Singapore

Singapore is great.  As hard-line as their laws and government are, I felt very safe, much safer than when I was living in Chicago, or frankly for that matter, safer than anyplace I've ever been.  We were never out of options for great food, which also helps me like a place quicker, and the architecture was amazing.  Seriously, it was a great place to visit and going back is always an option.

While traveling and even planning to visit, I did not expect to like it so much.  Other than the mind boggling high price of liquor, I really enjoyed my time there.  The modern architecture was a huge reason I wanted to visit, but I was taken in not only by the visual landscape, but the feel (or vibe) and culture of Singapore and the people I met.  Yes, I did look and feel a bit like a tourist, but it is somewhere I'd consider moving in a few years.  After just a few days of walking around, I can say that Singapore easily made my top five list of places I've really enjoyed my time.

Singapore is very clean and the food is great, two things I desire in a location I visit or live.  Living in Cambodia has made me realize that I'm more of a germaphobe than I'd like to admit.  Well, I guess I did just admit to that, but I cannot help it, sadly.  This city-state is seriously clean and well organized.  The buildings and skyline are amazing.  A lack of litter and garbage strewn about, in addition to a lack of dust, exercising proper rules of the road and having well organized transportation makes navigating the city quite easy and pleasant.  It is small enough to walk to a lot of places we wanted to see, which was nice, but there are cabs, buses and the train easily available.  We haven't walked around a city like this for over six months, something I didn't realize how much I missed until this trip.  I prefer a more urban environment to a rural setting and Singapore definitely delivered on my need for time in an urban environment.

I cannot say enough about the food.  Eating amazing tapas for Christmas dinner is something I'll never forget.  This meal was very tasty and one I'll remember for some time.  We ordered some of our favorite Spanish dishes and all of them either met or exceeded our expectations, the essential making for a great meal.  The blackberry sangria was very tasty and ensured we had a good night.  Even the German restaurant we ate at had great sausages and sauerkraut with Paulaner on draft.  Finally proper draft beer, it was six long months coming.  If you're in Singapore visit an area called Chimjes for a location with great restaurants featuring food from all over the word.  It is not a cheap culinary experience, but the restaurants there have great food and service making some of the sting fade.

Now, on the other hand the liquor is seriously "spendy" if you ask me.  (Don't ask me where I learned the colloquialism spendy, I just like it.)  I don't mind paying for good booze, but $12+ USD for an average beer is a bit much.  There is a huge tax (I think 21%) on liquor making the prices go through the roof.  For a hoot we went to the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel, the bar that is the home of the original Singapore Sling, and slowly sipped our $26 cocktails.  It was a one time thing, trust me, because spending $52 for two drinks is not something I plan on doing with frequency on my current paycheck.  Yes, they were good and I'd have kicked myself if I did not try them.  Since we were on vacation I do think a little indulgence is okay.

The architecture in Singapore is amazing.  Living in Chicago and consistently seeing buildings that are simply amazing works of art has spoiled me in that regard.  Visiting Singapore made me even more aware of the amazing skyscrapers in other parts of the world that I have yet to see.  Taking in views of the city from the Marina Bay Sands Towers, which looks like a ship crossing three fifty-seven story buildings, was a new experience. Seeing One Raffles Place, Capital Tower, the Esplanade and One George Street was a lot of fun.  Looking at and walking around in the ArtScience Museum, a building designed to resemble the hand of Buddha or a lotus flower, was incredible.  Just look at the pictures below.  The conservatories at Gardens by the Bay won the World Building of the Year award and I can see why.  Impressive from the outside, the interiors were equally amazing.  Everywhere I looked in the city, I saw different designs and unique structures that I could explore for weeks.

the first curved bridge in the world

Definitely tour the Gardens by the Bay if you decide to visit.  The two aforementioned structures that blew me away are full of exotic plants - one is quite cool and contains a waterfall, called the Cloud Forest, and the other is a bit warmer, but still cool, and rather arid, called the Flower Dome.  I thought the conservatories were huge, but they felt even bigger once inside.  This is also the park that contains the Super Trees that I've been desperate to see.  The gigantic metal trees are partially covered in plants such as ferns and vines with the vision of the entire structure being covered in a few years time.  There is also an elevated walkway that connects some of the Super Trees.  You can even take an elevator to the top of the tallest tree and view the entire park while enjoying cocktails, fun.  The park is full of gardens organized by the themes "Plants and People" and "Plants and Planet", it is simply beautiful place to spend your time.  The gardens are free, but you must pay admission for the conservatories.

We saw a very cool art exhibit at the ArtScience Museum that was entirely created from LEGO blocks.  This building is the one designed to resemble the hand of Buddha.  The exhibit blew my mind.  I know people do some cool things with LEGOs, but this is taking the small plastic blocks to another level.  My words cannot explain these sculptures, so enjoy the photos.

Just down the street from our hotel was the Singapore Art Museum.  The pieces on display were all modern art from SE Asia.  There were three works that really stuck with me.  One was a photo exhibit of people in markets, on the street, in an alley way or other locations with two guys holding a piece of material behind the subject while remaining in the frame.  They were really fun photos and were nearly life-size.  The other was a series of monochrome portraits of famous people smoking.  Seeing Lincoln with a cigarette in his mouth is something I cannot unsee, yet I really enjoy.  Another was a portrait done with shampoo caps, either open or closed.  This realization made me chuckle when my wife pointed out what the artist used to create the image.  Overall I was really impressed with the art on display and would go back every time I'm in Singapore.

In Chinatown we visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.  This was a surreal experience.  The temple was a bit unassuming from the street, but once inside I cannot describe the beauty.  Ornately decorated in gold and red and full of so much detail one cannot take it in with one visit.  Quiet and very peaceful, this was a highlight of the trip for me.

I'm not sure what to think about the Singapore Night Zoo.  It was kind of depressing for us.  The animals looked sad, drugged, were feeding or all three at once.  This zoo is rated highly in most tourist guides so we thought we'd give it a try.  Wow, this was not not what we expected.  Seeing lions and tigers was great, but at what cost to the animals.  I don't like to think about this visit other than our amazingly funny guide for the evening.

You can rent a Ferrari or Lamborghini there if you want to race around the city for about $600 for one hour.  I read yacht parties are the rage there.  $20-30,000 a night for that party is what I saw advertised, if you're interested.  My private school teaching salary does not allow me to partake in these activities right now, but I may one day.

The airport, Changi, is amazing.  It has everything you can imagine and then some.  Restaurants, shops, an exercise facility, snooze lounges, a movie theater, hotels - all there to meet your needs.  In a duty free shop I saw a $25,000 bottle of scotch and $125 cigars.  Most everything was very high end and marked-up.  No expense was spared in the construction or design, this is truly the nicest airport through which I have traveled.

To sum up, I liked Singapore.