Singapore Swingers

No, I'm not referring to myself or Louise in that title!

The swingers I am referring to come in various forms, some animal, some human, but all overly energetic and extremely amusing to watch. Read on to learn more.

The week between Christmas and New Year has been spent on metro systems, hopping between the sights of the concrete (or rather steel and glass) jungles of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The buildings are out-of-this-world - the architectural achievements of mankind seem most obvious here in the Petronas Twin Towers of Kl and the Marina Bay centre in Singapore that looks exactly how I imagine a space station to look.

The fantastic mix of cultures is evident as you turn the corner from Chinatown into Little India or as you peruse the food court counters to find a delicious treat from practically anywhere in the world. In Kuala Lumpur we found the best curry in the world which arrived seconds after it was ordered and came with a side of friendly banter from the restaurant owner. Here, in Singapore we have treated ourselves in the luxurious malls with Sushi, cream puffs and a little retail therapy as well as finding a tasty and ridiculously cheap chicken 'n' rice kitchen with down-the-road ques day and night - the locals certainly like it and having eaten there three times now it would definitely go in my Rough Guide.

But it's the people that make both of these cities such exciting places to be. I saw in the new year on the riverside with a lovely Indian family and then celebrated it with my first example of Singapore Swingers - the highly enthusiastic dancing crowd at the rave that followed a Madonna tribute concert. A group of Indian guys started a dance-off with some pretty impressive moves that involved flailing arms and disturbing pelvic movements. Cultural dances were exchanged as Louise and I taught some Asian hip-hop fans some old school routines and they attempted to teach me some 'popping'. Our last day in Asia was spent watching some more 'swingers' - at the Singapore Zoo. The tigers, giraffes, hippos etc. were good to see but the most interesting were the collection of primates - especially the huge crowd of Baboons jumping up and down as they were thrown bananas which were then fought over.

Now in Oz - back to the real world of cleaning toilets and serving food to earn my keep, but more about that later. I'm sad to have left Asia - no more bargains :( but I am looking forward to the adventures to come.

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