Singapore: A Fine City

The preport briefing for Singapore had one simple message, keep it clean in Singapore.  And with good reason, if you get caught spitting in Singapore and you get a $100 fine.  Smoke in the wrong place, you get a $100 fine.  Get caught with illegal drugs and you wish for a fine.  You get death by hanging, usually within 72 hours.

We were a bit on edge about doing anything that could even remotely be considered bad behavior.  It’s odd that just three days ago we were in Vietnam where jaywalking is a way of life and then suddenly we are in a place where that same action gets you a $100 fine.  The strict rules do create a city that is very clean and orderly though. 

Sadly we only had about a day and a half here and it seemed like just as we started to get the hang of the subway and the city, it was time to go.  I was the first person off the ship but it was because I had the important duty of making sure student’s immigration departure card was stapled into their passport.  So stapler in hand I saw the entire community venture out to explore before I was able to head out. 

Once Kelly and I got going we hopped the subway up to the Buddha Tooth Relict Temple in the Chinatown section of Singapore.  The four-story temple is home to one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teeth and has a garden on the roof where 10,000 Buddhas line the walls.  We spent over two hours walking the floors and gazing at all the different Buddhas.  While there we learned of the Chinese Buddhist practice of selecting a personal Guardian Deity based on one’s Zodiac sign.  Every animal sign has a corresponding Buddha or Bodhisattva who has a special link with persons born under that particular sign and offers spiritual guidance and protection to them.  My protector, Vajrocana, was a fairly normal and peaceful seated Buddha.  Kelly’s, Acala, was a blue, demonic looking statue carrying a sword and surrounded by fire.  God help anyone that messes with Kelly.

We spent the rest of the day walking Chinatown and then headed to the waterfront to see the famous Merlion statue.  The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore.  And what a symbol it is. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.  The fish body represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village while the lion represents the original name, Singapura, meaning “lion city.”  It’s one of those fun touristy things you just have to experience for its campiness and for the scene around it. 

Later that evening we attempted to go to the night safari however we underestimated the time it would take to get there and ended up scarping the plan.  Sometimes travel just doesn’t work out like we plan but Kel and I work well together and are fine with cutting our losses and accepting that it wasn’t meant to be.  We’ll just get to it next time we are here.

On our last day, we headed up to the Little India section of town.  We had a very nice day there.  There are lots of colorful building with interesting architecture and lots of mustaches.  I got a haircut I desperately needed and we ate at a hawker stand.  They are buildings throughout the city filled with small food stands with delicious food.  I wish we could have tried them all.  And best of all it’s very inexpensive for how delicious it is.  Singapore is a pricey place and finding good eats for cheap prices is a bonus.

After lunch we stopped for a King Fisher to relax before heading back to the ship.  It felt way too soon to be leaving.  Singapore may be a strict place but it is a nation with goals of unity and prosperity for all people.  It’s definitely on the list of places to come back to and explore more.