Singapore. It’s not Manhattan. It’s not Tokyo and it is not Hong Kong.
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| As long as you are fine with its fines. |
The Lion City. The Garden City. The Asian Tiger. All venerable nicknames, but the long-time favorite to tourists is ‘The “Fine” City’.
Singapore is a wonderful city to live in. It is modern, clean, environmentally friendly, extremely efficient, and is home to very friendly and hard-working people. Singapore is a small nation with few of its own natural resources. Yet in the past 50 years it has transformed itself into one of the world's economic powerhouses. This is the foremost reason why its praise internationally and its excellent town planning model is studied.
I last visited Singapore in 2010 and it has been the ever-lasting impression it left on everyone in my family. I’m back in Singapore in 2016 and it has now been 4 months since I have stayed in the city and the experience surely differs. For bringing up a family, or for a short-term tourist visit, Singapore is fantastic. However, for medium-length stays by young adults, Singapore can become slow.
This especially if you are an adrenaline-driven person.
This especially if you are an adrenaline-driven person.
A NO-Chaos City
Globally, Singapore is revered for the discipline its citizens display play and the consistently low crime rate. And why should it not be? After all, that is what most countries aspire to become, isn’t it?
Take a ride on the subway in Singapore and you'll quickly notice that it is only the tourists firmly holding on to their bags. The locals are very relaxed about their belongings and show no hint of fear that somebody might snatch their smartphone.
Everything is perfectly planned. From the transport system to the food system and even residence-planning. I once read that 80% of all Singaporeans live in government HBD Flats which basically shows how the Semi-democratic communist system of governance work strongly.
You almost miss the sense of frivolous behaviour that you could entertain anytime back home. My Lebanese friend misses the chaos back home in particular. Things are just more fun and exciting that way, he confided.
Here in Singapore, you can't just stop the bus here in the middle of the road, you can't either get down from it despite a 20 minutes traffic jam so you rely on your feet to get you somewhere faster. It becomes suffocating at a point.
And forget jaywalking!
In Singapore, jaywalking is defined as crossing the road within 50 meters of a crossing zone. Jaywalkers can receive a $20 fine on the spot, a fine of up to $1,000, or three months of jail time.
Things get so boring, a mere routine, with no sense of change or innovation!
There is a law for everything that you could ever possibly imagine. Of course, we all know the extreme sanctions with eating gum in Singapore, spitting, urinating, littering or smoking in public areas. But there are laws even for the most basic things. For example, while flushing a public toilet is common courtesy, in Singapore, there is an actual law against it. If you’re caught leaving without flushing the toilet, you’re looking at a fine of around $150. (And the funny thing is that the laws are actually enforced!)
It all makes you feel as though humanity and basic manners are bought from people in exchange of fines.
But it helps maintain clean, and secure the pleasant whole functioning of the society.
As such, Singapore is a fine city, as long as you are fine with its fines. :)