SIN-gapore CITY

SINgapore CITY

Much as you love having a good time after the sun sets, partying like there's no tomorrow, there will be some days where donning the right outfit and styling your hair to hit the popular night owl spots is the last thing on your mind. You know it is all temporary as after maybe a week or two of abstinence, you can't help but find yourself ending up in one of the night clubs or even pubs.

Despite being one of the highest, if not highest numbers of nightspots per capita in the world (according to Singapore Tourism Board), it is undeniable that Singapore is a small country. As such there are times when you find yourself a tad bored by the night scene here and all you want to do is try something new, different and out of the box. Something a little more exciting, a little more...... controversial to add flavor to your night life...

If you're one of those people above, worry not, as one of Itchytraveller's writer was also 'itchy' to seek for this hidden place, when one day, while having a conversation with one of his buddies over coffee, a random topic accidentally triggered the perfect idea for this place...

DISCLAIMER: Contains mature content, proceed at your risk!

The word Geylang (Pronounce as Gay-Larng), can be found early in Singapore's history. Geylang appears as a river where the word was corrupted from the origin Malay word, 'kilang' which means factory. This may be due to the large number of processing factories for the coconut and lemon grass plantations back in the past. Now however, Geylang has dropped the whole factory look to become one of the most popular night spot frequented by locals and also foreigners be it with the same intentions or not.

If you were to mention the word Geylang to any locals here, the first thing that will come to mind will be the good food available there and if its not that, then it'll definitely be the many pretty ladies. Alright, fine maybe its the pretty ladies first then comes the food. However, these ladies come with a price and they're not there just to look for good looking guys or eat the good food, but to earn money from the 'services' they provide. As such, Geylang has become a notoriously famous red light area in Singapore, and one that is legal too.

Located within the site of the national stadium, Geylang red light district lies in between Kallang Mrt and Aljunied Mrt. This hot spot houses Singapore's largest prostitution business with a smorgasboard of fine ladies to choose from. Here you can find ladies from Indonesia, Thailand, India, China, Hongkong, Taiwan and also occasionally Russia who are willing to give you a 'helluva' good time, provided you give them a fair trade (with money of course!). However, with geylang's rise in popularity due to its renowned great services at amazingly low prices, sadly also comes the obnoxious groups and establishment operating as well. These groups are like wolves preying on the opportunities of lucrative trade there by conducting scams and occasionally robberies.

As such real dangers are on the rise in Geylang and everyone should be warned as it is no longer a safe place of affordable pleasures. So before spending some money in Geylang, do your homework first so that your night will be one that is memorable – in a good way of course.
One of the many such scams includes stunts such as girl-switching and also sometimes stealing money from your wallet. The more serious ones are those when prostitutes lead customers to areas thought to be the 'action' place but only to find themselves being beaten and robbed by hidden gangs. Therefore, in order to play safe, it is best that customers visit the legal prostitution dens also commonly known as 'fish-tanks'. These 'fish-tanks' can easily be identified with their 'private house' look with large red numbers showing the house number. Also, the doors of the house are usually wide open with the interior lit heavily by fluorescent blue if not pink lights. However, the entrance is usually blocked off by an opaque glass panel with the purpose to lure customers inside to view the girls as the opaqueness of the glass allows you to see just the silhouette.

Besides the fishtanks there are also many 'freelance' girls out there by the Geylang 'lorongs' who can give great safe services. However, do be wary of dangers lurking around the corner. Here if you're not really interested in having 'action' with the ladies, there are always other activities to look forward to. Exploring the 'lorongs' further, you will come across many makeshift tables lit by portable white lights, and surrounded by unusually large groups of people. These places are the illegal gambling dens in Geylang, where if you're lucky, you can make easy money. The gambling game that is played here (not really sure how it works) consists of 3 dices and the table which is divided into 6 sections to represent the different numbers on the dice. If the number where you placed your money coincides with the rolled dice, then the money is yours.

Starting bet starts between 10 to 50 bucks and unless you are feeling rich that night, do consider carefully before participating. Other than makeshift gambling dens, there are also many makeshifts shops selling a myriad of pirated DVDs and VCDs, mostly X-rated of course. Not too sure if those DVDs and VCDs can really work, but my piece of advice: There's always the Internet. And its FREE!

Besides the prostitution houses, gambling dens and the good food, Geylang also hosts a myriad of KTV lounges. Unlike the typical karaoke lounge norm where you can sing in peace, here it is a tad different. These KTV lounges hires hostesses that can provide you with extra 'personal services'. More popular of such KTV lounges are those located in Joo Chiat Rd. Here, unlike Geylang, there are no 'fish-tanks' but mainly KTVs. Well known for the great services at a not-so-busy area, most of the KTVs are populated with scantily-clad hostesses for your feasting eyes and at the same time to make your night more enjoyable.

The rates here are a little more expensive compared to its neighbor, and therefore only visit here if you’ve got cash to spare.

The more expensive ones will have to be those at Orchard Towers also known as the 4 floors of Whores. Located at Orchard Road nearer to the Tanglin side, the nightly occupants here have rates that go by the hundreds. The cheaper girls are on the first floor and the prettier ones are on the second, and on the fourth floor, the ladies there are the best but as they say, beauty definitely comes at a price!

Besides, Geylang, Joo Chiat and Orchard Towers, there are many other places in Singapore that offer the same kind of services to customers. These places include Desker Road, and if you're looking for taller, hour glass well-endowed she males, then there's always Changi Village. Whatever it is, these places are real and they exist in our very own law bounded country – and Singapore is very much full of them.

However, with these places, Singapore's night life has become a little more interesting. Your experiences of many a nights out in Singapore will not be complete without visiting some of these hidden nocturnal paradise. Do take some time to explore some of these places uniquely Singapore and you will be surprised by what you see going on, right in our backyard!

Photo Credits
PhdStudent Soham Pablo I will not succumb