Many Chinese nationals wish to visit Singapore, a place they have an affinity with, and a country that matches their ideal of what a model nation should be. My first impression of Singapore was that it had indeed lived up to its reputation. It was like an oasis garden with beautiful surroundings, well-developed amenities, an even pace of life and honest citizens.
As a foreign tourist who came and went in a hurry, I found, in my few days here, room for improvement in several areas.
First of all, only bus numbers are displayed at most bus stops in the city. There are no diagrams of bus routes at the bus stops, nor in the buses themselves. Even the locals may not be able to figure out the various bus routes.
To make improvements to such software, we could display detailed diagrams of bus routes, lists of bus fares, the times of the first and last buses and so on. They can also be printed on tourism pamphlets. In Macau, they are published in the newpapers every day.
Secondly, there are no changing rooms at the beaches that house the showers, lockers and toilets. As the Hawaii of the East, swimming at the beaches of tropical Singapore should be one of its tourist attractions.
In the evenings and during the holidays, many young people who throng the long beachfront of the East Coast Park gaze at the sea in despair. People can only squeeze into the small toilet at the entertainment centre to change into their swimming gear.
In the coastal cities of Qingdao and Dalian in China, the changing rooms at the beaches are very profitable businesses.
Thirdly, the airport in Singapore has no air travel insurance service. Is this disallowed by the government or an oversight on the part of the insurance companies？ In other countries, this is a big business！
Fourthly, there are no one-day or two-day tour packages among the various tour itineraries offered by the hotels. Only individual and specialised tour destinations are offered. Visitors on business trips here with one or two free days on their hands would like the tour agencies to provide packaged tours. At present, only foreign tour agencies provide such packages.
The above criticisms seem as though a lot of nitpicking is being done on beautiful Singapore, but I believe other foreign tourists feel the same way. Besides, I also noticed youths who are dressed more fashionably, or who sport alternative styles, pay scant regard to public civility by spitting, littering and cutting queues. They tarnish the world-renowned image of Singapore as a civilised place.
Translated by Wee Kek Koon
游客看新加坡的美中不足
好多中國人都想到新加坡這個又有親緣感覺、又是理想中的模范國家來看看。初見的印象果然名不虛傳,像是個花園綠洲,環(huán)境優(yōu)美,設(shè)施發(fā)達(dá),生活從容,人性真誠。
幾天里從一個匆匆的外來游客看來,卻發(fā)現(xiàn)幾處值得改進(jìn)的地方。
第一,市內(nèi)大多數(shù)公共巴士站只有車號,沒有線路川行圖表,巴士車內(nèi)也少有標(biāo)示,相信本地人也未必都清楚。這是屬于軟體設(shè)施,要改進(jìn)的話,可以標(biāo)出詳細(xì)路線圖、表和車資,首末班時間等,并將其印制在旅游宣傳品中。澳門的做法更是每天刊登在報紙上。
第二是海邊沙灘沒有可供游泳者沖水、存衣、上廁所的服務(wù)站。
新加坡是個四季溫暖的東方夏威夷,海中游泳也應(yīng)是吸引游客的一個主要項(xiàng)目。
假日傍晚有那么多年輕人聚在長長的東海岸公園邊,只能望洋興嘆,僅在娛樂中心才有個小小的公廁,有人擠在那里換泳衣。
在中國的青島、大連這樣的海濱城市,海灘邊的游泳服務(wù)站是一項(xiàng)很營利的生意。
第三是新加坡的機(jī)場居然沒有出售航空保險,是政府不許還是保險公司沒想到？在別國,航空保險是多么大的一項(xiàng)生意啊！
第四是酒店里推介的各種各樣的旅游項(xiàng)目中,沒有包辦一天或二天的套餐式綜合項(xiàng)目,都是一個一個小的專項(xiàng)游覽；來此公干的客人如有一、二天空閑,都會希望交給旅游公司去整套安排?，F(xiàn)在這樣安排只有外國的旅游公司在做。
以上幾點(diǎn),可算是對美麗的新加坡作雞蛋里挑骨頭,但竊以為其他外來游客也會認(rèn)同的。除此之外還注意到一些穿戴比較新潮、比較另類的青年人常常不守公德,吐痰、扔紙、搶先等現(xiàn)象都有看到,稍損名聞全球的島國文明形象。
As a foreign tourist who came and went in a hurry, I found, in my few days here, room for improvement in several areas.
