"Conveniently linked by a kilometre-long causeway to the southern tip of Malaysia, the tiny city-state of Singapore (just 580 square kilometres) makes a gentle gateway for many first-time travellers to Asia, providing Western standards of comfort and hygiene alongside traditional Chinese, Malay and Indian enclaves. Its downtown areas are dense with towering skyscrapers and gleaming shopping malls, yet the island retains an abundance of nature reserves and lush, tropical greenery"
Couldn't have said it better myself...
When you say Singapore, many Americans draw a mental picture of a Nazi-like police state with goosestepping cops rigidly enforcing lifestyle-constraining laws: criminalized gum-chewing, fines for spitting in public, caning for common crimes and a zero-tolerance drug policy that precribes the death penalty for smoking a joint.
But they'd be mistaken.
In fact, this is a shining example of what a large and modern city can be. The police of lore are in fact nowhere to be seen. The populace effectively polices itself through an implicit social contract: an understanding that life is better off for all through adherence to the basic laws that govern the society. Sure, people jaywalk and go over the speed limit and cut corners here and there. They are still human, after all. But in most respects, this is an amazingly law and order-abiding populace. They diligently line up for taxis and wouldn't think about cutting ahead of someone who obviously got there before them. The streets are clean because they would no more litter in public than they would in their own home. Its self-defeating and they seem to know it.
And this makes life, and living here, surprisingly easy and issue-free. There's traffic, but it flows. There are lines, but they move. Taxis are ubiquitous and dirt cheap. You never feel unsafe. There's no fear of someone bursting into an explosive rage at the slightest prompting. With a population of 5 million, there's great diversity in cuisine. Shopping abounds and you can get most anything you want. Oh, and the cost of living is about 60-70% of the US.
On top of it all, Singapore is remarkably advanced technologically. There are cellphone antennas in all the subways and underground buildings. In fact, I have yet to lose cell coverage. Anywhere. Ever. Everyone uses the latest and greatest devices. Women routinely pull iPaqs, O2-XDAs and Treos out of their purses. Armys of teens walk about with heads bowed, texting furiously on their 'handphones.' And lone executives stroll along chattering to themselves into near invisible bluetooth headsets, like malfunctioning modern-age cyborgs.
So what's the downside? Things are predictable in Singapore. A bit too much so. Everything works as it should. Everyone behaves as you expect. In fact, most expats call it "Singabore."
And aptly so. We're loving it for now and are planning to stay for 4-6 weeks. But like the face of a man in his thirties, little wrinkles are already starting to show and I can see where and how it will grow old.
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