Singapore (1972)
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I visited Singapore for the first time during the
summer of 1972, as part of a longer trip that also took me to Thailand,
Malaysia, and Indonesia. At that time Singapore was a fairly new country, as it
had gained independence from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. It was very different
from what it is today, as one can see from the following pictures: not as
opulent, not as clean, ... I have always liked and I
still like Singapore, but I nevertheless regret some its previous charm.
The river was full of barges that, unlike today, were not for tourists:
The now famous Merlion had just been erected,
but its surrounding was different:
The port was not as big as today:
There were few tall buildings, but old buildings were already being
scrapped down to make space for taller ones:
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Streets had a very different, but perhaps more charming atmosphere with
little traffic:
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The Sri Mariamman Hindu temple was already there in Chinatown
(built in 1827, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore), but some details
and colors were different from those of today:
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Popular theaters were erected in the middle of the streets:
Night markets smelled like true markets:
But today I
can enter Singapore with long hairs. In 1972, I had to get an haircut ...
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