I don't like heights, so I felt relieved climbing down from the Sans Skypark, but I was taken to the Singapore Flyer next, which was known to be one of the highest ferris wheels worldwide.
The 1st picture shows the entrance of the Singapore Flyer. A woman in it was our tour guide. She talked with us in Japanese, but with local people in English or Mandarin. As I wasn't able to distinguish the conversation between her and the bus driver at all, I asked her. That was Hokkien. She sounded like she was able to use Cantonese too. I was taken by complete surprise. She would guide Cantonese people. She must be one of the top tour guides in Singapore. I can give her a well-deserved pat on the back.
The 2nd picture shows the Marina Bay Sands Hotel from the Singapore Flyer. I was scared only to recall that I had been at the edge of there shortly before. The next two pictures were shot at the restroom in the entrance hall of the Singapore Flyer. It must be for a campaign to save water.
According to our guide, most of the water in Singapore was imported from Malaysia. The gravel to extend the land was bought or robbed from other countries. It sometimes led to even the disappearance of tiny islets. I felt some fragility in Singapore's infrastructures, whose land can't support the people. I'm not sure, but the army drills in Taiwan.
While we are on the subject of Singapore, let me digress a bit and tell you a short story about Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was handed back to China, the UK wasn't required to return Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. They were obliged to return the New Territory Area only. However, the UK restored the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island along with the New Territory Area. It is said that the then Prime Minister Thatcher had been threatened with not supplying water from the mainland to the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island by the then Chinese Communist Leader, Deng Xiao Ping. He promised that China would adopt two different policies between their mainland and the newly-returned area for the coming 50 years then, but the promise is now going to be scrapped. The Singapore Flyer would run on electricity, which must be imported. Reflecting vaguely on various things, the prosperity of Singapore began to seem a house built on sand.
Back to the track, the streets in Singapore were clean without litter, but Japan is the same. However, as for public toilets, both countries were completely different. Japanese toilets are second to none.
(Vocabulary)
Hokkien 福建語 閩南語
Cantonese 広東語
Deng Xiao Ping 鄧小平
a house built on sand 砂上の楼閣
マラッカ海峡クルージング記： シンガポールのトイレで考えたこと
実は高所恐怖症のためSans Skyparkから降りてホッとしたのだが、すぐにまた観覧車に乗るという。世界でも有数の高さらしい。Sans Skyparkから見えていたので嫌だなと思っていたのだが。
最初の写真は観覧車、Singapore Flyerへの入り口。立っている女性はガイド。我々に対しては日本語で話すが、現地の人とは英語やシナ語で話していた。バスの運転手との会話は全く聞き取れなかったので尋ねると、福建語だという。バスの運転手は福建語しか話せないという。このガイドの語学力には驚いた。広東語も使えると言うから香港からの観光客も案内するのだろう。おそらくはトップクラスのガイドだろう。
２枚目の写真はSingapore Flyerから撮影したMarina Bay Sands Hotel。あの上に立っていたのかと思うだけで怖かった。Singapore Flyerから降りてトイレに寄った。そこで次の２枚のポスターを見つけた。水を節約しようという啓蒙ポスターのようだ。ガイドに寄れば水はほとんどマレーシアからの輸入。国土を拡げるために使っている土砂はインドネシアなどから買ったり、無断で奪ったり、、、小さな島がなくなってしまうほど。水や食糧を自給できない国の脆さを感じた。この国の陸軍は確か台湾で訓練をさせてもらっていたはず。
香港の歴史を思い出した。香港返還時、あまり詳しく報道されていないが、イギリスは香港島と九竜半島の返還義務はなかった。返還義務のあったのは新界地区のみ。香港島と九竜半島を返還することになったのは水を供給しないなどと鄧小平に脅され、向こう５０年の一国二制度という彼の言葉を信用したサッチャーが結果的には騙された形だ。Singapore Flyerは間違いなく電気で動いているのだろう。この電気も結局は輸入。いろいろと考えているうちにシンガポールの繁栄が砂上の楼閣に思えてきた。
街並みが美しいと評判のシンガポール、確かにごみが落ちていないが、これは日本も同様。ただトイレは違った。日本のトイレに勝るトイレは世界中探してもないと思う。
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