First time back in Singapore since 1968 - and what dramatic changes!
First of all it is an economic Wunderkind, despite being the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Foreign Investment and rapid government led industrialization has created a booming economy, which gave Singapore the highest standard of living in Asia. Unlike many countries, paying lip service to environmental issues, Singapore enforces strict regulations, which has resulted in maintenance of natural greenery, strict emission controls, strict regulations as to location of industrial sites, and an incredible public transports system capable of moving half the city's inhabitants to and from work daily. Pollution is well within World Health Organization standards.
All this is due to Lee Kuan Kee, first and longest reigning Prime Minister of Singapore (no it is Goh Chok Tong), who is known as 'Father of Singapore' and could be described as a benign autocrat.
Some people find local rules orwellian and dcaconian: Jaywalkers are fined on the spot, Chewing gum is a prohibited good (no one chews - heaven), absolutely no littering, death penalty for drug traffickers, no grafiti (lovely), no pornographic books, web sites, movies....
Again the result is admirable: people behave without a policeman in sight, no need for garbage cans in subway stations (plastic tickets carry a refundable deposit), no crime, everyone obeys traffic signs, everything is spotlessly clean and everywhere is totally safe - day or night.
People - at least the ones I talked with - seem very happy about their city and it's strict rules, and everyone is rightfully proud of a home country and city, that is sophisticated, wealthy, cultured, well educated, modern and traditional at the same time, tolerant, vibrant, polite, clean and a prettty good example for some of our decaying western metropoli. No 'urban decay' here, no inner city disaster, no fear of being mugged.
In short - I l'oved it.
I made use of the incredibly efficient and pleasant Metro (trains everywhere every 3 minutes) where kids even get up to offer seats to adults. Not a speck of dirt (no food, drink or smoking allowed). Thousands of people flow through every day - speedily, reasonably priced.
But, when I emerged from the subway at City Hall, my memory of Singapore as a medium sized slightly damp and decaying colonial city of the sixties was wiped out on the spot.
The venerable Raffles Hotel no longer has slat windows and thousands of ghekkos and cockroaches, neither has it the original Long Bar, famous for Singapore Slings and the airy groundlevel long porch replete with rattan armchairs and weaving fans. Now it is a ***** star hotel, with airconditioning and the most luxurious interiors imaginable, magnificient gardens and fountains, exclusive restaurants and shops, a forest of flowers, palms, lawns amongst the wings, and a 'replacement' Long Bar on the second floor.
There the most expensive virgin Singapore Sling is served, with a trace of the obligatory Grand Marnier, Dom, Gin and some other secret ingredients, at the outrageous price of $28 each. I sipped one, whilst shelling peanuts and letting the shells drop on the bar floor, de rigeur, and the only place where littering is actually encouraged.
I heard later, that some Passsengers who (as many do) had not listened to the port talks, found the Raffles, was impressed with it's beauty and elegance, and sat down with four friends to drink four beers..it's a bar after all. He signed the bill on his credit card, and only later found out that those four brewski's set him back $240 US Dollars. The price of ignorance.
The old Singapore River, now Boat Key, used to be something aking to an open drain, filled bank to bank with sampans, houseboats, Chinese junks, floating markets, anything floatable.... It was filled with people trading, fishing, doing their laundry, performing their libations, cooking, dying and giving birth....now it is a clean expanse of river water, and only a few tour boats motor serenely along from Boat Key, to Raffles Landing, to City Hall, all beautifully maintained Colonial buildings, now dwarfed by soaring ultra-modern skyscrapers.
I lunched at Boat Key, the old crowded, odorous, busy river bank, then filled with hundreds of little shops and food stands. Strictly Asian fishermen and produce sellers, with their extended families crowding the upstairs floor of the shops.
Now, the entire river bank is one sweeping, well greened and manicured arc, paved and restricted to pedestrians, with bronze sculptures, beautiful lighting and numerous benches. It is lined on the land and river side with a huge array and variety of restaurants, converted from the old shops, now offering almost any cuisine one could desire. At midday, it is filled with people, lunching and strolling - at least until one of the typical Singapore tropical storms moves in. And one of those did - cascades of water, thunder and lightening, and spouts of water pouring from roofs and awnings. There were flooded walkways, and drenched restaurants, some hurried lowering of plastic curtains around the open air bistros, whose tented roofs were frequently poked clear of gathering heavy waterpools. (Keep them from collapsing onto the diners below). Waiters still rushed back and forth with food, whilst a second waiter running in tantedm carried an umbrella. Regarding umbrellas, restaurants and shops have racks of plastic sleeves at the doors, so anyone entering can sheeth their dripping umbrella to keep it from wetting floors - or merchandise. It soon stopped and trendily dressed pedestrians tip toed through diminishing puddles, trying not to get their designer shoes wet.
Shopping....if one is not a shopper, here it would be easy to become addicted. Whether Prada, Gucci, Dior, Ives St Laurent, Dolce Cabana, Versace, whatever name of high fashion one can think of - they are all there in duplicate and triplicate. Orchard Street still is Shopping Mecca for the International Fashionistas, but Little India, Little Arabia and China Town offer everything from anywhere at either fixed or bargained costs. OK, the fashionable luxury malls are beyond bargaining, but in the numerous smaller individual shops in the ethnic areas it is not only expected, but a polite thing to do.
To sum it up: Singapore is a small country, consisting of Singapore Island proper and 63 smaller islands at the tip of the slender Malay Peninsular. Just 90 miles north of the equator, it has a tropical climate (i.e. VERY hot and VERY humid). The pace is all but relaxed, though, with more than three million inhabitants, concentrated mostly on the Big Island. Fourteen nationalities make up the population, which also represents a range of religious components: Islam, Hindu, Tao, Buddhist, Christian, some Jewish and a few off shoots from them.
It is a truly 'amazing' city, with a strong and lively heartbeat, unforgettable atmosphere and friendly, polite and happy people. We, members of the so-called 'civilized' West, could copy a few pages out of their book. Somehow, they seem to have got it right in making a huge metropolis liveable, pleasant, safe, clean, green and HAPPY.
