SIngapore...First Impressions

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Hello Everyone,

My first impression of Singapore, as we sped away from the airport on the highly clean and efficient MRT system, was that it looks a little like Tomorrow Land at Walt Disney World. The streets are incredibly clean, the pedestrian zones are spacious, and the buildings are like something from the future.

The only spot that is not spotless seems to be our hotel room. Although the price is right, it smells like a bug bomb exploded, probably to cover up the smell of our sheets, that look like they are in dire need on replacement.

We did not arrive in Singapore until 6PM, so that didn't leave us much time to look around. We ventured out anyway and had dinner in one of the small sort of street restaurants that can be found all over the place. Singapore is really a strange sort of place, where the official languages are English, Chinese, Malay, and Indian and the restaurants serve everything from McDonald's to Thai food.

After dinner we took the MRT to Raffles Hotel, which is famous for its own alcoholic invention, the Singapore Sling. It was a rather expensive, but surprisingly good drink and though I had never heard of it, it is supposedly "the thing to do" when you visit Singapore and I think we did it rather well (even it we were a little under dressed for a five star hotel).

Before going back to our room we decided to check out the Esplanade, which is a large art center in the shape of two hedgehogs or durians (for those of you who know what they look like). I should also mention here that on the way there we saw plenty of bats in the palm trees and snails with shells the size of my fist. Anyway, the lobby of the art center was stunning, as was the architecture and the landscape of the area. Our guidebook explained that Singapore is trying to become a center for art. But in a land where chewing gum is outlawed, forgetting to flush the toilet is punished by fine, and drug dealers are put to death, you can imagine that self-expression is also one of those things that isn't always tolerated.

Ironically, the real art could be found a few steps away from the art center in an underpass below the street. Here, we discovered a group of teenagers skating in front of the "no skateboarding" signs, playing guitar, singing, and break dancing. this was the real center of self expression in Singapore, a place where artistic oppression was obliterated. It tells a real story, while the Esplanade was pretty, but it was difficult to find a meaning behind the politically correct art work.

It may sound to you like I've made up my mind about Singapore already. But it's not that simple. Singapore is pretty harsh as far as its laws are concerned, but the results are stunning. Sure, chewing gum is outlawed, but there is also none of it stuck to tables and benches. Sure, you have to pay a fine if you don't flush the toilet, but you also don't have stinky bathrooms. Finally, sure freedom of speech is not really practiced, but with so many cultures living side-by-side, maybe this is a peacekeeping method. This town is actually broken up into Little India, Little China, and Little Arabia, yet the most commonly spoken language is English, and they all live in perfect harmony.

Depending on whether one agrees with Singaporean politics or not (which, by the way, it is illegal for foreigners to discuss within the country), this country can be seen as a utopia or a distopia. Either way, it is unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Zara

PS: Sorry, no photos. We didn't charge the camera.

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