shopping in singapore

Singapore has got to be as different as you could possibly get from Indonesia.  It's shocking really, that two places that are so close in proximity can be so unbelievably different... I think that Singapore is probably different from all of its Southeast Asian neighbors... perhaps that's why it is a city state?  Or perhaps the fact that it is a city state makes it possible to be such a clean, safe, and expensive city... very easy in fact to forget that you are halfway around the world.

The first thing we noticed... Expensive. Expensive. Expensive.  The price of everything is about the same as what you would pay in Canada... around $100 for a decent hotel room, $20 for a cab ride from the airport, $10 for a decent meal, $1 for a bottle of water, tourist traps that far exceeded our budget (we didn't even bother going to Santosa Island), and far too much shopping (and not the kind I was doing in Indonesia... big swanky malls).  We spent five days there... five extraordinarily expensive days... (I actually still refuse to look at how much was spent.  I'll deal with that later)

We paid $55 SGD for a double bed in a closet in a hostel.  (FYI that's close to twice as much as we were paying in the previous country.)  This room was soooo small...  For one person it may have been ok, but the two of us were stepping all over each other. The shared bathrooms were also in little closets off the hallway... with accordion doors and showers over top of the toilet (yes, you stand around the toilet as you shower yourself clean... seems kind of counterproductive if you ask me).  Since the accommodation was so terrible, we left as soon as we woke up, and came home late every night.  We had to ensure that we tired ourselves out because it was so loud from the street that we wouldn't be able to sleep unless we were exhausted.

at least its a western toilet!!!

that's actually all of the floor space we had

Besides the place that we were staying, Singapore has got to be the classiest city in the world.  I mean, the public bathrooms there are nicer than any bathroom I have ever used.  Seriously, like... the airport bathroom, mall bathrooms, even MRT station bathrooms... full floor to ceiling stalls, sanitizer to wipe the toilet seat with, individual automatic hand dryers... and they smell... good!  I don't think I smelled a bad smell in all of my time there (except maybe in that open market with all of the fish). The elevators in the MRT stations didn't even smell of urine.  You could use any back stairwell, rarely used elevator, or long underground corridor...  they were all well lit, clean, and safe.  And the lack of garbage!!  After over a month in Indonesia this was like... heaven.  So clean... everywhere... How is it possibly so clean?  Because there are fines for everything.  And there is always someone telling you what to do and how to do it.  (There were actually tourist trinkets that had "Singapore, a fine city" and then pictures of all of the signs.) I have never, in my life, seen so many signs prohibiting things.  It wasn't even just those signs, there were signs about how to properly use an escalator, insanely detailed signs about how to wash your hands, signs telling you to "use the lift if you are unwell", signs asking you to "respect life" (and not jump onto the MRT tracks).  Apparently you can't chew gum or spit on the sidewalk (I actually witnessed men spitting into garbage cans), and there is a fine for not flushing a public toilet.  The people too... they were all so put together... everyone.  I didn't see one person who I thought could be homeless, or suffer from mental health or addictions, and  barely any people with disabilities were out in the community... It made me wonder where they are... this can't possibly be a city that has no population of people in need... no one that doesn't fit into the societal expectation of normalcy... so where are they? I don't know... but they sure weren't in any of the areas I went too...

thanks for the tip... couldn't have figured that one out

I never knew there were so many incorrect ways to use one!

The most detailed hand washing sign... ever

don't even think about doing any of those

I couldn't get over how well organized and maintained the public transport system is.  It's fool proof... You can't sneak  on or off and I couldn't imagine anyone ever getting lost in such a user friendly system.  When you get a ticket you have to say which station you are leaving from and going to, then it gives you a plastic card which you swipe to get into the station, and swipe to get out.  Or, you can pay $8 for a tourist day pass that gives you unlimited usage.  There are maps everywhere that are easy to follow, and when you are on the train it has a map that lights up on the station you are approaching.  Also, the automated system reminds you when you are approaching a station that is a transfer station.  You can't eat or drink anything in the MRT stations... ($500 fine) They don't  even have garbage cans inside!!! (I guess that is a very big hint that there is no reason you should have anything to throw away when you are inside... you can't consume anything... you even return the reusable plastic tickets for your $1 deposit).  It was actually eerie to  walk down the pristine marble corridor with not even a scrap piece of paper, and then get onto an equally clean and comfortable train where people actually respected the signs that designate seats for those who need them.  Everything was so orderly, people were so respectful and pleasant, everything looked so PERFECT.  There were these messages on the PA system too... I can't  remember exactly what they said... one was a reminder not to eat or drink in the stations or on the trains, one was a reminder to never leave your bag unattended and if you see an unattended bag notify a security guard immediately (which is a scary reminder that you are in a place that is a target for terrorism). I don't know, it felt like there was always a calm and soothing British voice telling me to do (or not do) something.  Oh, and the English!  It was interesting because English was spoken everywhere, yet it was just a little different than I am used to.  On the MRT they use the word "alight" ... ummm... I have never heard that before.  "Please let others alight before entering the train." "If you are transferring to the circle line, please alight at the next station." ... It's a good word... sounds classier than "exit" ... and there is "Please mind the platform gap."  (They say that every time you get to a station to get on or off the train.) I think I have seen similar signs in Canada that are "watch your step" ... again, Singapore just has a classier way of saying it.

none of this in the staion

my personal favorite... don't kill yourself.  Thank you.  That would dirty our city.

The malls.... oh the malls.  Everywhere... basically at every MRT station, and then throw in some more on every block. EVERYWHERE we went there was a mall.  Like... EVERYWHERE... we were amazed... how could people actually shop this much??  I think we spent the entire time either in the MRT or in a mall... it was unavoidable... you couldn't go anywhere that didn't have one!  And, of course, they were CLASSY malls... stores like Prada and Gucci... stores I wouldn't even step into (because I think they would laugh me back out).  Restaurants in the middle of the mall with big wooden chairs and white table clothes, marble pillars, gorgeous fountains, it was amazing.  It smelled of money and status. I felt compelled to get my nails done, put something nice on, and do something with my hair (clearly i lacked the financial backing to follow through with that).  It made me wish I was rich...

thats a mall!!  whoda thunk

Another awe-inducing thing was the architecture.  I don't know anything about architecture (like... anything... at all), but I have eyes, and those buildings are UNIQUE.  Nothing is boring in Singapore, from the rain covers at the Quay, to the entrance to underground walkways, to the museum, to the skyscrapers, to the Singapore flyer (a giant Ferris wheel like thing that you can ride on and see the city), to pedestrian bridges... it's...futuristic maybe?  I don't know... it's unique and interesting and different... And then there is the combination of architecture... colonial type buildings, Asian looking buildings, skyscrapers... all in one glance.  I found myself constantly taking pictures of buildings (I never take pictures of buildings) because  it was just so different.

thats a museum on the right, the coolest building ever in the middle, and a walkway on the left

check out this bridge!!

the Singapore Flyer

I don't even know the word for this type of building...

thats a rain cover!!

don't even know what this is

cool looking neighborhood

thats a mall behind and an entrance to an underground walkway

In sum, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Singapore... I want to get rich and live there.  (Hahah yeah, right.)  But seriously, if I were ever to live in a big city, I would live in that one.  I am a minority, but no one stares at me.  It's a different culture, but my native language.  It's a big city, but safe like a small town.  You can't determine who the majority is (I looked it up, it's Chinese, but it's not really that apparent): there are just a plethora a different people with different physical attributes and religious beliefs all living harmoniously in a pristine clean and safe environment.

I feel so protected :-)