on Singapore

After the cultural shift that was Malaysia Singapore feels strange. It is odd to be in such a Westernised place and although it's impressive that such as young country is so developed (Singapore celebrates its 46th birthday soon) it doesn't really appeal after Malaysia. Things i might enjoy at home seem superficial and frivolous expenditure here, especially given the Western prices. Sure it was nice to have soft pillows, fancy showers with showerheads like suns, air con that actually works and coffee you can drink but Singapore is more of a palate-cleanse than a taste to savour. It is firmly back in the comfort zone with easy meals at Subway and a wooden toast shop (which i must admit was rather exciting and did do good toast). Breathing is markedly easier given lower pollution levels and humidity levels the right side of seventy percent again. I think my preconceptions  of a country famous for its ex-pat community and astronomical fines for the possession of chewing gum set me against it from the start. This was not helped by the list of fines outside the underground station: $1000 for smoking; $500 for eating or drinking; a more understandable $5000 for flammable goods; and an understandable, if rather comical, ban of the durian fruit.
Odd bans and high fines aside i'm sure it would be a nice place to live it's just hard for a backpacker to particularly identify with or connect with. I was ready to bemoan the materialistic culture of shopping centres you need a Masters degree to navigate and flower beds that pump music at you as you walk past before i fell prey to it myself in a National Geographic shop though in my defence i spent under $18and bought biodegradable shoes which i plan to use as in Borneo as they will be more leech-proof than my sandals. I will admit it: the shopping is very good, that just isn't what i travel; the variety of cuisine is gargantuan and to a high quality but again it is difficult to accommodate it in a shoestring budget. However, it definitely will serve as a reset button for my travels and was some welcome respite and for that i am grateful.

If you enjoyed this you might like to head on over to my travel blog at travelatalexleclez.blogspot.com for more.