Sentosa Island is a spectacular place by all accounts. Today, it is a major tourist attraction, serving the people of Singapore, and guests from all over the world, drawn by its golf courses, fabulous water parks, Universal Studios, and the incredible luxury hotels on Sentosa Island . It’s been a big tourist attraction since 1970, but before that, it has a very colorful history. Its position was perfect for protecting Singapore, and it was therefore used as a military outpost during the Second World War.

The fighting forces from India and Nepal known as the Gurkhas have a particularly vivid reputation in the world, and any boy interested in soldiers has certainly come across their name. The reputation does precede them, and their courage and skill is rather famous. Their history is even more remarkable. Their participation in aiding the causes of the British crown goes back two centuries, but there’s something about their status that suggests a value system that goes back much further.

Some of the stories of their service suggest an obligation to the crown, and at times speaks to a history of colonial strategies of domination. However, with the Gurkhas, it seems that the impetus to protect and to serve their allies was absolute, speaking to a code of honor that dates back much further than British rule, and comes directly from a spirit of the Nepalese that still exists today. So much so that, in 1940, when the cause seemed all but lost, they committed their forces in acts of extreme generosity of spirit.

Their legendary status is immortalized in a cigar brand , which had been re-invented in recent years to commemorate a time when, over a century ago, the fighting forces would make their own cigars that they shared with the British troops. The fact that these forces were active here, in Sentosa Island, gives the island even more depth and complexity, and makes it well worth the visit.

Related posts:

1. Financial Crisis in Sentosa
2. The Colorful and Incredible History of Singapore
3. The Singapore River
4. Pasir Ris Park in Singapore
5. Eating; The National Pastime, Delifrance, MacDonalds, Wifi