* * * * *
I stood on the 14th floor of the 18-storied Sea View Hotel, at 26 Amber Close. Originally the hotel began as a seaside bungalow, in 1906, at the village of Tanjon Katong, Singapore. With the decades that followed it grew to a respectable hotel, earning the title of: “The Jewel of Katong.” In the 1960s it was eventually torn down and rebuilt into its current state; opening for business in 1969. This was when they built hotels on the island with ginormous rooms, balconies, and Olympic-sized pools in outdoor, magnificent gardens. Much unlike modern hotels built on the island, in the 1980s, with cramped, cracker box-sized rooms, bearing tiny balconies and wading pools in minuscule gardens.
And speaking of islands, it appears I’ve exchange one island for another
island. The Island of Singapore is
located at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula, approximately 610 air
miles southeast of Phuket. Singapore in
reality is a city-state that fills an island running 31 miles from east to
west, and 16 miles from north to south; similar in size to Phuket. Its government here runs a tight ship. Resulting in no trash or electric wires
allowed on its immaculate streets, and the population is rigidly kept clean and
in order. Plus, doing business here is streamlined
and painless.
The modern history of
Singapore commenced in 1819, when Englishman Sir Stamford Raffles established a British port on the island. Under British colonial
rule, due to its strategic
location, Singapore grew in importance as a center for both the India-China trade, and the entrepôt trade (merchandise being imported and exported without paying
duty). Rapidly becoming a major port
city in Southeast Asia.
During World War II, Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1942 to 1945. When the war ended, Singapore reverted to
British control, with increasing levels of self-government being granted, culminating in Singapore's merger with the Federation of Malaya, to form Malaysia, in 1963. Nevertheless, social unrest and disputes
between Singapore's ruling People's Action Party and Malaysia's Alliance Party resulted in Singapore's separation from Malaysia. On 9th August 1965, Singapore became an
independent republic.
From my 14th-floor balcony I
have an unrestricted view of the Singapore Strait with the green hills of Batam
Island –belonging to Indonesia – lying at the horizon on the far side. This strait is the shipping shortcut from the
Pacific and Asia to India, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. At present I spot a massive tanker crawling
westbound; while an equally gigantic container ship slides silently in the
opposite direction eastbound. Such is
the “traffic” off my front porch.
Off to my right is an
area of anchorage for all manner of large vessels. In the future, I’ll even observe U.S. Navy
aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines anchoring here periodically. At night, when all these vessels turn on
their lights, it appears as if a totally new city has abruptly sprung up on the
water.
Looking straight down, I admire the hotel’s inviting, private garden and Olympic-sized pool 14 floors below.
The garden is lined with
fully grown coconut palms on an immaculate lawn. For exercise, I do pushups and sit-ups,
afterward jogging on a quiet Katong side street, winding up at the garden’s
outdoor shower. After rinsing off, I swim
laps in the pool – this keeps me fit for passing my regular airline medical
checkups.
Have to keep my Medical Certificate current, dear reader, otherwise my Airmen
Certificates are no good and I’m grounded.
Generally I have the
garden and pool all to myself. Asians
come to Singapore to “shop until they drop”; they have little use for the hotel’s
garden or pool.
Something just occurred to me, dear reader. In the five years I lived at this hotel, not
once did I see a gardener or pool man, or hear a lawnmower. Yet both the garden and pool were always
immaculate. How did the Singaporeans
pull that off? Another Southeast Asian
mystery.
Beyond the garden’s
twelve-foot wall runs Marine Parade Road.
From my vantage point, I can appreciate where it starts at the traffic
circle off to my right, and then runs eastbound, along the south side of my
hotel, to the pedestrian bridge crossing it off to my extreme left. This bridge leads to a monumental shopping
facility called “Parkway Parade” - where all manner of shops, restaurants and
food courts reside.
From personal observation, dear reader, Singaporeans would rather eat,
then have sex or make money. That’s why
the chow produced by these plentiful eateries - on this crowded, compact island
- is flat out amazing! I’m getting
hungry merely thinking about the variety.
And speaking of
shopping, as one exits my hotel, to the left of its entrance on Amber Close
stands a Cold Storage Supermarket – containing all the items one would find in
a Ralph’s or Safeway back in the States – and is the source of my fine
California wine. On Cold Storage’s
second floor there’s an Ikea – where I purchased a king-sized bed and other
articles of furniture to be delivered to housekeeping at my hotel. In turn, housekeeping removed all the old
stuff that the new stuff was replacing.
My huge room is in the shape of an “S” – allowing me to set up an
office, bedroom, beverage side bar with fridge, plus dressing room adjoining
the bathroom entrance - the bathroom also being quite spacious. Additionally, I’ve two TVs and VCRs mounted
on another side bar off the foot of my bed, also containing my extensive video
library; all the comforts of home. This
is no longer a hotel room it’s an apartment.
Scanning towards the
east end of the island, to the left of my balcony, I spy a Singapore Airlines
B-747 four miles away. Its brilliant
landing lights resemble stars, in the evening’s dusk, as it silently descends on
final approach to Runway Two Right (020°/200° magnetic, NE/SW) at Changi
Airport.
* *
* * *
Comments
Post a Comment