Observations of a novice Asian furniture showgoer
Gary Evans, Senior editor -- Furniture Today, April 7, 2002
Four airlines, 10 flight segments, five hotels, four countries, six cities — and not a hitch. So why is it so hard to get from Greensboro to Atlanta sometimes?
Nothing would be worse than getting sick in a hotel 7,000 miles from home. But two weeks in Asia brought me nothing worse than a day of traveler's revenge, something that could have happened at home. So much for one of my worst fears. There's a lesson there.
If you do get sick, you can go to a drugstore in many Asian cities and get medicine without a prescription, if you trust the pharmacist to diagnose your ailment. I wanted to be prepared so I bought some antibiotics, which I never used. I'm sure my doctor would ask: How do you know what will work? How does he know? With viruses and bugs it's anybody's guess. So why isn't mine as good as his?
The prices are cheaper too. I should have loaded up my medicine cabinet.
Did you know that for just a few dollars you can get a one-hour foot massage in Bangkok? I tried one at the mall next to my hotel. A sweet little girl mixed up some good smelling stuff and slathered it on my feet and ankles. Despite many days of walking market concrete, I ended up feeling like dancin'.
Everybody should take the train in Singapore. It runs every few minutes, and you can go a long, long way for under a dollar. The trains are spotless, the people nice, and it's easy to get the hang of it. I took the train to and from the furniture show. Just don't eat or drink on a train; there's a $500 fine (about US$275). And don't smoke, for gosh sakes. That's $1,000 in their money.
I've always heard that Singapore is repressive. Remember that American teen caned for vandalizing cars? If the country is repressive, the people on the streets didn't show it. It was the most orderly, beautiful, clean and green country I was in. Where else is the national flower an orchid, bougainvillea hangs from overpasses, and the streets are wide and tree-lined?
By the way, it's not illegal to chew gum in Singapore. It's just illegal to sell it there. This bit of trivia came from Gerard Ong, a Singapore native who has a British forebear. He shed light on why the city's so clean. First-time litterbugs get a warning, he says. The second time they're out picking up litter as punishment. The third time they're shot at sunrise (just kidding).
My Singapore cabdriver was a little worried because it had rained and there were dust spatters on his taxi. He feared he would be cited by the traffic police for having a dirty vehicle. He said ordinary citizens must keep their cars clean too.
And I have a tailor in Singapore now: Two monogrammed shirts and three lined trousers in a wool cashmere blend, all for about $150 and delivered to my hotel in 24 hours.
The Filipinos are the friendliest people, although others are close behind. No wonder lots of regular showgoers love the Philippines. And it's very close to some great beaches.
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