Singapore

Several days after returning from Cebu City I got on another plane to Singapore. Thank God that the plane was not full because this discount airline has asian size seats. I was able to have a row to myself where I could sit sideways, otherwise I and the person in front of me would have been quite uncomfortable. The three-hour flight went by quickly with my iPod and book. My longtime friend Ronnie Jones was at the airport to meet me. He’s been working for the Singaporean subsidiary of Microsoft for a couple years now, and had kindly (and forcibly ) invited me to visit.

Singapore is a well-oiled machine; it hums with productivity and efficiency. The contrast with Manila is jarring: it could take you two and a half hours to get across Manila, while getting from one side of Singapore to the other only takes 25 min on public transportation. I don’t go out much in Manila because it’s just too much of a headache, but I felt very comfortable getting around Singapore after only 6 days. Clearly my impressions of Singapore are colored by my time in the Philippines. I wonder how it would seem coming from the States.

I imagine that, if I were to live in many places in Southeast Asia, I’d save up to go shopping in Singapore. Shopping is, somewhat jokingly, referred to as their national sport. When I visit Hong Kong I’ll let you know which I think is better for shopping. Not that many reading this will ever really care which is better – know this though, for expats living in Manila this will be valuable information. You should have seen Davie’s eyes when I told him that I saw a home-brewing store in Singapore. (You mean we don’t have to have it shipped from the states!?) Where Manila has great malls (I could write an entry just about malls and culture in Manila), Singapore has shopping along many nice streets.

Singapore is by far the most attractive city I’ve been to in while in Asia. The buildings, cars (licenses only last for 10 years), stores, etc. are all new. It has nice parks, even if it is too hot to go for walks in them. All the food I had was good or great, even if the service is not. Singapore says its at the crossroads of the worlds waterways (probably true – one of the busiest ports in the world), and they defiantly live like it.

For most western travelers, I don’t know that Singapore has anything compelling to make them visit. That said, if you are spending time in SE Asia, even as a visitor, it would be a terrific pit stop. Flights to and from many destinations in Asia are quite inexpensive making Singapore a great hub for someone spending time here. If you are interested in economic development Singapore defiantly merits your interest, it truly is an amazing experiment gone well.

You can read more details regarding Singapore at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore

A special thanks to Ronnie and Rose for making my stay in Singapore so pleasant. It was so nice to visit with both of them and have Ronnie show me around. We walked so much! It was just my style.

I think these are a kind of Bird of Paradise. Took this photo in the park near Ronnie’s home.



Lotus flowers for sale outside the temples.



Typical intersection along Orchard Street.