Singapore has been our last stop here in Asia, and what a way to end. It is a tiny little island south of most of the other Asian countries and seems to have one of the best economies and ways of life. The city would be one that I would compare to a hollywood movie in the future. People drive fancy cars, live in million dollar high rises and shop at stores that I couldn't even afford to use their bathroom. The city is full of rules: no smoking, no chewing gum, no spitting, no jaywalking... and everyone seems to follow the rules very well.. The consequences tend to be very high fines that must be effective enough for people to listen. People are encouraged to only drive new cars as old cars are taxed up to 100% . The bus system runs double decker buses to cut back on the amount of pollution as well as having a 4 line subway system that is most effective and very affordable.
The city has a huge growing economy and seems to be taking off especially with expat communities and international companies. There are tons of job openings and worldwide growth taking place...which makes things quite pricey here. They also rely very heavily on tourism, yet the country doesn't cater to the tourism industry in the manner of "cheesing" up the city. The city runs normally and people just like to come see it in action.
We did invest in a 2 day hop on/hop off bus ride (the Duck and Hippo) and used it a lot to get around town. Using the subway is great, but you don't get to see whats up and about in the city. You can see on the right of the picture, the grand stands of the Singapore F1 races being set up. We rode on the track around the city and saw the track come alive over our weeks stay here, it is a shame we leave 3 days before the races start.
We did go to the botanical gardens which included a Ginger Garden and the largest Orchid Garden in the world (see our videos.) We also walked up and down the fancy schmancy Orchid Road...which was miles of malls and restaurants. We took a trip to Clark Quay which was a waterfront area, looked like a twisted Asian Dr. Seuss town complete with a Hooters.
We spent a full day at Sentosa Beach which is their own island to the south. It is a huge port and houses the Universal Studios and tons of other day adventures including lugeing, segways, volleyball, resorts and well beaches.
Walking along one of the malls I also ran into one of my favorites...thats right, even Dwight Howard graces the walls of malls in Singapore.
The city here is a very fast growing one with so many opportunities for international, commercial and personal growth. It is clearly a city of the future, clean, easily accessible, multi-cultural and becoming a central hub for people from all over the world. If it isn't on your must see's you should definitely add it, but save up your dollars first.
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