If you like Singapore’s PR image as Asia’s brightest,
sharpest, cleanest, and greenest -- don’t go on this
jaunt. Desker Road’s history as a red light district
goes back almost to Singapore’s founding. Even then
Desker was low-rent, with a primary clientele made up of Bugis
traders, sailors, and pirates (so I’ve read). These
days, it’s busiest on Sundays, when thousands of Singapore’s
Indian and Bangladeshi construction workers show up in this
area of Little India to make merry. As always, Singapore is
safe most places day or night, but women might not feel comfortable
walking the area unaccompanied.
The attraction for the tourist or other visitor is to see
Singapore’s dirty underwear exposed. Singaporeans themselves
tend to forget that their city was once the sex playground
of Southeast Asia. Or if they remember, they are surprised
such a sleazy part of the old recreational grounds still remains.
And sleazy is the only way to describe the alley behind Desker
and Rowell Roads, where the open backdoor of every shop house
reveals bored ladies on plastic chairs watching TV and flipping
through magazines. Out front, transsexual sex workers parade
along the equally seedy two blocks of Desker and Rowell between
Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar. The difference is that the
house ladies are licensed and legal; the street walkers are
not.
Hawker stands sell beer, noodles, and other drinks and snacks
at the end of the alley nearer to the Serangoon Road side.
Red lanterns are strung overhead, and the occasional mak nyah,
or lady boy, strolls by to entice and tease diners. Dress
will become skimpier and actions bolder the later it gets,
until late night or early morning, one or two may become bold
enough to flash surgical enhancements.
The district is surprisingly close to the more family-oriented
Serangoon Plaza and Mustafa’s – a one-stop shopping
complex with supermarket, clothing bazaar, electronics and
jewelry shops, luggage stores, and fast food outlets. Open
24 hours, Mustafa’s supermarket and general goods store
is a cluttered Asian emporium that’s a pleasure to walk
through. If you continue walking down Serangoon Road toward
town, just short of Sungei Road and Rochor Canal is the Little
India Arcade, a covered shopping area of stalls selling Indian
spices, textiles, and handicrafts.
Backpacker and budget inns litter the back roads on both sides
of Serangoon Road. Some aren’t much more than love hotels,
but others -- such as Mustafa’s own hotel -- offer decent,
clean rooms at reasonable rates for Singapore.
Directions: Take the North East MRT line and exit at Farrer
Park Station (NE8). Use Exit A to get to Rangoon Road; turn
right to walk to the first main street, Serangoon Road. Take
another right onto Serangoon Road. Mustafa’s and Serangoon
Plaza will be on the left within 100 meters. Desker Road is
the second street after Mustafa’s. Turn left onto Desker
from Serangoon Road and look for the lane on your right with
the red lanterns hanging overhead. Take a seat at one of the
tables. Order some noodles and a bottle of beer. After that,
you are on your own.
Note: A reader complained about the directions to Mitre Hotel
in the first Border Run column. The directions are correct;
just make sure to exit Somerset MRT station onto Orchard BOULEVARD,
not Orchard Road. The reader also said the Mitre Hotel sign
is no longer there, although the street number, 145, is spray
painted on the pillars at the lane entrance.
