I was wondering about this and wrote a comic song to sum up my feelings, putting the case for and against the frenetic city life and buzz of New York city contrasted with the laid back lifestyle of Australia.
In America and Singapore (and Asia - where the hard-working Chinese run businesses) you often see people working late at night and weekends.
Singaporeans can enjoy a giant waterfall for free at the Jewel shopping mall by terminal one at Changi airport. Within the city there's the peaceful, free Botanical Gardens and the Night Safari.
Singaporeans travel to Malaysia to shop and to Australia to relax. The Aussies might stop work at five and go off for the beach and beer party.
Australia
Ayers rock is no longer a free for all. Many start with Sydney, its opera house and bridge, a dinner joining in the chorus of Waltzing Mathilda. Others prefer Perth. Or drive along the Great Ocean Road to see the 'Twelve' Apostles, mis-counted pillars in the sea.
Israel's Attractions
In Israel the city people often have two jobs to make ends meet. But the religious people stop work for the Sabbath. However, the majority of the world's Jews are in the USA and are secular.
Israel has the antiquities in Jerusalem with its museums and sacred places of all religions, See the old city of Jerusalem with its quarters for Arabs with the great mosque, Below the mosque is the Jewish Wailing Wall, all that is left of the great synagogue, the tunnel, Christian Armenians, and Roman remains, mosaics of old synagogues from the time of Jesus, churches galore,biblical memories of Abraham and Solomon, David and New Testament's Jesus. You stay in cities such as see the art deco (actually Bauhaus) white Thirties city of Tel Aviv. Or out to visit a hotel on a green kibbutz, the pool and waterfall oasis of Ein Gedi or the rust coloured desert and tall Pillars of Solomon, Masada, or the beaches of Eilat and float on the Dead Sea.
Malaysia
Malaysia, Singapore's northerly neighbour, is much more laid back than Singapore. The Malays are not Arabs. They are party people. An American expat told me her husband was sent to manage the opening of a factory in Malaysia. They took on staff and the first week all went well. Friday the staff all got their first week's wages.
Monday nobody turned up. They were happy to sit around until the money ran, out and then go back to ask for a job.
You have the city of KL with the twin towers familiar from the movie Entrapment featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones.
American flag
USA
Of course, having lived in the USA I know that not all America is the same. New York, New York. The UN, the twin towers memorial, the spiral Guggenheim gallery of art, or to Ellis Island and the statue of Liberty on a ferry.
The south is more relaxed. They speak slower, too.
The West coast is more relaxed than the East with coastal LA and misty, artsy hilly San Francisco, or off to the wine country. The real cities or the fantasies of Disney in California or Florida. You have a choice, cities or scenery.
At the weekends we used to drive off. You can go out of the cities to see the blue ridge parkway along the east coast, or over to the the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and numerous national Parks.
Here is my Song:
We went for a walk around New York and I said,
Let’s talk about New York
I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'
But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!'
I said, ‘This is the place I want to live!’ but he said;
‘One of us has to give
'I want to live in Australia,
the place where I was born
'I want to see the sunset
in the place where I saw dawn
'You would love koala bears
And you'd love the kangaroos!'
But I said, "And be eaten by crocodiles!
But to you this isn't news.'
He took my hand and with a smile
Said, 'Florida has crocodiles'
Yes, take a tour of them, alone
This land has troubles of its own
I shrugged, though I was broken-hearted
But bravely smiled as he departed
But every year we meet again
and we repeat the same refrain
I say, “Let’s walk around New York,
Don’t you love it? Let’s have a talk,’
I say, ‘This is the place I want to live,’
But he says: ‘One of us has to give
'You’re the only thing I lack and
That’s why each year I come back
'Yes, my dear, I love it here
But I'm going home to the beach and the beer
' 'cos I want to live in Australia,
The place where I was born
'I’m going back, to see the last sunset,
In the place where I first saw the dawn.’
...
D'you want to know the moral?
I know that you're not thick
But I assure you others are
Thick as two short planks and a brick
The lover's moral is think before
'Cos war brings love but love brings war
Before you pick a foreign love
Decide if you're prepared to move
If not, the moral's plain to see
You'll end up single just like me.
I'd be the one who you forget
If it wasn't for the internet
'I know you've a good memory
But others are a pain
'You tell them once, tell them twice
Then have to tell the story again.'
'Yes, I have a great memory
But I love to hear your voice
'I listen to the same old stories
Old friends don't have a choice
"I'd rather hear about old times
Than hear of other men
'So you tell me about our love
I'll hear it once again.'
We went for a walk around New York and I said,
'Let’s talk about New York,'
I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'
But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!'
I said, ‘This is the place I want to live!’ but he said;
‘One of us has to give
I have nothing more to say
But can't you meet me half way?
And so we went to London
Met on St Pancras station
But that was neither here nor there
Just a brief vacation
We went for a walk around New York and I said,
Let’s talk about New York
I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'
But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!
'I want to live in Australia,
the place where I was born
'I want to see the sunset
in the place where I saw dawn.'
'So you stay there - and I'll stay here
And we must meet again - next year!'
-ends-
Copyright Angela Lansbury
The penultimate verse sounded like he was about to commit suicide if young or die if old. I decided to give it a happy and humorous ending. The song structure is 'a round'.
I hope you like the pictures I picked. The Israeli sculpture has the @ sign in the man's head as well as the wheels.
Photos
USA
I love New York
AUSTRALIA
The 12 apostles, on the Great Ocean Road, AustraliaBeer photo in Wikipedia under beer article, photo by kgbo.
Koala bear, Australia
Koala and Kangaroo road sign, Australia
'Crocodiles, no swimming' warning, Australia
US flag
Beer, Australia
Ayers Rock, Australia
Internet sculpture in Israel.
New York street scene
St Pancras station, lovers meeting or farewell, sculpture, London, England, UK. In Wikipedia, photo by Oxyman.
Useful Websites
Singaporeair.com
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
