G just came back from his honeymoon recently, and complained about how one of the tour guides brought them to one of the filming sites for LOTR (Edoras, for those who know), with the effect that while he was ON the site, he couldn't SEE the site (and take the requisite pictures).
Link now to the Viaduc de Millau, which is banking on exactly the same feeling of "I want to be in a position where I can see the sight rather than be on the site itself".
And that's something about monuments and great feats of engineering and other marvels to behold from a distance - they work best at a distance. With our increasing ability to build tourist facilities just about anywhere in the world, we now have two options for every grand tourist attraction - one for those interested in the intricate details of how it was put together - and another to admire it from afar.
Maybe we should consider getting the Malaysians to build Something Grand and Monumental in Johor Bahru. To be precise, Something So Grand And Monumental That It Looks Amazing From Woodlands (or some other northern part of Singapore, like maybe Punggol). That way we can position ourselves as The Place From Which You Can View A Wonder Of The World, which is not quite as hard as being A Wonder Of The World ourselves, and would certainly breathe a bit more life into the more remote parts of the island. We could even build a Magnificent Lighthouse off our coast as well, if the Malaysians don't take too kindly to the idea.
All this would certainly be an added incentive to visit the Casino that looks more and more like reality with each new report in The Straits Times, regardless of what concerned citizens might think.
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