Singapore: Manhattan East

By far the best thing about Singapore is the food: it is most likely impossible to get a bad meal anywhere in this city-state. Best of all, you can eat wherever you please because hygienic standards are as high as anywhere in the world. You see a somethng that looks good at a street stall? Go ahead! Your gut won't revolt two hours later.

Quick Tips:

Singapore Musings
Singapore`s high-tech facade is deceptive, for this is not a country that truly accepts the concept of human and civil rights underlying its adopted British constitutional model. Rather, the values that underpin Singapore are essentially Confucian: ancestors are worshipped, elders and superiors are venerated, and one`s position in society is accepted without question. Everyone knows what his/her duties are vis-a-vis the group, and everyone carries them out. Not to is to risk public shame, ridicule, and loss of `face`: The canings and the public exposure of citizens` misdeeds in the toothless, government newspapers are evidence of this.

Visitors are dazzled by Singapore`s First World appearance, so it takes time to sense the chinks in its high-tech armor. I noticed them first at the Singapore Art Museum. Although local painting and sculpture produced after 1965, when Singapore broke away from its ill-fated union with Malaysia, are very competently executed, I saw nothing that was ground-breaking, nothing that would be snapped up by a major museum in Europe or the U.S. Why? These people are clearly very talented. The answer lies, I am convinced, with the Confucian dictum that one should never stand out or challenge the status-quo.

Best Way To Get Around:

In Town
Use the public transport system. It`s cheap and incredibly efficient. Taxis are also reasonable and quite easy to find. Don`t bother to rent a car. Parking is problematic and expensive.

In Singapore everything works: the well-integrated system of buses and metros zip you from one side of town to the other. System maps are as clear as they are ubiquitous. If you opt for a taxi, the driver will know where he's going. a relief after a few weeks of dealing with the inefficiencies of many of Singapore`s neighbors.

From overseas:
Fly in. You can`t go wrong with any Southeast Asian carrier except for Garuda Indonesian and Philippine Airlines. Singapore Airlines is arguably the best airline in the world. Being a long way from Singapore to North America and Europe, they know how to treat passengers on truly long-haul flights. Economy passengers even have their own LCD screens for movies and entertainment.

From Southeast Asia:
There is train and bus service to Singapore from Malaysia and Thailand. In addition, there are ferries available to get to and from several islands in Indonesia.

This building was once the residence of the British colonial governor of Singapore. Although the glitzy elegance is gone, the building has been tastefully decorated. Most of the furniture is antique Permanakan. (Permanakan is the term used for the Chinese-Malay culture that developed on the island during the 19th century.)

The rooms are high-ceilinged, light, and airy, all have ceiling fans and most have air-conditioning as well as a TV and phone. Downstairs in the lobby you''ll find a computer so you also have Internet access. For Singapore, it''s $5.00 per half hour, about double what you can get at the many computer access points around the city.

Breakfast is included in the rates; however, that is a distinct disappointment. I''d recommend going out to another of the many restaurants in the neighborhood, unless, of course, you like barely-toasted toast, cornflakes, warmish yoghurt, and tepid orange juice...

Lau Pa Sat is nothing short of an eating emporium: There are dozens of stalls selling all manner of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Thai food. You can get anything from shark fin soup to barbequed sting ray, from Cantonese fried rice to chicken vindaloo.

This old Singapore stand-by is housed in an amazing wrought iron and glass structure that is reminiscent of the tropical hothouse in Kew Gardens, London.

Along the East Coast Highway between Changi Airport and downtown Singapore is a series of seafood restaurants built rather like an American strip mall that produces some of the finest food anywhere in the world. If you have any time in town at all, hop a cab, tell the driver "Seafood!" and that's where he'll doubtless take you. We went with some Singaporean friends and will never forget the experience!

Singapore may not have a Christian majority, but it doesn't stop people from celebrating the secular, consumer-oriented aspect of it. Shops and hotels decorate for it, people buy and give one another gifts, and Christmas music is substituted for the standard Muzak. Essentially, it's an excuse to do yet more shopping!

New Year's Eve is a major excuse for partying. Street celebrations take place at various venues around town; we went to Suntec Plaza, which is a huge square surrounded on three sides by 40+ storey skyscrapers with a gigantic fountain in the center. A soundstage was set up, a Malaysian rock band provided the entertainment, and 80,000-odd people crammed into the space with noisemakers and "string" (what IS that goopy stuff called, anyway?), producing as much noise as is humanly possible. I had never been in such a crowd before, and I doubt I'll ever (intentionally) experience one again...

Shopping in Singapore is something of a national sport. I'm not sure which is more important to a Singaporean, shopping or eating -- or making money. They're all right up there at the top.

Singapore is one of the best places in the world to buy electronics, computers equipment and software, and just about anything else you care to mention. Although their interest in the WTO has dampened their enthusiasm for pirated software or fashion knock-offs, if you're into such things, that's just across the causeway in Johore Bahru.

Malls in Singapore are easily the equal of those in North America. They're big, bright, clean, and air-conditioned. And there's food available everywhere, too, so you don't have to go hungry either!

Sentosa Island Resort is probably the closest thing Singapore has to a theme park. There is every kind of entertainment you can think of: a world-class aquarium, a Malay cultural village, nature walks, swimming & diving opportunities, and -- typically Singaporean -- wonderful, wonderful food. You'd just about have to be dead not to enjoy yourself in one corner or another of the island. If there is a downside to the experience, it's the climate: if the humidity is high -- which it often is -- it can be pretty uncomfortable outside. Fortunately, air-conditioning is always available if you are inside, so you can escape. All this said, it usually cools off in the evening, when you often have a pleasant sea breeze.

Getting There
There are three alternative ways to get over to Sentosa:
1) by bus via the causeway;
2) by ferry from the World Trade Center;
3) by cable car.

The costs are modest: the bus will set you back all of 1 Singapore dollar; the ferry costs S$2.30 RT and S1.30 OW; most expensive is the cable car, which is S$8.50 OW. You can catch it either atop Mount Faber, Singapore's highest point, or from the top of the World Trade Center.

Accommodations
If you want to stay on the island, there are three hotels, including the following:
Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort, a 5-star with prices to match (US$132-$900)
The Beaufort Hotel and Conference Centre with similar prices
Sijori Resort Sentosa slightly more affordable at US$90 - $165.

Getting around in Singapore is never a problem. The bus and MRT systems work like a charm; there''s a taxi every 100 meters (or so it seems); and Changi Airport is voted best in the world almost like clockwork.

Crossing to Malaysia
If you want to go to Malaysia, the easiest thing to do is take a bus. There is a train, but it doesn't run very frequently, and the station is not very conveniently located. For a price, you can also take a taxi.