A group of us were looking desperately for a public toilet at the Esplanade area after having supper but we realised that the nearby toilets were locked.

Thinking that there are so many hotels in this area, we should be able to find and use a public toilet. However, we were mistaken. We were forbidden to enter the hotels as the personnel there gave the excuse that the toilets were under maintenance.

What made the matter worse was the security staff gave us wrong instructions to the nearby toilets.

Walking further down with the hope of finding a cubicle to relieve ourselves, we reached a six-star hotel. We climbed up the slope and got to the main lobby and were greeted by a man who did not look like a security officer as he was not in uniform.

When we checked with him if we could use the public toilet in the hotel, he rejected us crudely. He claimed that the toilets were closed from 2am to 6am and that the place was a private property.

How can this happen in this 'city of possibilities'?

Belle Chia Mingxuan (Miss)