This will go together with some of Grant's pictures. I have loaded mine on Facebook.

Final Dragon Installment

Our last stop on our trip was Singapore. We were to cruise on Oct. 31 in the morning, arriving about noon in Singapore, overnight in Singapore, disembark on the 1st and stay at the Intercontinental Singapore. The car would pick up up at the dock at about 9am. Our flight was at 11:25am on Nov. 2. So we had 1 and 1/2 days to see the sights of Singapore. It was hard to believe this long awaited trip was drawing to a close. We arrived in Singapore with a half day for touring with our final Big Bus Regent Cruise tour. It was a beautiful, warm day and we arrived on a container pier, since our berth wasn't available until evening. Most of us were taking various tours that afternoon. We opted for one called "The way we live" instead of a tour of the sites or highlights of Singapore. I felt we could pick up the highlights tour the next day on our own. We got a late start that day, our ship arriving late and our tour had only 12 folks, which was good. I cringed a bit when the ship's resident clergy got on our bus, knowing his companion was a rather obnoxious and bossy woman who seemed to never be happy with anything (according to traveling colleagues of ours who had the pleasure of having her as a chaperone on one or two occasions as well as hearing her discuss her dissatisfaction with service levels on the ship). However, Doug and I breathed a sigh of relief when we heard she was on another bus. We were to see a temple, a public housing project and a visit to a home, their transportation system, and generally learn all about the everyday lives of Singoporeans on this tour and we did.

I didn't know what to expect with Singapore. It was both a country and a city. Everyone said it was very clean and modern. Some folks discussed the well maintained flowers everywhere. I knew chewing gum and spitting weren't allowed. But, so far, every Asian country had been quite different from one another. I expected Singapore to follow suit. At first glance I found its skyline was modern as were its highways. It had less traffic than the other Asian countries we visited and that was a relief. It was a hot, tropical climate like Hong Kong, Viet Nam and Thailand. Yes, there were nice flower arrangements everywhere. Azaleas.

Our guide was a young man and full of propaganda of how wonderful Singapore was. He told us that "You Americans think it is wrong to punish with a cane, but there are rules and there are consequences. if you are a good boy or girl, you will be comfortable; if not, you will be punished. That is what we learn. That is our way."

We decided to think for ourselves and try to understand a bit about rule abiding Singapore. What struck us first about Singapore, is that it was very English/American. All signs were in English, not in Chinese. In China and Hong Kong, we were surprised to find most signage in both English and Chinese. It was incredibly easy for one to get around. In fact, at the airports, announcements were first made in English. Vietnam signage was in its native language as was Thailand. However, there was a fair amount of English signage in Thailand. However, in Singapore, everything was just English. In fact, English is the official language of business and administration, with other languages spoken secondarily being Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Additionally, our guide told us a common language is Singlish. Singlish is an English-based mixture of languages used in Singapore. The vocabulary of Singlish consists of words originating from English, Malay, Hokkien, Toechew, Cantonese, Tamil, Bangali, Punjabi ad other European, Indic and Sinitic languages, which Singlish syntax resembles southern varieties of Chinese. To add flavor, elements of American and Australian slang have come from imported television series and films. Recently, because Mandarin is also taught to most Chinese students in school, Mandarin words have found their way into Singlish. Our guide told us the Singaporean government currently discourages the use of Singlish in favor of formal "official" English, as it believes in the need for Singaporeans to be able to effectively communicate with the other English users in the world and the government runs the "Speak Good English Movement" to emphasize the point.

He then went on to discuss their housing, which he called "public housing." It isn't what we here in the states consider public housing, which is government run and a form of welfare. In Singapore, public housing is property which is owned by a government authority with the aim of providing affordable housing. In Singapore, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) manages the planning of housing units. Most of the residential housing developments in Singapore are publicly governed and developed and 95% of residents are owners rather than tenants. How can such a large proportion own property? Apartments are affordable for the masses and their purchase is financially aided by a Central Provident Fund. This fund is a compulsory comprehensive social security savings plan which aims to provide working Singoporeans with a sense of security and confidence in their old age. The program was initiated in 1960, a year after domestic self-government was obtained from the British colonial office. To finance the massive national housing program, the government instituted the employees’ compulsory social security savings fund. Under the scheme, an employee is compelled by statute to save a certain percentage of his/her monthly income and the employer is required to contribute the same rate to the former’s savings. The CPF is thus a tax-exempt compulsory savings fund where ‘an individual’s total benefits are equal to his total contribution plus interest credited into his account’ (Lim and Associates, 1986:1). The rate of contribution for both an employee and respective employer steadily increased from 5% in 1955 to a high of 25% in 1984. The ceiling of contribution was raised from $S300 a month in 1971 to $S2500 today. The rate is allowed to fluctuate according to the general health of the economy, thereby acting as a wage regulating mechanism.

