If you want to use the term 'any Singaporean', then I'm not a
Singaporean. And don't you know that metropolitan areas share
the same name with the more famous city centres?
Who are you to say what aspect of travel people should focus on
in their conversations?Malls are not the same in every country
although they usually have international chains. Why can't people
have the right to get excited over souvenirs, cheaper goods or
product ranges that can't be found at home?
This can change depending on the audience. I'm sure that if the
topic calls for it, they can talk about the sightseeing, unless
they spent more time inside the coach than outside of it. Why don't
you rail instead at people who choose to eat only at Asian and
international fast food restaurants abroad, or stick to their
clique of fellow countrymen instead of interacting with other
travellers or locals on exchange programmes? Those are real signs
of insularity.
Then again, who are you to say that cultural immersion should be
the sole purpose of going on a vacation? You may think that
Singaporeans place little value on culture, but because you see it
as such, it also raises suspicions that you might be a hoax, trying
to manipulate knowledge and signs of cultural capital to appear to
belong to an upper class. Very Singaporean indeed.
