Singapore Part I: Attractions

SINGAPORE -- The most important thing you need to know about Singapore is that I saw monkeys.

Not in a zoo, not behind glass, just hanging out in the middle of the road. Parts of Singapore, it turns out, have monkeys the way that Chicago has squirrels, taking up residence by the reservoir, effortlessly traipsing across barbed wire fences and sneaking into the prime housing in that area to steal fruit.

My tour guide seemed to think I was slightly cracked as I kept gasping every time I saw one, and finally she explained that they’re somewhat of a nuisance. I guess I can no longer make fun of warm-weather folks who come to Chicago and gush about how beautiful a road-gray, eight-foot-high snowbank is.

Unfortunately, that was about the only wildlife I saw here, where I spent a week for work in early August. But I’m told that it is out there. Singapore is, after all, a country/state/city built in a rain forest, and it supports a jungle ecology.

Locals told me that the main attraction is the midnight safari, a open-air wildlife walk that begins each night after sundown. No cages, no fences; it’s you and the animals, in the dark. Apparently a good time is had by all and nothing bad ever happens, but I didn’t get to find out. The one free night I had to check out the safari was rainy, and even if I was adventurous enough to risk getting caught in a monsoon I figured the animals weren’t.

The next day was my last one in Singapore, so I went to a nature preserve in a last-ditch attempt to see some jungle animals. Because I don’t think like a jungle person, I made the rookie mistake of going in the middle of the day, which is also the hottest part and therefore the part in which the animals are all sleeping. No more monkeys for Kevin!

The attraction that’s impossible to miss is the Singapore Flyer, a 540-foot-tall Ferris wheel. Singapore would like the Flyer, which opened this year, to be its signature landmark. It’s too early to tell if the rest of the world will adopt it, but Singapore seems pretty proud: Two out of two native S’poreans casually mentioned, within one minute of me saying “Singapore Flyer,” that it’s taller than London’s Flyer.

The distinction is important because people who actually follow these things would tell you neither ride is truly a Ferris wheel, but rather an “observation wheel”. They have an argument. Although the ride is a big wheel with carriages that circulate to the top and back, there are some key differences. But on the Flyer, the bus-sized, glass-enclosed carriages are fixed -- rather than free-swinging -- and occupants are treated to a safe, smooth trip. And some outstanding photo opportunities.

Singapore also has an outdoor theater in which the stage floats on the bay; a cleverly laid one Formula One racetrack; and a casino in the building stage. Still, all of these things are only worth seeing if you’re already here; nothing seemed to be worth traveling 10,000 miles for in and of itself. It’s all very nice, but the bottom line on Singapore is that you’ll have a great time if you have some other reason to go.