Feeling Conspicuous

The average Singaporean is about 5ft5, which means that I overshadow the average Singaporean by some 8 inches. I cannot deny that this is at times useful - I can navigate my way through a crowd with significant ease, it is easier to intimidate the locals when I am loitering on dark street corners - actually, I have yet to try this in earnest - I'm still waiting for my light-weight hoodie to make it over!


However, I do at times feel, as the locals put it, rather too 'long' for Singapore. Take the buses for example - the ground floor is generally ok, but my knees don't fit in between the seats at all really. If there's space I'll sprawl over both seats, but it doesn't go down all that well at rush hour! The trouble really begins upstairs - my guess is the seat pitch is reduced, cos whilst I can just about squeeze into a seat downstairs, upstairs there is no chance at all! Then there is the headroom - the roof comes up to about my shoulder when I stand up. Consequence - when walking all I can see is my shoes - which means I walk into people, sometimes they end up bouncing along as a result! Even if that doesn't happen they aren't hugely impressed when some lumbering, often sweaty Brit bashes them.


However, the place where I feel most conspicuous is the markets. Singapore has markets in the centre of its publically constructed tower blocks. These markets are home to the true Singaporeans, and are far off the beaten tracks of western tourists, and for that matter, the ex-pats who tend to live in private apartments. Two instances come particularly to mind, both when I was visiting previously.


The first time I was walking through the market with a camera - a Singaporean grandad saw me, and then his jaw just sort of dropped open, and his eyes followed me all the way round the market. 


The second time I was just stood still! An old lady who can't have been more than about 4ft6 and had a marked hunch was walking towards me so that she could see about what I see on the top deck of a bus. Evidently my shoes came into view. She stopped, and with great effort, started to look up. The process of straightening the hunch took several seconds, and by the time she could see my face she had an expression similar to mine when I see a new type of alien. There will no doubt be those who say I should have been out of her way well before then, but I disagree - it was worth it just for the look on her face! (and btw - I did then get out of the way - she had a walking stick)