Singapore turned out to be what I thought Hong Kong would be. I had always pictured Hong Kong as a sort of exotic locale that was Westernized and spoke fluent English. I discovered that English proficiency in Hong Kong is actually quite low. In contrast, everyone I have met in Singapore speaks perfect English. All signs are in English and based on pictures, I could easily be in Miami. There are palm trees, malls, and well-built roads and buildings. Singapore would fit right in as a state. It would be sort of like Hawaii, where it is clearly different, but related.
Singapore is the most organized and clean place I have visited. Tokyo had that crown until now. Part of that probably comes from all the rules.
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| Poor Durians. |
I have only seen durian fruit in Charlotte in the US, but it's all over Bangkok. The ban is a great idea. Otherwise, you would suffocate on the subway. Read about them if you have never had one.
Security is really tight here. There are security guards in all the metro stations with a bag inspection point. There are also cameras watching you everywhere you go. The security focus probably explains the screening on arrival.
There are lots of expatriates here. I have seen American, Australian, British, and all sorts of other Europeans here and they don't look like tourists. That helps me fit in a little better than in the other countries that were 95% Asian.
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