No Star Hotel
That’s what my friend Anne’s son, JK (aka Kiddo), calls the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Hostel in Singapore. But back in the early 80s, it was the gateway to Singapore for his mother and I; it was where we stayed when we went on our annual shopping trips there.
Yup, you saw right – annual shopping trips. In those days, the Malaysian and Singaporean currencies had a 1:1 exchange ratio (these days it’s more like 1:2.34 in the latter’s favour). Singapore also had much more to offer in terms of clothes and what-have-you, so yes, we’d go there to get stuff. We’d take the train down and stay at the YWCA Hostel, sharing a room for about S$60/- a night, with breakfast included.
The hostel was on the fringe of the main shopping area in Singapore, less than 5 minutes’ walk to the nearest MRT station, and when we felt up to it, we even walked to Orchard Road, that’s how close the hostel is to the shopping action.
Altho my brother was already living and working in Singapore by that time, he was renting a room, which was why Anne and I stayed at a hostel, instead of at his place, which he didn’t have then.
A couple of years back, when Anne was back on holiday with Kiddo, she took him and her mother on the train to Singapore and, yes, stayed at the YWCA Hostel. It’s budget accommodation, but very clean, and like I already said, very accessible to shopping, which is just about the only reason to go to Singapore.
So, how did the “no star” tag come about? Why did Kiddo give it that rating?
Well, a short while after they returned to Toronto, he and his best friend, Abhy, were treated to a stay at a five-star hotel in New York City. You see, Abhy’s father works in IT and makes lots of money, and I think the stay was a birthday present to the boy. Anyway, when Kiddo got home after that five-star stay, one of the first things he said to Anne, was:
“Hey, mum, you know that place we stayed in Singapore? That’s a no-star hotel!”
So that’s how the YWCA Hostel in Singapore got its “no star” rating from JK, aka Kiddo.
As a side note, on 9/11, Anne had called Abhy to ask where his father was. Originally from Toronto, they had moved to New York City where his father worked in the World Trade Centre. When she eventually got through to Abhy, he said his father was not there. She thought he meant not at home, which might be bad news.
It turned out he was out of the country on a business trip.
