Singapore...Merlions and shopping malls

Coming fresh out of India, Singapore felt unreal. The city-state is absolutely pristine in every way. The architecture, the food, the stores, the streets, everything was flawless. People were very nice and the public transportation system was unbelievably efficient. We got off the ship, bought a pass for $8, and jetted around the city all day. Erica, Levi, Kenji, Steve and I had absolutely no plans and absolutely no idea where we were going, but we had a great time. The entire city is like one big shopping mall. There wasn’t a single place we went that didn't have a food court and more stores than you know what to do with. The architecture was fantastic! I can’t even explain it, you will just have to see in the pictures! It was a very strange sensation going from a country where the bathrooms were holes in the ground, to one where you could get caned just for spitting your gum out. There were so many signs around the city that told exactly what you CANNOT do. For example, you are not allowed to bring Durians on the subways…yeah they got that specific. Erica and I ate at a little Chinese restaurant with a very nice cashier, who was more than eager to hold up the line so he could give us some advice on places to go, both here and in Hong Kong. We walked around the biggest bookstore I have ever seen and ate a lot of different foods. China Town was as busy and exciting as we were expecting. They had these live infomercials going on. There were men standing on the streets with sham-wows and mops and microphones and they did a whole corny, info-mercialesque presentation. We went to the Marina Sands hotel and walked around the casino and the massive mall connected to it. After talking to a bartender, however, we got a different perspective. He told us: “Here, you either have a job, or you throw yourself off a building. That's it.” The cost of living is very, very high, and anyone who has been there can easily see why. All in all it was entertaining and beautiful, but creepily perfect. I would like so spend more time there (someday when I have a lot of money) and learn more about the culture underneath the malls and hotels.

Singapore Slideshow