Singapore | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Fascinating Japanese Water Writer

Published August 31, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

When I was in Singapore last year, I saw the world’s largest fountain. Several times a day the shopping center in which the fountain was located would host a laser light show, featuring a variety of images that were projected onto a curtain of falling water. The Japanese fountain in the video below bests the Singaporean version. It uses water to actually create the images. I can only marvel at the technology and precision that must have been required to create this display. The Japanese company that manufactured the fountain calls it a “Space Writer.” I call it a water writer. Take a look:

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tagged fountains, Japan, Singapore, Travel, videos |

3 Comments

How To Cross A Street

Published January 10, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

It seems a simple thing, crossing a street. But my idea of how to get across a busy street in the U.S., whether on foot or in a vehicle, is significantly different from methods employed to cross streets in other places in the world. For example, take a look at this video showing a busy street in India:

Above YouTube video courtesy of SteveInSpain35

As I traveled around the world I was intrigued by the various means employed to cross a street. On my very first morning in Saigon, Vietnam I spotted a bakery across the street from my hotel. I stood at the curb for 15 minutes, waiting for a break in the monstrous traffic but the vehicles just kept coming. Just as I was about to give up, a local man stepped off the curb, walked out into the midst of the traffic, and slowly crossed the street as the vehicles weaved and darted around him. Eventually, I got up the nerve to try it and stepped out into the stream of traffic. Continue reading →

Posted in Travel tips |

Tagged Africa, cross a street, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, traffic, Travel, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe |

4 Comments

Singapore Photo Library

Published June 28, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

Hi Everybody! I’ve uploaded all my Singapore photos to the photo library, which includes all the shots from the Singapore blogs, as well as many shots that were not included in the blog. To view them just click on the button labeled “Photo Library” on the upper right-hand side under the green menu bar and then on the link for Singapore. I’ll be back once I get to Africa!!!!

Posted in SE Asia travel |

Tagged Around The World, photos, Singapore, Travel |

Three Words For Singapore

Published June 28, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

Safe: Singapore may be the safest city in the world

Clean: Clean drinking water, clean river, clean streets

Orderly: There are lots of laws and regulations here, but they do not seem too onerous. The people are happy and everyone just seems to do what is “right.” For example, at a bus stop yesterday, I watched people automatically queue in an orderly line along the sidewalk, without benefit of stanchion and chains. There is no pushing or rudeness; only polite orderliness.

Posted in SE Asia travel |

Tagged Around The World, Singapore, Three Words, Travel |

2 Comments

Something Smelly In Singapore

Published June 27, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

I finally found a part of Singapore that is not perfect. The direct path from the city center to Singapore’s Chinatown took me through the Chinese food sector. Here, although the streets were still litter free, the odor emanating from the markets and restaurants was a mixture of soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and rotting meat. The smell was so rancid I nearly lost the contents of my stomach a couple of times. All Chinese markets have this smell in common and they have never before bothered me in quite this way. But ever since I unexpectedly found myself in a Chinese meat market in Vietnam, where rotting pigs heads sat on outdoor counter tops aside putrefying rows of stuffed sausages, I find I cannot tolerate the odor of rotting meat. I held my breath and passed through the area as quickly as possible, grateful not to have embarrassed myself by throwing up all over the sidewalk amidst the throngs of shoppers.

Singapore’s Chinatown

The heart of Chinatown is a long pedestrian mall that is accessed from an overpass leading from one of the city’s busier avenues. A brightly painted latticework canopy, supported by tall wooden beams, provides shade in the sizzling Singapore midday heat. Red and gold Chinese paper lanterns zig-zag overhead, while red, green and gold patio umbrellas line the sidewalks. Continue reading →

Posted in SE Asia travel |

Tagged Around The World, Chinatown, Free Spirit, photos, Singapore, Tanjong Pagar, Temple of the Buddha Tooth Relic, Travel |

Under The Spell Of Singapore

Published June 26, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

I am enchanted. I am captivated. From the moment I arrived this city/state it felt like home – it was instantly familiar to me. No matter where I wander I seem to instinctively know where I am without having to look at a map. Alone I have walked its streets until midnight, carrying expensive photo equipment on my back without feeling the slightest apprehension. Singapore is one of those places where people come for a visit and stay forever. It is not hard to understand why:

Singapore is safe. There is virtually no crime because it is a small island state – criminals cannot easily escape. Plus, the penalties for crime are steep. They regularly carry out the death penalty for drug trafficking. Yet I haven’t see any police presence during my stay.
English is the first language in Singapore
Singapore is multi-cultural and diverse
The cost of living is reasonable and the quality of life is high
Singapore is modern, with all the same conveniences found in the United States
The sewers and toilets work and the city does not smell like most Asian cities
It tap water is safe to drink
The people of Singapore are exceedingly friendly and welcoming
The weather is warm year-round, without excessive heat most of the year
The residency and migration requirements are lenient
It is a highly moral and ethical society – everywhere there are signs that the population wants to do what is correct and right. There is no litter or graffiti in Singapore. There are no homeless. No houses of ill repute to which the government turns a blind eye. Even the schoolchildren, when interviewed on TV, are explaining how it is wrong to “bully” on the Internet.

With only one more day in Singapore I tried to cram as much into today as possible, beginning with a visit to the famous Sultan Mosque on Arab Street where, much to my surprise, I was permitted to go inside. Most mosques are off-limit to non-Muslims, but this one allows visitors to view the main worship hall from the entryway and corridor surrounding it.