Blurbs from Singapore – Day 4

It takes only 30 minutes to drive from my childhood home in Changi on the east coast, to the west coast district of Jurong. En route, along the scenic East Coast Parkway and Ayer Rajah Expressway that traverse the southern part of the island, we see signs of the nation’s ongoing march towards growth, progress, and in this economic climate, job creation:

• The Singapore Flyer, a 165-meter (541-foot) ferris wheel observation deck equivalent to the London Eye;
• The Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort, comprised of three sleek 50-storey hotel towers capped with a 2-acre "sky garden", and a domed casino, slated to open their doors by late 2010;
• The Esplanade (or “Durian” as it’s affectionately called by locals because of its spikey resemblance to a favorite fruit), a performance arts venue with concert halls, theaters, and outdoor stages; and
• The Marina Barrage, the country’s largest reservoir where picnickers and kite-flyers blanket the museum’s garden roof.

This is certainly a different Singapore from the one I left 26 years ago. But even though I'd probably be lost around here without a map, a part of me will always find this place familiar and call it home.