Shangri-La Hotel. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Problem
US President Donald Trump is due to meet North Korean leaer Kim Jon Un in Singapore. Where will they stay and meet? Is it the Shangri-La Hotel or somewhere else?
Answers
One day we are told it's likely to be the Shangri-La Hotel, next it is eslewhere, on Sentosa Island. It turns out both are right. The two heads of state will stay in different hotels, probably Donald Trump in the Shangri-La, Kim Jon Un at whichever of a couple of suggested hotels he chooses, then they will meet at a third, said to be on Sentosa Island.
The Shangri-La Hotel
Meanwhile not just the Shangri-La Hotel but a ring of approach roads around it will be cordoned off. We have friends who live inside the no-go zone! They warn us, jokingly, don't visit with banners, headphones and big bags.
Who, me? I am extremely law-abiding. I put bus tickets in litter bins, not just my own, other people's tickets.
The Shangri-La which I wrote about earlier, after enjoying a huge traffic jam breakfast buffet, has a main hotel - plus a completely separate VIP section.
You can be sure security is tight. I have to register a week in advance with all my details just to visit a Singapore Airlines building. A whole hoo-ha of documents and passports and security checks.
Singapore's Chief Tourist Attractions
So I feel confident that extra precautions will be taken. The pleasure and inconvenience will last only one day, unless Trump decides to extend the trip to two days. Will he have time for a trip to Marina Bay Sands or the Night Safari? I hope he sees something of Singapore's modern delights.
How To Cool Off In a Hot Country
Why are they holding this event in Singapore in June, the hottest month of the year? Donald Trump might be used to the heat in New York and Washington DC this time of year. Las Vegas is hot - but all indoors, but Phoenix, Arizona, I recall, is even hotter.
In Singapore, I don't suppose our leaders will be out in the sun much. They will benefit from air-conditioned rooms and air-conditoned cars, unlimited iced drinks and bathrooms with cooling showers.
In Singapore I take an average of four or five showers a day, before my morning swim, (not counting the poolside shower before and after the swim, then mid-morning, before changing to go out for the evening, again at bedtime, sometimes during the night. But then I am sitting by a balcony, or, Singaporean style, working by an oepne window rather than with windows shut and air-con on.
Smart City
Singapore, smart city, changed so much. New stations and train lines. Buildings, even those built in the 1980s, being pulled down and 16 stories replaced with blocks higher and closer.
Singapore is a garden city, a pretty city. I hope that Singapore's special soothing architecture and cleanliness and culture will set the tone for rapport, rapprochement and a successful meeting.
Useful Websites
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
Author
Angela Lansbury, British Singapore Resident.
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