The City of Tomorrow

Singapore, Singapore

"Cheap" my right butt cheek! We've spent more money on living expenses in Singapore in the past few days than we have over the past few WEEKS in Thailand and Malaysia. The AUD only gets us SD$1.20, so it's like being back home.

On the plus side, Singapore is the most technologically accepting and innovative city that the world has ever seen. The transport system is smooth, efficient, and organised. Doors swing open automatically as you approach, 80 year old men are using mobile phones on public transport, and everyone has at least two electronic gadgets on them at all times, be it a mobile, mp3 player, PDA, GPS unit, terrorist bomb detector...

The Singaporeans are apparently paranoid about bombs on their public transport, judging by the sheer amount of warning signs and videos showing what to do if a random person leaves a bag on the train. I think it's unjustified to be THAT paranoid, considering to get through airport customs we just showed them a passport and boarding pass and waltzed straight through. No xraying of bags, no bomb sniffer detector machines. The US and Australia have a lot to learn about feeding a culture of fear.

We haven't done much touristy stuff in Singapore due to the cost, but we did go for a wander the other day to try and find Changi Museum. An hour and a half later, drenched to the bone from the pouring rain, we ended up catching a bus. We never would have found the place otherwise!

Singapore, aside from cost, is a great city. It's clean, the people are polite and well-mannered, it's almost like a home away from home. Very 'western' in both style and design, and it's hugely multicultural. They also have this freakishly good education system, considering on almost every other corner out in the suburbs they have either a primary or a high school, and they have FIVE universities / colleges (at last count). The weird thing is though that these tertiary institutions only seem to offer Diplomas, and not Bachelor Degrees. I'm curious as to why?

We're at the airport now, ready to fly off to Vietnam. Jono is about to take his leave of our delightful company and head back to Bangkok, and from there to home. We're gonna miss the big dugong. GROUP HUG!

Time to get a shuffle on. Planes wait for no man (or god-like omnipotent awesome beings, in our particular case). Everyone give Jono cuddles from us when he gets back. And call him German love names like liebenskind and schnufflebubba and stroke his hair. He'll get the joke.