Tiger City
The smell of incense mingles with a waft of curry, fresh vegetables and cigarette smoke. The air is thick and heavy with humidity as sweat-drenched tourists mingle with locals of every shape and colour.
Here in Singapore’s Little India, shops own the pavements with everything from saucepans to tins of paint, foodstuffs and crafted buddhas lining the streets.
“You have a nice camera lah”, says a hawker, “let me show you my shop… you want wide angle lens, I give you best price lah…. no? I also do tailor, you want a new clothe?”. Sure enough, his shop sells cameras on the right and tailoring on the left.
Suddenly I remember that Australia isn’t like the rest of the world, the laid back lazy attitude and vast unpopulated expanse have given way to crowded Asia and the hard sell.
