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We were very tired when we arrived to Singapore. We got there at 6am but could only get to our hotel room at noon. We had to walk around the city in order to kill time and, after a 40-hour trip, wandering around town falling asleep on our feet wasn’t a very good option.
I went by myself to Singapore, but I wrote “we arrived” because I met Rachel Zuanon at South Africa’s airport and we became fast friends. At the same airport, she introduced me to Yara Guasque. So, “we” means Rachel, Yara and me.
The reason for this journey (as for Scandinavia in 2004) was an Electronic Arts Congress, ISEA 2008 and I took that as an excuse to visit the region. After all, it’s not every day you have the opportunity to travel to the other side of the world.
At first, the city seemed strange to me. That wasn’t the Asia that I knew! It didn’t look one bit like Indonesia, Philippines or Thailand. Architecture is hard, rigid, almost like a representation of its government. Some buildings, though, are pretty interesting: Lasalle, an art school, the Esplanade and the Supreme Court of Singapore.
The city’s Botanic Garden is worth a visit. Very organized, big, clean, beautiful… and after days locked up in conference rooms there was nothing better than strolling though the green, a strong tropical green. I love the smell of the forest.
Everything is highly organized and full of regulations around here. It remains me of one of these German cities destroyed in WWII that were rebuilt from scratch… It took time to get used to it, but at the end of my trip I quite liked the city.
Soccer: Brazil x Singapore
The very first day we were told (by Isabel, a Brazilian who lives in Singapore and teaches art and technology at several universities there) that there would be a friendly match between Brazil and Singapore’s National Teams. Well, we ended up buying tickets. Unfortunately we couldn’t sit next to each other since they were bought in different days.
The funniest thing of the game was to see Singaporeans supporting Brazil, some dressed in green and yellow. Even the cab driver that took us to the stadium told us that Brazil would win for sure and he wouldn’t waste his time rooting for Singapore.
[Translated by Òscar Buenafuente]
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