The Other Magic Kingdom

On the 14th, I left Vietnam to meet new friends, Ed and Gemma, in Singapore! You remember Ed & Gemma -- they're the adorable honeymooners Kathleen & I enjoyed palling around with on our Namibia Overlanding tour -- the Brits who are on a year-long honeymoon. So nice to see them again!

Singapore is a lot like a theme park. This tiny island nation at the bottom tip on the Thai/Malaysian peninsula is a living example of what would happen if Disney ever formed a country. It's like a park where "City" is the theme, and money & technology are everywhere you look. It's so unlike SE Asia's other cities in a very Stepford/Disney kind of way. Some examples:

The place is spic-n-span clean and has the most beautiful landscaping everywhere -- from the gorgeous green trees lining every street, to the exotic flowering blooms that brighten up each median.

The public subway system is far superior to Epcot's monorail! Singapore's MRT has to be the most efficient, nicest, cleanest public transport system in the world. One odd note, however -- on the flat screen TVs that hang from the ceilings in all of the platform areas, they show hi-def vignettes about terrorist attacks, showing images of the attacks on London's subways. The spots are meant to encourage vigilance, but it's not the images one wants to see before boarding the trains!

Singapore has a mascot with a huge statue. They call is the Merlion -- 50% lion, 50% mermaid and 100% odd!

There are themed areas throughout the country...which is also the city...which is also the island. There's Little India (where we stayed!), Chinatown (photo on left), the Harbor Front, Orchard Road (main drag for shopping), Clarke Quay (main area for restaurants & nightlife), etc.

The only thing Singapore doesn't have in common with a theme park is the rides. Those are replaced in this lovely land with shopping malls. And the malls are everywhere! They call shopping Singapore's national sport. Unfortunately, the prices are more on par with Chicago's Michigan Ave than with Bangkok's Khoa San Road. But we did enjoy the sights and a Singapore Sling at the famed Raffles Bar.

Cheers!

Mere, Gemma & Ed