Singapore in Short…

You probably know about chewing gum.  And littering.  And drugs.  And alcohol. And cigarette butts.  They are all no-no’s in Singapore.  You can actually be fined or put in jail for these infractions.  And for drugs?  Death follows.  So you are very careful when you visit Singapore.  And it shows. 

We really hadn’t expected much from Singapore.  After all, it is so small it is a city AND a country.  At one time, it was part of Malaysia, but the Malays kicked them out.  So what is a kingdom to do??  Actually, Singapore took that rebuff and turned it into a shining block of gold.  This is one of the most prosperous cities we’ve visited.

New marina with new private housing at multimillion
dollar prices.

Us at the top of the 'mountain' where the cable cars go to the
entertainment park.

'Public' housing.  All looking clean and fresh, even close up.

Singapore Eye

This city/state has the most millionaires of any country in the world.  And one sees tall contemporary buildings everywhere =--- and construction everywhere!  What used to be shore is now buildings, as they are filling in the harbor and building on and on.  Going over the harbor from the downtown to an island where there is a Disney-like playground are cable cars, running every minute or two—right over our cruise ship!

Us at the center of town with new hotel behind that has an infinity
pool on the 'surfboard or boat or whatever on the top.
Takes 2500 guests!

Symbol of Singapore, the Merlion.
Part lion part fish.
Brand new financial district behind.

Don’t want to go to Disneyland Singapore-style?  Then how about taking a ride in the Singapore Eye, a giant ferris wheel bigger than the English Eye!  And, if you have enough bucks, you can even have dinner in one of the ferris wheel cars!

Trees.  Grass. Green spaces.  All planned.  And the government builds public housing – high rise buildings – and sells them to residents who aren’t covered in bucks.  Government-private enterprise working together. What does one of these apartments cost?  Well, for about 400 sq. ft, you have to pay $500,000 – and that’s the entry level!  Real estate in Singapore can make one dizzy.  Small private apartments can go for many millions.  And, because of demand, prices continue to go up.  The government requires the buildings to be maintained and painted every 5 years.  

Want a car?  Well, for a Toyota type car, figure you will need about 80-100,000 dollars or more.  AND to get a license to own that car, you pay the government another $100,000—which allows you to drive that car for ten years.  THEN you need to fork over another $100,000 for the next 10 years.  But you don’t need a car really.  Like NYC, there is public transportation.  A great subway system that comes every couple minutes, a monorail system, a bus system – lots of ways to get around.

And are you hungry?  Most popular here is McDonald’s, which delivers.  Place your order via computer and voila, you get your fix.  But if you prefer, there is KFC, Subway, In and Out Burger – and Starbucks!   Tons of Starbucks!!

The city has its China Town, Indian section, Malay section – and its red light district.  Prostitution is legal in Singapore – and the red light area is right across from the big hotels.  Schools are taught in English and signs are in English as well.  So it is easy to maneuver around the city.

Very colorful Hindu temple,
found in chinatown.

Streets decked out for Chinese new year
Year of the snake.

Silk sari shops in the Indian section.

And are you hungry?  Most popular here is McDonald’s, which delivers.  Place your order via computer and voila, you get your fix.  But if you prefer, there is KFC, Subway, In and Out Burger – and Starbucks!   Tons of Starbucks!!

The city has its China Town, Indian section, Malay section – and its red light district.  Prostitution is legal in Singapore – and the red light area is right across from the big hotels.  Schools are taught in English and signs are in English as well.  So it is easy to maneuver around the city.

We went to the Botanical Garden, noted for its orchids.  And I saw hundreds of ladies, all with umbrellas on a sunny day.  Our guide told us that having white skin is prized in Asia and that is one way the ladies stay light.  The funniest thing is that I had four groups of ladies come up to me and ask to take my picture with them.  That was a bit uncomfortable.  But our guide said they are on holiday and they want their friends to see them with Americans.  So I guess I am now in albums in Malaysia and Singapore!!

The Singapore government is concerned that the population, which is 74% Chinese, are not producing enough children, while the Malays and Indians are having huge families.  So they have an incentive of up to $11,000 to have kids now.  Kid #2 gets you $9000.  Kid #3 gets to $9000.  But kid #4 gets you $11,000 and so on. 

Our guide from tours by locals
Phil Choo.

Overall Singapore is a modern trendy city very much like NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston. In many ways they are more advanced technologically than we are in the US. And while they only have 5.3 million people, they have 19 million visitors a year.  We added to that.  Would I go back?  Yup.  Could I be comfortable there?  You bet.