Singapore

This was my first trip to Singapore, and my first visit to Asia. The first thing that struck me was the heat. I had an unforgettable first impression: Singapore has a unique character that sets it apart from any other country I have visited.

The city is rich in culture, blending both Eastern and Western influences. I immersed myself in vibrant areas like Little India, Chinatown, and Arab Street, where my senses were overwhelmed by the diverse smells and sights of these cultures—an experience unlike any I’d had before.

My first experience

It was around 11:30 AM on a Thursday in December when I sat outside in a bar under a fan, desperately trying not to pass out from the heat. The temperature was about 38 degrees Celsius, and I was already on my second ice-cold beer.

I had just spoken with a friend back in England, complaining—as is typical for us Brits—about the weather. I thought I might as well embrace the stereotype head-on. “It’s too hot! Everywhere I go, I sweat. If I step into a shopping mall, it’s so cold that my shirt almost freezes to my back. Then I go back outside into the heat, and I’m as wet as if I had just taken a shower.”

After hanging up, a voice behind me asked in an American accent, “First time in Singapore?”

I turned to see a larger guy with a friendly smile. “First time in Asia,” I replied.

walk slower, speak slower and drink cold

In Asia, I realised the importance of slowing down how we speak and move to conserve energy and keep our bodies cool. I noticed that while many Westerners were sweating profusely in their T-shirts and shorts, Asian men in suits and ties remained remarkably comfortable.

They drank coffee, but iced rather than hot; they walked to the MRT, but more slowly than I did; and they used umbrellas for shade, drank water to stay cool, and many wore vests under their dress shirts to keep their shirts from absorbing too much sweat.

I learnt a lot those first few days; I still drank ice-cold beer, but in the evenings after the sun lowered its rays.

We became good friends, and I have many good memories of those days in Singapore. Over the next few years, I would spend a lot of time in the city-state. He offered me his spare room whenever I wanted it, and until COVID came, we had a good, regular friendship.