My Take on Singapore

Worth a visit?  Without a doubt.  Especially if you're looking for high-tech electronics.

Could I live there?  Yup.  On my livability scale of 1 to 5, I'd give it a 5.

The People:  This is, hands down, the most cosmopolitan city I have ever been to. Every shade of skin and shape of eye can be seen on the streets.  The three largest ethnic groups are Malay, Chinese and Indian, and I enjoyed seeing the different clothing styles and shops in their respective Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu neighborhoods.

The Country:  High-rise glass buildings and traditional buildings share real estate in this city-state, each neighborhood with its distinctive architecture, restaurants and aromas.  Its infrastructure seemed newer and better than what we had in the United States.. Singapore is actually a collection of islands, some more inhabited than others, so if big city life doesn't appeal to you, there still are plenty of spots where you can be happy.

The Food:  The first night we arrived in Singapore Dan and I ate at a fabulous Indian vegetarian restaurant and never missed the meat.  The next day we walked through Chinatown and were amazed at the selection of eateries. With such a blend of cultures it's no surprise that there are so many different restaurants. You name it, it's probably for sale somewhere in the city.  (Except for chewing gum, but we won't go there.)

What I loved:  Its booming economy.  It's really, really clean.  The mix of people and cultures. It's pretty. Lots of green space.  English is widely spoken.  The state-of-the-art infrastructure. It's a hub so easy to get to other Asian destinations.  Sharing a huge meal with friends at the vegetarian restaurant.  Taking a cruise on the river.  Riding the Singapore Flyer.  Taking a Hop On-Hop Off bus tour.  Police actually take their jobs seriously.  There's lots to do.  Malls dedicated to electronics. Singapore has the newest gadgets.

What I didn't like:  Bring your wallet, it's expensive.  You need a passport to drive very far, because it's such a small country.  They don't sell chewing gum.

Thoughts: Techies will think they've died and gone to heaven.

Singapore

On October 1 Dan and I left Indonesia to head back to the Western Hemisphere. We decided to take our time going back and visit a few places on our Bucket List. Stop #1 was Singapore.

Singapore is the most cosmopolitan city I've ever seen, bar none. It's got glass-and-steel highrises and a state-of-the-art infrastructure and, although Malay is its official language, English is spoken everywhere. Despite colonial British influence it has Indian, Malaysian, and Chinese neighborhoods and everywhere we went I saw people of all colors, cultures and dress.

We really only had a day and a half to see the city. The first evening we took a taxi to Little India to meet friends for dinner. Louise and her husband were Australians we'd met in Bali who lived part-time in Singapore; they took us to a streetside cafe and we sat for a while chatting like old friends over bottles of Tiger Beer. (Tiger is Singapore's national beer.) Afterward they took us to their favorite Indian restaurant and ordered an amazing variety of delicious food. Not until afterward did I remind Dan it had all been vegetarian.

Though Singapore's subway, bus and taxi systems are top-notch we opted instead to use our only full-day taking a tour, which included a river cruise and a hop on-hop off bus tour. It took us to all three neighborhoods and we got a good overview of the city. We also got some nice photos.

The one thing that impressed me the most about Singapore was how clean it is. Singapore is known for its strict laws against of littering of any kind. Chewing gum isn't even sold in the country because they don't want people spitting it out on the street. I've read that littering carries a $1000 fine and repeat offenders have to wear bright jackets and clean up a public place. They sometimes even invite the media to cover the story. Having come from Indonesia, the largest trash dump I've ever seen, the contrast was striking.

Dan wanted to look for a new camera and we went into one of the many electronics malls to look. How like Singapore to have malls just dedicated to electronics. We saw things that aren't even available in the U.S. yet, and at very reasonable prices.

The end of the day found us on the Singapore Flyer watching the sun set over the city. The Singapore Flyer is like the London Eye, but larger. From there I could see that I had been wrong about the city. It's not just a small island with a lot of highrises. It's hilly islands with lots of greenery and nice older neighborhoods too.

I've decided that if I ever have to live in Asia, I could definitely live in Singapore. Even if it meant I'd have to do without chewing gum.