While Singapore merrily hums along, however, there are changes taking place. The most highly reported (outside of Singapore, of course) is the loosening of restrictions on racy entertainment. This means that, in the past couple of years, the efficient city-state has begun to allow bar-top dancing and (gasp!) actual girly bars to do business. And only eight years after Coyote Ugly! Not only that, the government is planning to open several casinos in the coming year. Gambling in Singapore! But don’t worry, the Lion State is not about to become Vegas: what happens in Singapore still stays in Singapore.
Part of the shift has to do with the relatively liberal leadership of Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son Lee Hsien Loong, who believes that if Singapore fails to offer attractions like gambling, other Asian countries will be happy to lap up the business instead. Another cultural shift is this: Singapore needs foreigners. Part of the reason is its slowing birth rate, the same situation facing Japan. The other part is that foreigners provide vitality to a place like Singapore. With a population that is 77-percent ethnic Chinese, it’s hard to think of Singapore as a melting pot. But young designers, architects and professionals bring new life to the country, and no less than the prime minister is calling for more outsiders to take up residence there.
With all this going on, maybe it’s wrong to say that there is no news in Singapore. It just tends to be more of the happy variety.
For those who think there’s little to attract tourists but the standby Sentosa and Night Safari trips, my recent trip to Singapore showed me more, thanks to our helpful guide, Toon Hee, who offered a brief history of the place (which you’ve already heard) and some off-the-path sightseeing.
Singapore is only 42 kilometers wide, so seeing the city doesn’t take all day. One unique method of touring downtown is the Singapore Duck Tour, an "amphibious adventure on a Vietnam War craft" that gives you "60 minutes of land and sea exploration" starting at Suntec Center, covering the city’s historical points and then – plop – into Marina Bay for a boat ride that ends at the Merlion statue.
Another fun sightseeing alternative is the DHL tethered balloon, which rises up some 300 meters above downtown, offering an excellent panoramic view of Clarke Quay and surrounding shopping centers in a 10-minute ride. You ascend quickly, safely held inside a wire-mesh cage, allowing picturesque views of downtown and the harbor. The balloon shifts back and forth on its tether, not unlike being inside a large kite floating above the city.
Of course, for music, Singapore has the fortune of being able to draw big-name acts, as well as surprising alternative bands. Coldplay were there last July, while Scottish noise merchants Mogwai played the Esplanade Theatre early August, and death metal band Slayer is slated to appear soon. And of course, the annual WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) just concluded, drawing a dozen or so ethnic international bands to Fort Canning Park.
One of the most interesting imports in Singapore is the recently opened Crazy Horse, the first branch of the famous Paris-based "adult entertainment" club to open in Asia. Located at Clarke Quay, Crazy Horse Paris brings an authentic slice of Moulin Rouge entertainment to downtown Singapore. The show, developed in Paris, is striking in its design and lighting – and the girls are spectacular. Crazy Horse sales rep Iris Chai toured us around the club, with its swanky function rooms and bars complete with round beds (paging Mr. Hefner!). There’s a certain innocence to this show, with its ’60s lighting and cabaret songs from a bygone era. Part of the uniqueness of the show is the play of multicolored lights, lasers and patterns across the female form – a little like body painting, in constant motion. The appearance of bare-breasted ladies may be something new to Singapore culture, but it could have some trouble competing with the more frenetic nightspots – like Ministry of Sound and 10-year-old Zouk – for young people’s money. Still, it’s the kind of place that’s comforting, in a way: mildly erotic, without being pornographic, it features the kind of acrobatic coupling you might see at Cirque du Soleil, combined with more naked flesh. It’s also playful, in a retro-Singapore kind of way, with the opening number (a line of lovely ladies wearing only thongs and Buckingham Palace tall hats, snapping to attention as a British voice barks out orders) harking back to colonial days. Another highlight was the Salvador Dali red-lip couch, over which one of the ladies slithered and slipped seductively. At 85 Singapore dollars a head (with one free drink), it’s a retro kitsch feast for some, a touch of erotic "art" for others, though our Filipino guests found it "bitin," and hoped for more, um, closure to the act.
Nearby Crazy Horse is Ministry of Sound, down an alleyway lit by spotlights. Opening less than a year ago, it does well with the young crowd, with its five separate rooms (shown to us by front-office assistant manager Jasmine Lee) covering hip-hop, techno, chill-out, disco, and urban music. The place was thick with people on a Saturday night, and we quickly downed a couple Flaming Lamborghinis before checking out the action. We learned a private room (which basically entitles you to a private room with your choice of piped-in music) could be had for S$1,500 a night (about P50,400), which goes to show Singaporeans have lots of money to burn. Still, it’s a happening place.
Clarke Quay is more alive than ever, too, with a mixture of high-end shops added to its resto walk. The bungee jump tower may be inactive (shut down by the government after its rubber band snapped during a trial run) but the baywalk is clean and busy at night.
You think of Singapore sometimes as being like Westworld: you know, a perfectly controlled, engineered environment where nothing can go wrong… go wrong… go wrong. But sometimes, stuff happens. Like the time Indonesian President B.J. Habibie rudely referred to Singapore as a "little red dot on the map." Well, Singapore took that insult as a challenge, and turned its former Traffic Department building (which was presumably no longer needed because Singapore has little traffic) into the Red Dot Museum to showcase local design, arts and crafts. Located in the city’s large heritage district, otherwise known as Chinatown, the Red Dot also offers an outlet for artists to sell their work to the public on MAAD Sunday, or the Market for Artists and Designers. Strolling around Chinatown, you’re struck by the quaint beauty of the preserved pre- and post-war buildings, defunct government offices turned into attractive public centers. Under construction soon across from our charming hotel, The Scarlet, is a S$200-million Buddhist temple that will be built primarily to house… the Buddha’s tooth. That’s how much money the Chinese Buddhists have here. (Must have been his wisdom tooth, we cracked.)
What is it about Singaporeans and country music? This question puzzled me the longer I was there. First, our guide, Toon Hee, mentioned that he was a John Denver fan, and that he had stood behind the bespectacled singer in an immigration line after a flight to Kuala Lumpur. He resisted the urge to ask Mr. Rocky Mountain High for an autograph or a photo, as most Filipinos would have done, and only days later the singer perished in a plane crash. I wondered if Toon Hee had ever seen Final Destination, with its in-jokes about Denver’s tragic end.
Secondly, as I walked around the music stores, I noticed they all seemed to stock "John Denver’s Greatest Hits." This Singaporean preoccupation with Denver was beginning to concern me. Another time, over lunch in a food court with Toon Hee and others, I heard country music wafting from the speakers. "All right, Toon Hee," I demanded. "What is it with Singaporeans and country music?" He paused before answering: "I think it’s because of the popularity of line dancing." Singaporeans (still) line dance? I was impressed. Why did they like it? "Well, the pace is slow… and the melodies are very good… and it’s easy to count to!" So there you had it: nude cabaret, amphibious city tours and line dancing. I would never be able to consider Singaporeans fun-challenged ever again.