Nosing Around a Singapore Scent Trail

This article sees Singapore from the perspective view of a foreigner who just stepped into Singapore. If tourists follow the Singapore tourist guides and website, they will be able to tour Singapore with ease and learn about the usual places of interests such as Sentosa and Orchard Road. However, these places certainly do not present the whole picture and real cultures of Singapore. “Nosing Around” brings us to explore Singapore by physically touring Changi, Orchard Road, Tekka Market, Geylang and Esplanade.
Why do everything comment that Singapore is a fake greenery country, with no cultures left of this society. Standing in the perceptive of a tourist, I will analyse Singapore by nosing around. Even when I first started at Changi, I can see why Singapore has fake greenery. Orchid, being our national flower really resembles our country well. However, it is not in a good way. Do you ever realize that Singapore orchid planted around Changi airport are scentless and fake. The orchid flower is planted and manicured in charcoal in order to prevent its colour. However, in Singapore’s attempts to bring out the best colour beauty to the tourists, it sacrifices on its real nature and characteristics. Similarly, Singapore has also manicured its environment and urban development so much like it manicured the orchid growth such that critics comment that Singapore is uninteresting with no cultures to explore. Is a scentless orchid still considered a beautiful flower? Is a culture-less country still considered a interesting and successful country? I wouldn’t say an absolute yes.
The tourist’s first attraction is in Orchard Road. Reaching Orchard Road by MRT, I can take the passageways south towards Wisma Atria, and the huge Ngee Ann City mall, or east towards Tangs and Isetan without ever needing to expose myself to the open air. There is no nature to be seen in the urban development of Orchard Road, only through the packed underground tunnels which seem to leave minimal private space for each individual. We are well-directed by the spaces created by the structure design of Orchard Road. That determines our shopping direction (either to Wisma or Wheelock)and what we are viewing. For example, unknowingly we have looked at the wall posters along the tunnel. However, Singapore is also very successful in looking after its population, did so much as in even able to manicure our environment such as Singapore River, toilets and public housing.
Tekka Market serves to be one important place to really learn about Singapore. Here, it is an intensively smelly wet market where fresh pork, chicken, fish and vegetables are sold here and the floor is accumulated with wet dirty water. Unlike the supermarket concept of clean, hygiene shopping environment, tekka market illustrates the true weather condition and environment of Singapore, where it is actually humid and hot when away from air-conditioner. Over here, we are finally away from the manicured direction and city that the government keeps creating for the tourists. Tekka Market is one place where tourist will never see it in the tourist guide, as this is not a place government will hope to create a first impression. Only those who stay long enough in Singapore are able to see the real culture and Singapore’s personality here. In this market, there are a lot of cross-cultural bargaining, commerce and exchange of fresh food products which alike the trading period during the Raffles colony. Here, even our multi-racial society, bargaining of selling takes place with our fingers, faces and a mixture of Singlish and Malay.
Geylang, as known to tourist is popularly known for its local delicacies and red-light district. The geylang structure is like the previous duplication olden time shophouses, brothels, food and durians. However, Geylang is also a place that shows the history tracks of early immigrants. Over there are Buddhist institutes, lion dance headquarters and clan associations. Many do not know that Geylang was once a performing ground for Geylang stadium, Gay world amusement park and Chinese Wayang. With government manicured smells and geylang is now distinguished as a well-known red-light district for food, prostitution and clans. The ‘clean and artisitc’ performance theatre ground has to shift elsewhere away from the stinky regular Singapore smell to the manicured, coordinated clean smell. We can’t deny that Singapore government is really manipulative in what we smell, such as air-conditioner in mall, the scentless orchid smell, supermarket fresh smell and non-smoking and no durian smell on the public transport.
Esplanade, our Singapore art house has no smell at all. The truth behind a real art performing centre is that they reveal cultures and accept artistic way of nature. Even the messiest area can be seen as the most beautiful landscape. However our esplanade ‘Durian’ is a manicured building with manicured artistic atmosphere.