Things I Think I Think About Singapore
Dec 06, 2015
7 Days in Singapore
After Taiwan, I had thought about a new place to visit. When it became clear that I would have time to travel through the November Thanksgiving holiday, I sat down with a few recommendations. Eventually I decided to pick Singapore because I knew a few people there already. I would be able to meet them and have them show me around.
I have just returned so you know what that means: A whole new post on what it was like there!
A Few Things I Think I Think About Singapore
1) Singapore is Rightly Famous For Its Multi-Culturalism
Being from America, I am familiar with seeing a lot of different faces in the crowds around me. Singapore has a very close feel to that. You will see a diversity of faces from white people to Chinese people to Indian people to even a few black people from time to time. Make no mistake, Chinese faces are the dominant demographic here but it is not overwhelming.
Similar to San Francisco, Singapore has a lot of enclaves that feel like transplants out of a different country. I enjoyed visiting some of these places including Little India and a small Persian (Arabic?) area that sold some amazing carpets.
I have heard many times that the best way to explore a new area is to get out there on the streets. For the first few days I avoided the public transportation system and went where I wanted to go on foot.
2) Singaporean Salaries are Nowhere Near American Salaries
You can say that Singaporeans salaries are higher than what they are in Taiwan but still far below what they are in the US (and definitely below what you will find in SF). At the same time, living costs are a step lower too, perhaps something closer to what you would might expect in a mid-class United States city (Pittsburgh?).
3) Singaporean Architecture is Quite Creative
You can describe SF architecture as rather bland. Most of them deign to feature a few Roman columns so to break up the mood but for the most part, these buildings were built at a time when the technology did not afford the capability to go crazy in the design. Singapore in many places is a young city and the architecture reflects this. You get sights like this:
I appreciate the bold aesthetic of the buildings but cannot help but wonder what it would be like to have to travel down mind-bending twists of architecture just so that you can get to the bathroom.
4) Condoms are Advertised Like Candy
The first thing that my father told me about Singapore was that I could not chew gum there or else I would get whipped (the second thing he told me was to go find a girlfriend). So gum is not being sold there, what do Singaporeans sell instead? Chocolates? Candy?
Nope, it’s condoms.
Whereas in the US, condoms are sold perhaps behind the counter or down some aisle in the CVS drugstore (and you may have to ask the pharmacist to open up the glass box to get at it for you), condoms are sold in Singapore right up there with other “grab-ables” like mints. I found this immensely amusing. Equally amusing was the reactions of the Singaporeans themselves when I pointed this out.
5) I Hate Layovers
I spent 21 hours in Shanghai before flying onwards to Singapore and while I did get to have beautiful sights of the Bund (see below), I had a horrible time just spending 21 hours in a single city.
And then the worse thing is going home. You are on your way home, you want to get there directly. Why do you wanna wait? Instead, I found myself trying to catch a few winks on the Shanghai airport bench while waiting out my 7 hour layover sentence. Ugh. I’ll shell out next time to go direct.
6) Miles and Miles of Malls, Connected All Underground
My friend Chris told me to meet at Suntec City and to “start from City Hall”. Okay, that’s fine I think and so I message to say that I had just started getting to the underground mall. The response: “Oh shit you just started?”
I thought to myself, “I ain’t that far off, right?”
Dude, I was so wrong. It took 20-25 minutes to get to the meeting spot. I was baffled by just how far the mall stretched. It never seemed to end. Later on I realized that this is not an exception. All of these malls are connected to each other, long stretches of air conditioned hallway. That is why some people can say that it can thunder pour rain but never notice it. They are never above-ground!
7) The Thundering Rains Are Freaky as Shit
Speaking of the rain, the first time I came across a Singaporean monsoon I was scared out of my wits. The rain came down with such force that I thought it would never end. It simply poured like nothing I have ever seen before. And the thunder! And the lightning!
Locals told me that this was a normal thing. It rains quite infrequently in Singapore. The rains might seem strong but they die off quickly. That would have saved me a couple bucks on Uber.
8) It Honestly Helps So Much That Everyone Speaks English
I was waiting in line for a ticket when the lady in front of me and in Chinese asked me if I had any idea about when it would stop raining. Without thinking, I responded in English and caught myself. Amazingly enough the lady immediately switched to English.
This came to save my butt many times when ordering food, getting a ticket to some place, or traveling somewhere being lost.
9) Singapore’s Signs Are So Helpful
Unlike in other places (especially America), when there is a sign, it honestly points to where the end goal is. I found myself looking up at the various planted signs and diligently following them like a zombie. Unlike with American signs, Singaporean signs don’t just point in the general direction of the destination. They actually point you down the path. I appreciate that. Thank you Mr Sign.
10) Imported Food is Expensive
Berries are an especially egregious example, but fresh fruit in general seems to cost more in Singapore than it is in the US.
10.5) Singaporean Food Is Good With a Mix of Diversity
Food in Singapore is well known for coming from a number of different cultures and I think I really appreciated that. You can never get tired of the food choices. There is always something for your own tastes. Are you thinking of pricey/fancy or scrungy/earthy? Indian? Singaporean? Chinese? It’s all here.
Some of my favorites are in the above photo from the top left: Stingray, some sort of meat taco, la mian from Din Tai Fung (ah the famous DTF), and Satay skewers.
When it comes to just pure Chinese style food, Taiwan comes out ahead (but I am no food judge or anything), but you cannot beat Singapore for diversity.
11) How Can Anyone Trust The Electronics People Buy?
There are no brand name electronics stores in Singapore that I am aware of. No Best Buy or Radio Shack (RIP) or any of the sort as well as no Amazon Prime - a heart breaker. Most people buy electronics from mom and pop shops with lots of brands that I have never heard of.
12) It Gets Super Crowded in Singapore At Times
There are a lot of people in Singapore. Some of the people there who have been there a while tell me that it has gotten quite worse in the past few years and there are a few signs that the infrastructure is a bit stressed. The public transportation is bit grungier than I expected (worse than Taiwan’s, which I didn’t expect) and check out how packed this aquarium is.
It can be hard to find a place to just get away from everyone else.
13) Just Like the Brits, They Like to Queue
14) Singapore Loves Taiwan!
I saw this and found it infinitely amusing. Singaporeans love Taiwan as much as I do!
15) The Sentosa Aquarium is beautiful
Conclusion
Despite all the crowds (not a place I would recommend if you have agoraphobia), I loved visiting Singapore. My grandmother jokingly said that I would have finished the whole tourist perspective the same day I stepped off the plane but the sheer novelty of being away from the US sustained much of this trip. I enjoyed it deeply.
Until next time.
Share