Singapore
Singapore is a very weird place, a place that you can get a severe fine and a talking to from the law for having a stick of chewing gum, a place where it’s against the law to not flush the toilet, you have to cross the road in certain places otherwise you can get a fine). It’s also a place where I have not seen anyone smile.
Most of the laws in place are to keep the city tidy and I gave to admit it does work, well kind of, there’s still litter just a lot less of it.
It costs about $12 dollars for a pint of beer here, mostly due to ‘Sin Tax’ but everywhere we’ve been, people have been drinking, the bars are pretty weird here too, closed doors, most without windows, those that do look like seedy strip pubs.
It’s obviously a very prosperous place, many of the big players in the financial markets have offices here. But at the same time there is a subtle sense that no-one is happy here.
Compared to the other Asian countries we’ve visited where the welcomes are warm and friendly, service incredible and people seemed to have a great sense of community. Singapore in contrast is a cold, manufactured and rather fake-feeling copy of a combination of London’s worst bits.
Glad to say we’re off to Australia tomorrow which should be awesome!
