Utopia?

Roni Chapman

Last time I came to Singapore I had just finished a 2 week tour of Vietnam, a trip I like to think shares the same flavour of the India trip; an experience of a significantly different culture to the lives many of us have in New Zealand.

In Singapore I look around and am reminded of a city which seems so perfect; there is a perfect balance of urban development and the greenery of surrounding trees and grass lawns. Every aesthetic and functional aspect of the city seems to be in sync, running to some overarching plan.

While 2 years ago I was in love with this place and was sad to leave, I now find myself done with the setting after half a day; 'done' in the sense that we weren't really given the choice to stay, and also that there seems to be little the city can do to fuel any genuine excitement. While the city is full of endless 'must-see' destinations from which far out scale what we see in New Zealand, they failed to really engage much interest for me personally. 

When I signed up for the India trip I was asked myself why would I want to go, and my mind turned to Vietnam. My time in Vietnam was all about the people, what they were doing in their day to day lives, what they believe in, and what was their story. I think that's probably what Singapore wasn't able to offer me. There is something about the aesthetic utopia of the city which seems to lack this vibrancy of human connection of Hanoi with people such as my now good mate Linh, whose story has had a significant impact on me, and which I certainly will drawn on in India. 

This only makes me more excited for touching down in Kolkata, to see something totally different to Singapore, and to travel the country I read from blogs of my brother's time here 2 years ago.