I only went to Singapore one time, but it was memorable. In 1973 Singapore was a beautiful, clean, modern city of skyscrapers mixed in with the surrounding jungle (which seemed to be waiting its turn to retake the land back from man) and Singapore had a very diverse population that was still living like it was 1950. It may have been the religion, or just a more reserved society, I don’t know, but I liked it very much. Singapore is close to the transition from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
The docking facilities in the harbor weren’t suited for a ship the size of the Enterprise, so we anchored out in the harbor and used boats or ferries to go ashore and back. We only anchored out in Hong Kong and Singapore; the other Asian ports we went to had deep water docking facilities. I liked being out in the harbor because at anchor there was a different view every morning when I went out on the flight deck. The ship would twist around on the anchor changing the scenery. Being on deck in the early morning was nice and quiet. The big city below deck was still sleeping off massive hangovers. The heat was tremendous, but the location was exotic. The nation was a delight to visit then.
My first trip ashore I immediately headed to the Raffles Hotel to sit on the veranda, under the large, slow, rotating ceiling fans and had a Singapore Sling, perhaps 2 or 3. I don't remember. I had seen the hotel in old movies and had heard about its history and of course wanted to taste the legendary drink created at the Raffles Hotel. The icy cold drink tasted like a sweet citrus mixed with Gin but it sure went down well in the heat. The open courtyard was filled with tropical plants and well manicured pathways. I could feel the ghosts of WWII and the British colonists right there in the hotel, sitting on the veranda. I had to be careful I didn’t step on any ethereal toes.
The shopping alleys were the best I’ve ever seen. Stores were lined up together and there were more things to look at than I could ever have use of or want. Merchants were hawking their wares with singsong pitches developed over years of practice. There were things I’d never seen before and they were interesting to look at as I strolled down the endless alleyways. I remember seeing Indian men wearing some kind of costume that looked too much like a skirt to me, but they seemed comfortable in their garb. I found their choice of clothing very interesting. It seemed to suit the weather.
The high point of the visit was going to the Car Park restaurant, which was as its name stated in a massive open parking lot in the downtown business area. The downtown business area closed at about 5 PM. Everyone who worked there drove or took public transports home and the vendors moved in about 5:30. They setup tables and had the foods they prepared right on their carts. We heard about the place and thought it sounded like fun, so we headed there on our next liberty. Once ashore we hailed a nice Mercedes cab and told the driver to take us to the Car Park. We asked the driver, on our way over there, if he would not only take us there but also stay with us and select the best of foods available as we knew nothing of the local fare. We offered to buy his dinner if he would pick ours for us. He was happy to do so. We just sat at the table and the driver would go all over the arena picking up delightful local foods. It was perhaps the most exotic meal I ever had. The flavors were wonderful, except for the baby squid tentacles, which seemed to grow with every bite. Even the cold beer wouldn’t wash them down. They were just too chewy for me. I won’t go into detail about what those wonderful foods did to my delicate digestive system the next day and the one after that, but it was one great meal! One of the best things about the trip was I did not have to stand Shore Patrol duty.
We left Singapore a few days later and were headed to Australia when we had a change of orders and returned to the Gulf of Tonkin in support of the Vietnam conflict. We were just a scant meter or two from the equator and becoming shellbacks. I’ll forever feel like I missed something very high on the list of Navy experiences.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
The docking facilities in the harbor weren’t suited for a ship the size of the Enterprise, so we anchored out in the harbor and used boats or ferries to go ashore and back. We only anchored out in Hong Kong and Singapore; the other Asian ports we went to had deep water docking facilities. I liked being out in the harbor because at anchor there was a different view every morning when I went out on the flight deck. The ship would twist around on the anchor changing the scenery. Being on deck in the early morning was nice and quiet. The big city below deck was still sleeping off massive hangovers. The heat was tremendous, but the location was exotic. The nation was a delight to visit then.
My first trip ashore I immediately headed to the Raffles Hotel to sit on the veranda, under the large, slow, rotating ceiling fans and had a Singapore Sling, perhaps 2 or 3. I don't remember. I had seen the hotel in old movies and had heard about its history and of course wanted to taste the legendary drink created at the Raffles Hotel. The icy cold drink tasted like a sweet citrus mixed with Gin but it sure went down well in the heat. The open courtyard was filled with tropical plants and well manicured pathways. I could feel the ghosts of WWII and the British colonists right there in the hotel, sitting on the veranda. I had to be careful I didn’t step on any ethereal toes.
The shopping alleys were the best I’ve ever seen. Stores were lined up together and there were more things to look at than I could ever have use of or want. Merchants were hawking their wares with singsong pitches developed over years of practice. There were things I’d never seen before and they were interesting to look at as I strolled down the endless alleyways. I remember seeing Indian men wearing some kind of costume that looked too much like a skirt to me, but they seemed comfortable in their garb. I found their choice of clothing very interesting. It seemed to suit the weather.
The high point of the visit was going to the Car Park restaurant, which was as its name stated in a massive open parking lot in the downtown business area. The downtown business area closed at about 5 PM. Everyone who worked there drove or took public transports home and the vendors moved in about 5:30. They setup tables and had the foods they prepared right on their carts. We heard about the place and thought it sounded like fun, so we headed there on our next liberty. Once ashore we hailed a nice Mercedes cab and told the driver to take us to the Car Park. We asked the driver, on our way over there, if he would not only take us there but also stay with us and select the best of foods available as we knew nothing of the local fare. We offered to buy his dinner if he would pick ours for us. He was happy to do so. We just sat at the table and the driver would go all over the arena picking up delightful local foods. It was perhaps the most exotic meal I ever had. The flavors were wonderful, except for the baby squid tentacles, which seemed to grow with every bite. Even the cold beer wouldn’t wash them down. They were just too chewy for me. I won’t go into detail about what those wonderful foods did to my delicate digestive system the next day and the one after that, but it was one great meal! One of the best things about the trip was I did not have to stand Shore Patrol duty.
We left Singapore a few days later and were headed to Australia when we had a change of orders and returned to the Gulf of Tonkin in support of the Vietnam conflict. We were just a scant meter or two from the equator and becoming shellbacks. I’ll forever feel like I missed something very high on the list of Navy experiences.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
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