Sing!... apore

The West, with a twist. A good friend once told me after returning from a visit in Japan that he had a hard time "seeing" prosperity there because he associated all things foreign with underdevelopment. Japan's "differentness" immediately invoked connotations of poverty and sweaty backs, even though he was looking at one of the most developed countries in the world.

Well, I haven't been to Japan but I can relate, to a degree, after having visited Singapore. Remembering that my fascination with Asia began, and will probably end, with Cambodia. So it is natural that my experience of Asia uses Cambodia as a benchmark. Of course, I am smart enough to consciously not be victim to my distorted benchmark, but I must admit that the few times I encountered an annoying tout, a pushcart peddling fried 'whatever', or a wet market in Singapore, I sighed and looked on as if I was seeing the "real" Asia hidden among all the skyscrapers imported from the West.

That all being said, I enjoyed Singapore immensely... for what it was. And what was it? A booming metropolis, carefully engineered living, and enough local flavor to keep my Asian fetish supplied. Its government-sponsored sense of order even appeased my latent need for Ordnung inspired by my last tenure in Germany. Above all, I was extremely pleased with the intense mobility afforded by the Singaporean government. The mass transit system is fast and immaculate, not to mention comprehensive. People have commented that Singapore is a 24-hour kind of place: well, that's true because it doesn't take forever to get somewhere and do something. In order to see Bangkok as comprehensively as I saw Singapore in one day, it would probably take one week, and a lot more heat exhaustion.

Efficiency is, of course, just one virtue. Being able to "see" a bird park, the commercial district, the harbor district, the financial district, Chinatown and even the night-life areas in one day might also indicate that I didn't really do a thorough job. And that's partly true. But it beats the hell out of rotting in Bangkok traffic and breathing led smoke from the loud Tuktuk just ahead.

More specifically, I very much enjoyed the Singapore skyline, it's cute English riverside, and its something-for-everyone shopping district (Orchard). But most of all, I enjoyed it's harbor. After a dubious ride through construction sites to the Marina Barrage, I found an architectural wonder that was Singapore's reservoir pump house. Green-roof technology and sustainability focus gone wild. Beautiful views of the harbor ships, the entire skyline, and a cool wind blowing on you all the time. The largest solar array in Singapore? Check. Free and fun exhibits? Check. Kite flying? Check. Walks on the reservoir dam? Check. (Protection from a storm? Check.) Fireworks and free water? Check. And given that the Marina was my last stop after a long day, let's give it a few more "Checks".