I Like Singapore

Our ship visited Singapore on May 17th and 18th (Days 124 and 125). This image from a store near in a small Singapore mall delighted me. It seemed to capture something about this city. Fine quality brass instruments and unexpected beauty. I don’t know that the red trombone would go over well in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, but it sure looks fun.

Singapore is an independent small city (which is also a country) located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. It was originally part of Malaysia, and joined Malaysia from 1963 to 1965 after Malaysian independence. But, it broke off from Malaysia and became independent in 1965.

While the other areas of Malaysia are made up mostly of ethnic Malays, Singapore is 80% ethnic Chinese. This contributed to the decision of Singapore to go it alone as an independent city-state.

Since its independence, Singapore has successfully implemented planning measures to become a leading financial center in the region. It has intentionally moved a tiny dense urban area with few natural resources from its starting place to a vibrant city that also includes amazing green spaces. The people I spoke with were very glad to live there.

At the same time, the society clearly does not have the kinds of open freedom we are used to in the United States. For example, when you eat on a tray in a fast food restaurant, you are required to bus your tray. If you don’t, you will be fined.

Also, our guide stated that each person has their ethnicity listed on their national identity card. She told us this was a good idea, because it is used to protect ethnic minorities. The government subsidizes housing for many (most?) citizens. As it allocates the housing units, it makes sure that the ethnic makeup of the building reflects that in the city as a whole. If you are a person of Malay ethnicity, you can sell your unit on the secondary market, but only to a person of Malay ethnicity. This keeps the mix of ethnicities in all the housing units.

Those arguing in favor of this approach point to the results compared to other places in Asia. But criticisms of the society abound. At this point, I’m open to it as a choice that may be good for them. I’ll let you made up your own mind.

With this background, I’ll offer some of the sights. The city surrounds you with interesting (and quirky) buildings and spaces

Those of you who watch BBC World News may recognize this building as a background to its news reports, which are based in Singapore. It has an infinity pool on top (I didn’t visit it), which is featured in the last scene of the movie Crazy Rich Asians.

I went on an evening tour, which included a ride on the Singapore Flyer.

I didn’t get to visit the Gardens by the Bay. Definitely on my list for next time. But I did see it at night from the Flyer.

Since we are not going to visit China on this trip, I was glad for the visit to Singapore’s Chinatown, to get something of a feel for the Chinese culture.

It turns out that Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple is also in Chinatown.