Do Singaporeans do this every night?

I had an unexpectedly free evening yesterday, and leaped upon it with alacrity (!) - I still had a few things left to get for friends at home.

Shopping in Singapore is a rush - literally - everyone seems to be rushing from one place to another. Each person has a purpose, and walks rapidly towards his or her destination (no side trips) talking on a handphone or to a friend (who has a similar purpose). It's like being caught up in an inexorable tide of humanity.

If you are a bemused tourist, trying to figure out whether to take the MRT to Somerset or to Orchard, you're going to get run over unless you figure it out quickly.

I was surprised to find that the pushcarts that used to dominate Clarke Quay were nowhere to be found... lots of construction, but Singapore (in its infinite wisdom) has moved them elsewhere. Alas, I have not the time to find them. Orchard Road is either a shopper's paradise (or nightmare) - every store imaginable, from hawker stalls to Burberry and Cartier.

What surprised me was the sheer number of people out - on a Wednesday night, after 9 p.m. - do they do this all the time? and who buys things from Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci and Tiffany? Puzzles me... cause it's definitely not me.

Shopping in Singapore is quite an experience - phew - and I'm glad I'm done.