Three Days in Singapore

On the six-hour train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, I enjoyed seeing thousands of hectacres of palm-oil plantations and the wall of wooded mountains that winds down the center of the peninsula as we chugged along. What the journey lacked in luxury it made up for with low price: 136 ringgit ($36) round-trip, first class. Just after the train enters Singapore, everyone must get off and go through customs, get a passport stamp, and wait until uniformed officers take the drug-sniffing dog through every car on the train.

A longtime player in Malayan history, Singapore spent two years as part of the new nation of Malaysia before the two separated in 1965. Look on a map and you'll see the island perched at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, separated by the Strait of Johor, spanned by a relatively short causeway. More than 4 million people live there. More than 75 percent of them are ethnic Chinese.

People have used assorted terms to describe the separation, ranging from "expulsion" and "traumatic ejection" to the milder "withdrawal" and "peaceful secession." The choice of words seems to depend more than a little on whether you are Singaporean. The disagreement apparently centered on Malaysia's selection of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language and the continued protection of the traditional position of the Malay royals.

In any case, no shots were fired when Singapore left Malaysia. That has to be a sign of progress.

This passage from John Leyden's Malay Annals (an 1821 English translation of the Sejarah Melayu, the ancient chronicles of the Malays), is typical in its reference to Singapore as a battleground:

"The bitara [of Majapahit, Java] immediately fitted out 300 junks, together with the vessels calulus pelang, and jong kong, in numbers beyond calculation, and embarked on board of them two cati (200,000) of Javans. Then having set sail, they arrived at Singhapura, and immediately engaged in battle. ... The next morning, at daybreak, Sang Rajuna Tapa opened the gates of the fortress, and Java entered into the town, and commenced an amok or indiscriminate carnage, and the people were slaughtered on all sides, and blood flowed like an inundation; and this is the blood that still marks the plain of Singhapura. At last, however, Singhapura was subdued, and Raja Secander [Iskander] Shah, saving himself by flight, reached Moar. By the power of God Almighty, the house of Sang Rajuna Tapa faded, and its pillars were overturned, and rice ceased to be planted in the land, and Sang Rajuna Tapa, both husband and wife, was [sic] changed into stone, and those are the stones which appear beside the moat of Singhapura. After the conquest of Singhapura, the people of Java returned to Majapahit."

This terrible battle ensued because Sang Rajuna Tapa, the bandahari (treasurer or bursar) to Raja Secander Shah, of Singhapura, had been outraged when the raja executed the bandahari's beautiful daughter by impaling her in public. The report makes very clear that Sang Rajuna Tapa's anger arose more from the method of execution, as he apparently did not question the right of the raja to execute people. But because he had been shamed and disgraced by the manner in which his daughter was executed, the bandahari sent a letter to the bitara of Majapahit and invited him to attack Singhapura. The bandahari aided the invaders by failing to supply rice to the defending army, as well as by opening the fortress gates. The invaders took Singhapura, but the betrayer, the treasonous bandahari Sang Rajuna Tapa, was turned to stone.

You're probably wondering why the raja executed the bandahari's daughter. (Do you like the way I tell the story backwards?) Well, the raja apparently adored her. This made the rest of his mistresses (who knows how many?) very jealous. So they "accused her of infidelity." Furious, the raja ordered her public impalement.

The Sejarah Melayu contains many stories like this. They remind me of Bible stories. There are even a lot of "begats," so you know the full genealogy of each raja or sultan. In addition to the tales of Singhapura and Majapahit, there's quite a lot about Malaca, of course, and Samadra (Sumatra). Raja Secander Shah went on from Moar to found Malaca.

Singapore reminded me of Toronto. I like Toronto. It's not a bad place. The food is good, the population diverse, the buildings tall, the subway clean and reliable. But as for personality, energy, allure -- you need to go to another city. My Lonely Planet guidebook says Singapore is "enjoyable." That's true.

The prime target of my visit to Singapore was the zoo. This is a bit comical because Malaysians have been known to complain that Singapore's zoo wins international accolades while the Zoo Negara in Malaysia does not get equal attention. (I have not yet visited Malaysia's zoo.) On the other hand, Singaporeans have been known to complain that their country has won more global renown for its zoo than for other achievements. I have to say, I really liked the zoo.

In spite of the stunning heat (even at 8:30 a.m., zoo opening time), the Singapore Zoo was absolutely great. It's a modern zoological park, hardly a fence or cage to be seen, and a pleasure to walk in, with beautiful paths surrounded by lush shrubbery. My favorites: Baby rhino, nursing; white tiger, wading in the moat; baboon family, eating. The Hamadryas Baboons / Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia exhibit in itself made my visit completely worthwhile; I'd never seen such a large group of baboons before. I'm fond of the baboon, sacred animal of the Egyptian god Thoth, god of writing. (Maybe I spent too much time in the Egypt wing of great museums?)

Speaking of museums, I didn't visit any in Singapore. Guess I'll have to go back!

I did go to several temples -- one Buddhist, one Chinese, one Hindu. I walked around Chinatown and appreciated the old shophouses (we have plenty of those in Malaysia too). I strolled (jalan jalan) on Orchard Road, the famed shopping street of Singapore: pedestrian crowds like Manhattan sidewalks in the morning rush hour. Multi-story malls crammed with all the best Western brand-name shops for fashion. Why do people go there? Nothing is cheap. I went to Sim Lim, a well-known alleged haven for electronics bargains. I couldn't find any. Prices are better in Malaysia.

Of course, I ate. Singapore is lauded as a foodie capital. I avoided the foods most common in Malaysia and went for everything Chinese -- chicken rice, char siew, dim sum. Okay, okay -- chicken rice is common in Malaysia, but it's different here (covered in chili sauce).

On the train back to Malaysia on Sunday (April 24), I read this in a Sunday Times op-ed column by Leong Ching:

"There was once a young man who knew how to fish. He did not worry about the future because the seas were fertile, his needs simple and his family rich. They owned oil wells, tin mines and land with rubber and fruit trees.

"One day, his elder brother, who ran most of the family business, decided to kick him out. He gave him 1,000 silver coins and a long hose, from which the young man would be supplied with water.

"'Now, if you disobey me, I will turn the tap off,' said the brother."

If it's not clear to you, the young man is Singapore, and his elder brother is Malaysia. Leong goes on to say that younger brother has done quite well for himself, even learning how to desalinate seawater so he needs not rely on that hateful "hose."

True enough. And hey -- the public toilets are very clean. (If you've been to Malaysia, you'll know why I mentioned that.) But I think I'd choose Kuala Lumpur over Singapore for just about any purpose, except visiting the zoo.