What is your impression of Singapore?

We sometimes go to Singapore for a little R&R. It is very civilized, completely wired and very modern. Some of the rules are a little authoritarian but they don’t have much choice considering the size and the number of people, races, and religions that live there.

It is especially nice when you’ve spent a month or two in India or China backwoods. I find the women especially attractive but they’re way out of my class or age range.

Take money, nothing is cheap except food in the food courts.

I lived in Singapore in 1993 and loved it. It was clean. There was great food all over the place that was incredibly cheap. It was safe. There was great shopping. And it had a world-class zoo.

I would love to see it again.

Hot weather, strict laws, nice people.

While Singapore has an efficient mix of the public and private sectors, as well as a government with little corruption, it’s lack of freedoms and gay rights does concern me; however, some of the restrictions have been relaxed, and I believe that the rest of these draconian laws will be repealed in the near future. If they could cool down the temperatures and reduce their conscription times , I wouldn’t mind living there.

I am an American who has never been to Asia.

All I know is from school, the news and books. Some of this is probably wrong. But here is what I think I know.

—Singapore is a country and a city. The one city is the entire country.
—Singapore is like Hong Kong – a crowded city, business-oriented and most people live in high-rises. There are also factories, but I don’t know where they fit among the tall buildings.
—Singapore is a port
—I have no idea what language people speak in Singapore
—Singapore has gurkha policemen or special forces or something
—Singapore was a British colony until Japan kicked them out in WWII
—Singapore has strict laws of behaviour, including harsh punishment for spitting and chewing gum
—The strict laws are a trade-off, personal freedom for public order. Singapore has a lot more order and less freedom than the US
—Some American kid misbehaved in Singapore (graffiti maybe?) in the 1990s and was caned and most people I know were happy to see that

I would be interested to hear what I get wrong and right.

@jaytkay there are many “industrial estates” in the country. I have set up equipment in a couple of them. They do some very high tech work. If you ever flew in a jet, it is likely that the airfoils were built or rebuilt in Singapore. By the way, they are made of inconel (high quality stainless steel, each is x rayed and provided with a serial number. They do a lot of work for engines on Air Busses, and Boeing. They also have an important air show each year at the Changi Airport.

Thanks for the answers guys!

@VohuManah – The lack of political and social freedom is probably one of the most concerning things about the country. Will things change in the near future? Probably. The social change will happen sooner than the political change.

@jaytkay – You got all of them more or less right. As @Ron_C said, there are parts of the country sectioned off for industrial estates, where not too many people live. Those areas are considered large and sprawling pieces of land by Singapore standards. Then again, having seen some of the countryside in North Carolina… “sprawling” can take on a whole new meaning. The American kid is Michael Fay – he was indeed charged for vandalism and theft, and caned for it. I think the gum laws and Michael Fay are the two things I get asked about most in America.

@xxii Michael Fay was a spoiled brat that took pleasure in defacing other people’s property. His punishment was completely appropriate. I wish that the U.S. had similar punishments.

Singapore is a nice and safe place to visit, provided you don’t misbehave or break the rules. At times, you will feel uneasy with its stringent rules & regulations. But if you are the type that are not into breaking rules to get your messages across, then you will fit in nicely. Otherwise, you will feel stuffy inside and you want to get out from the country as fast as you can.
Other than that, Singapore has got a number of tourist attractions to make your days swell, although some of it are a bit sterile or commercialised.

The trouble with crowding people in small space is that they have to co-operate. The rules knit the society together. Singapore is a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there. You have to go to Malaysia for breathing room and cheap golf.

A bit too clean.