think Dan was an especially fussy tourist. In fact, he hardly complained. But, I suspect it'll be a long time before he returns to Singapore. By the end of his visit, I was practically pushing him on board the plane to avoid any more embarrassing incidents.

My hope was that Singapore's last bastions of service, Changi Airport and the Singapore Girl, would not let us down in the final leg of his journey. Hopefully, there was someone like Val among the Singapore Girls to change his impression of this island.

Tabitha Wang is taking time off her busy tai-tai schedule to scope out Singapore's other attractions before she dares to recommend them to visiting friends next time.

Today Online 19 Mar 07
Nothing to see? Look again
Singapore has more attractions than some visitors realise
Letter from Yeo Siok Peng

Budget Tai Tai's "Sweet Sour S'pore" (March 16) is an amusing but sad tale. Her well-travelled friend, Dan, missed the warmth and courtesy of the "four million smiles" campaign by a few months. Singapore, let's bring our smiles back!

I am sorry that Dan has also missed quite a lot of Singapore's sights: Monuments, historic sites, parks, and museums — big or small, serious or quirky — to cater to every interest.

For the visitor interested in the Pacific War — besides the Changi Museum, Battle Box, and Memories at Old Ford Factory — there are Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Kranji War Memorial, Civilian War Memorial, historic trails of battle sites, Fort Siloso and so on.

The newly-opened National Museum of Singapore also covers the Pacific War. What's more, it provides a good introduction to Singapore with its broad historical sweep. The museum building itself is worth visiting. The 120-year-old national monument has been lovingly restored and is one of the most magnificent buildings in Singapore.

Another great place to get an overall introduction to Singapore is the City Gallery in the URA Building. I highly recommend the Chinatown Heritage Centre at Pagoda Street, with its true-to-life dioramas and recreations of the hardships suffered by early Chinese immigrants.

There are also museums of toys (Museum of Shanghai Toys), technology (NEWater Visitor Centre), visual art (Singapore Art Museum, Art Retreat, Singapore-Tyler Print Institute) and so on.

And we must not forget the marvellous Asian Civilisations Museum, which is now showing "Mystery Man: Finds from China's Lost Age", an amazing exhibition of artefacts from Sanxingdui, Chengdu.

For those who love nature, Singapore is not a "City in a Garden" without reason. She has wonderful great outdoor spaces: Sungei Buloh Nature Park, Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin, to name the obvious ones.

For the traveller who loves historic places and architecture, there are many planned trails that he or she can take on foot. I recommend the Chinatown Trails and the Civic District Trails. Along the way, there are national monuments — such as the Thian Hock Keng Temple — to visit and admire.

Finally, we should be proud to show off our unique hawker centres and the way Singaporeans feast and celebrate.

Singapore is small, but there are many interesting nooks and corners. I look forward to Budget Tai Tai's article after she has scoped out Singapore's other attractions.

The writer is the former CEO of the National Heritage Board.
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