First of all, only bus numbers are displayed at most bus stops in the city. There are no diagrams of bus routes at the bus stops, nor in the buses themselves. Even the locals may not be able to figure out the various bus routes.
To make improvements to such software, we could display detailed diagrams of bus routes, lists of bus fares, the times of the first and last buses and so on. They can also be printed on tourism pamphlets. In Macau, they are published in the newpapers every day.
Secondly, there are no changing rooms at the beaches that house the showers, lockers and toilets. As the Hawaii of the East, swimming at the beaches of tropical Singapore should be one of its tourist attractions.
In the evenings and during the holidays, many young people who throng the long beachfront of the East Coast Park gaze at the sea in despair. People can only squeeze into the small toilet at the entertainment centre to change into their swimming gear.
In the coastal cities of Qingdao and Dalian in China, the changing rooms at the beaches are very profitable businesses.
Thirdly, the airport in Singapore has no air travel insurance service. Is this disallowed by the government or an oversight on the part of the insurance companies？ In other countries, this is a big business！
Fourthly, there are no one-day or two-day tour packages among the various tour itineraries offered by the hotels. Only individual and specialised tour destinations are offered. Visitors on business trips here with one or two free days on their hands would like the tour agencies to provide packaged tours. At present, only foreign tour agencies provide such packages.
The above criticisms seem as though a lot of nitpicking is being done on beautiful Singapore, but I believe other foreign tourists feel the same way. Besides, I also noticed youths who are dressed more fashionably, or who sport alternative styles, pay scant regard to public civility by spitting, littering and cutting queues. They tarnish the world-renowned image of Singapore as a civilised place.
Translated by Wee Kek Koon
游客看新加坡的美中不足
好多中國人都想到新加坡這個又有親緣感覺、又是理想中的模范國家來看看。初見的印象果然名不虛傳,像是個花園綠洲,環(huán)境優(yōu)美,設(shè)施發(fā)達(dá),生活從容,人性真誠。
幾天里從一個匆匆的外來游客看來,卻發(fā)現(xiàn)幾處值得改進(jìn)的地方。
第一,市內(nèi)大多數(shù)公共巴士站只有車號,沒有線路川行圖表,巴士車內(nèi)也少有標(biāo)示,相信本地人也未必都清楚。這是屬于軟體設(shè)施,要改進(jìn)的話,可以標(biāo)出詳細(xì)路線圖、表和車資,首末班時間等,并將其印制在旅游宣傳品中。澳門的做法更是每天刊登在報紙上。
第二是海邊沙灘沒有可供游泳者沖水、存衣、上廁所的服務(wù)站。
新加坡是個四季溫暖的東方夏威夷,海中游泳也應(yīng)是吸引游客的一個主要項(xiàng)目。
假日傍晚有那么多年輕人聚在長長的東海岸公園邊,只能望洋興嘆,僅在娛樂中心才有個小小的公廁,有人擠在那里換泳衣。
在中國的青島、大連這樣的海濱城市,海灘邊的游泳服務(wù)站是一項(xiàng)很營利的生意。
第三是新加坡的機(jī)場居然沒有出售航空保險,是政府不許還是保險公司沒想到？在別國,航空保險是多么大的一項(xiàng)生意啊！
第四是酒店里推介的各種各樣的旅游項(xiàng)目中,沒有包辦一天或二天的套餐式綜合項(xiàng)目,都是一個一個小的專項(xiàng)游覽；來此公干的客人如有一、二天空閑,都會希望交給旅游公司去整套安排?，F(xiàn)在這樣安排只有外國的旅游公司在做。
以上幾點(diǎn),可算是對美麗的新加坡作雞蛋里挑骨頭,但竊以為其他外來游客也會認(rèn)同的。除此之外還注意到一些穿戴比較新潮、比較另類的青年人常常不守公德,吐痰、扔紙、搶先等現(xiàn)象都有看到,稍損名聞全球的島國文明形象。