S is Singapore. A few notes on a two hours' flight.
A mixed bag of random thoughts now lined up.
My other Singapore blogs are here.
I am on a two hours’ flight from Denpasar to Singapore. Always feel a bit happy and excited when returning to Singapore - the anticipation of great food, brisque efficiency everywhere, a piece of Asia where a modest lifestyle blends with high society lavish indulgences, each side not disturbing each other and thus allowing for the total harmony. When I think of Singapore, many descriptions start from S. Somehow.
First of all - short. Short phrases, short answers. “Can”. Love for abbreviations stemming from fondness for abruptness. TB - Tiong Bahru ( one of the suburbs). TTSH - Tan Tock Sen Hospital. The dialogues here sometimes sound like track sounds with increased speed. Short distances. If you want to walk anywhere “central “, it does not take long. “Short” also means short ride. Wherever I am and start missing my hotel, the Grab is here whisking me to the soft pillow efficiently. You can even take taxi/Grab to Johor in Malaysia.
Can’t help comparing with Japan. Tokyo may be better as there are plenty of taxis, but ride hailing is still a baby, if not an illegitimate child, the way taxi lobby likes to see it. Where I live, in Kanagawa prefecture, taxi wait times easily take 30 minutes, especially after 10 pm. I don’t even attempt to use those understaffed services when buses are running (until 11 pm where I live). Sometimes I just walk 45 minutes from the station. So, living in Japan is healthy!
Back to S. Savoury. Food options are unlimited. Savoury or sweet. Hawker centers are institutions by itself (recently many call themselves as Food Centers).
You would need to lower your standards for cleanness as there are no waiters as such, and the chewing turnover is pretty fast to forfeit wiping the tables before the next mouth sits down. But the choices! Take one behemoth food empire - Chinatown Complex Food Center - it has around 260 stalls, some run by consecutive generations. Sometimes I think that Singapore is one large food court, with highways and parks, which divide the food court sections into affordable and not so.
Sidestep. Introducing Asia Delight Laksa (a variation of Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa). I am a big fan of laksa. The stall number 0629 in Hong Lim Food Center is well known. Their Asia Delight Laksa is not your usual coconut creamy soup, Mr. Soo and his wife make their stock using dried scallops, oysters and prawns. So, you do taste some coconut, but it mixes with seafood flavors confusing your taste buds first but then culminating in a pleasure of a rich and unusual tang. The stall also serves a quirky Fruit Juice Mee Siam. I was not sure which fruits were used for a broth, but definitely a pineapple was one of them. It was my first meal of the day at 1 pm, so I had…both! Total damage for two small (not really small, I wonder how big is their Big) portions was S$13.
Back to S though. Singapore is safe.
Not only in the sense of being able to roam the streets at night without a worry. It is socially safe. There is a monthly financial allowance for low-income households and a good health system (Bloomberg Health Index ranks Singapore as the 4th healthiest country in the world). In tune with this is the fight against the corruption. Another index, but Singapore is the 3rd least corrupted country in the world (preceded by Denmark and Finland). I do believe part of it lies with high salaries for public servants. I wrote before about immigration policies and money laundering cases in Singapore. Since 2023 the government has been conducting a thorough clean-up campaign tightening regulations and tax scrutiny for new immigration applicants and the existing residents. As a result, now we are seeing the exodus of super-reach (many from mainland China) to other destinations - Hong Kong, UAE and Japan.
Well, safe also because it is strict. Money laundering punishment is from 3 to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or large fines up to 1 mln. S$. Much criticized by the world judicial caning system is in place for crimes like vandalism or robbery. And the death penalty stays as a legal punishment for around 33 crimes. Be it right and fair or not, but many locals support the system.
I am not idolizing Singapore. The society is not exactly an example of a free democratic country (which one is these days though). Property prices are shocking and younger generations struggle to have their first home, owning car is another luxury, careless bicycle riders injuring people on the shared pathways, noise pollution in public transport through the use of iPhone speakers to throw into the mix. But Singapore is a success. Yes, I agree, much easier to build a cozy cocoon on such a small territory. But still a success.
Loved your travel series and this reflection on Singapore! I'm missing home...