| A
Traveller's Tropical Treat
Nineteenth-century writer Emily
Innes once wrote in The Chersonese with the Gilding
Off, “In the tropics, the fruits have no
taste, the flowers have no scent, and the birds
no song.” If Innes were to visit Singapore
a century later, she would have been pleasantly
surprised to discover a completely different tropical
Singapore. The collection of photographs from
1980-1990s deposited by the Singapore Tourist
Promotion Board shows a Singapore that could not
be more different from the colourless region that
Innes described.
The
typical tourist arriving at an efficiently-managed
Changi Airport embarks on fun-filled, exciting
and exuberant days in Singapore. He can see the
Merlion at the Esplanade, play golf on Sentosa,
catch annual sporting events like dragon
boat races and learn more about multi-racial Singapore
from visits to Chinatown, Little India and Kampong
Glam. When hunger pangs hit, there is good food
everywhere, at all hours of the day, and in all
price ranges.
To
experience the sights that greeted a tourist
in late 20th century Singapore see visual treats
below. There are over 5,000 pictures of Singapore
in the 1980s and 1990s, illustrating the tropical
and colourful experience of a typical tourist’s
stay.
|