Since most Singaporeans reside in public housing, public housing in Singapore is not generally considered as a sign of poverty or a lower standard of living. These high rise apartment complexes are located in housing communities, which are self-contained with schools, supermarkets, malls, as well as sports and recreational facilities. There are a large variety of apartment types and layouts, new construction and older construction, generally classified into three-room, four-room, five-room and executive flats. There are restrictions to living in public housing. You must be married or over 35 years old. The buyer must be a Singaporean citizen. His family nucleus must also comprise of at least another permanent resident or citizen of Singapore. To purchase a 2-room flat, the buyer's gross monthly household income must not exceed S$2,000. To purchase a 3-room flat, the buyer's gross monthly household income must not exceed S$3,000. To purchase a 4-room or bigger flat, the buyer's gross monthly household income must not exceed S$8,000. If the buyer is buying a flat with his extended family, then his gross monthly household income must not be more than S$12,000. If you don't fit these criteria, you must purchase private condominiums or townhouse. (I didn't see any single homes in the city proper during my visit).

This ‘home ownership’ scheme was introduced in 1964, in which an ‘owner’ purchases a 99-year lease on a dwelling instead of owning it permanently. With the leasehold arrangement, the flat is separated from the land. Land is retained by the state in inalienable public ownership, leaving it free to compensate and resettle any lessee, if and when redevelopment is necessary. A large annual supply of housing has been sustained since then. After three decades, the HDB has completed more than half a million flats and a substantial volume of related facilities, such as commercial spaces, recreational facilities and light industrial estates, all within comprehensively planned new-towns. An individual may pay off his leasehold in full or continue to pay it over his lifetime. The leasehold can pass to family members. Often, family members do not wish to live in their parents' homes. Then an apartment is sold to another person and the younger individual is allowed to move into new construction in order to ensure that apartments are diversified in terms of age, religion and ethnicity, demographics which are monitored and maintained with apartment turnover to promote community diversity.

A three-room flat has two bedrooms in about 70 m2 (750 sq ft). A four-room flat has three bedrooms with about 90 m2 (970 sq ft) of space. A five-room is about 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft). Some have an extra room that is used as a study; others have a dining area. An executive apartment has three bedrooms and separate dining and living rooms. They are the largest apartments built by the Housing Board, with 150 m2 (1,600 sq ft) of space. We visited one such apartment. It was 130 m2, with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen. It was large, but anything but luxurious. For one thing, to keep costs down, elevators only stop every other floor. Some of the units don't even have an external balcony, but inside balconies. These face an inside concrete courtyard (prettier than it sounds) and these balconies are to foster open communication of the residents with one another. I found them glum … it was like looking out on a parking garage. I noticed most folks used them to hang their clothes to dry. The unit we visited had an external balcony with lovely views of a large park like Central Park. The downside was we go off the elevator at the 12th floor and had to walk down to the 11th floor as the elevator skipped that floor. We were told that the unit came totally empty a few years ago and needed a full kitchen, all painting, and a new floor and sold for about $350,000 USD. Inside, it was starkly furnished…utilitarian at best. It had a lovely upright piano, a large flat screen TV, a computer, a dining room set, and some worn living room chairs. Their were no rugs, pictures on walls, or comfortable looking general seating areas. One room was set as the master, two were set up as the boy's rooms, and one was set up as the office. There was a small refrigerator and a washer in the kitchen. There were two bathrooms, each with a shower which was not separated from the room, but would flood the entire bathroom, with a drain in the middle of he floor. The floor was tiled throughout the apartment. There were no built in closets. Taxes on an apartment are negligible. There were no assigned parking spaces. You just had to find parking. I don't know whether this family just wasn't into decorating, but Singapore is quite an elegant and modern city and this was rather a sparse looking flat as far as decor, even though is was quite large. Our guide kept going on and on about their excellent standard of living, but the housing was anything other than uplifting and warm. Forced to contribute a portion of your wage and told you must use these funds to live from and use for your housing, it was an interesting economic solution for both housing, medical and senior citizen contribution.

We discussed medical care. A typical meniscus surgery costs S$30,000. Now, you will be seen immediately and be able to have surgery within the week. This will cost about S$3,000. You will not be able to choose your doctor and it is unlikely that an MRI will be taken. These costs are in line with the US, perhaps a bit less. This is much more when compared with Viet Nam where the surgery was under $1000 with insurance, but an individual has to wait on average 2 1/2 years to see a doctor.

Another major issue that came up on our tour (as on almost every tour in every country in Asia) was the issue with eligible men for woman. It appears that educated woman are looking for older, educated men and that there aren't enough of them in Singapore. It appears that Singoporean men are purchasing Vietnamese brides for S$10,000 through matchmaking agencies and are then made to visit a clinic in Singapore to get a certificate to verify their virginity before they can be sold. There seems to be a real issue with men importing wives from third world countries and women going after caucasian men, especially from the UK or Australia. There almost seems an antipathy between Singapore men and women.

Transportation in Singapore…We were introduced to the mass transit system, the Mass Rapid Transit or MRT, which is supposed to be the most convenient and quickest way of getting around the island. Stops are frequent and it will give passengers an idea of the lesser-known areas of Singapore. Undoubtedly popular, this service is as synonymous as the weather, to Singaporeans. Train operations start from 5.30 a.m and ends about midnight. Traveling on the MRT is cheap, with rides ranging from S$0.80 to a maximum of S$1.80. Every station is equipped with General Ticketing Machines (GTMs), a Passenger Service Centre, LED and plasma displays that show train service information and announcements. All stations are also equipped with restrooms , Some stations, especially the major ones, have additional amenities and services, such as retail shops and kiosks, supermarkets, convenience stores such as 7-Eleven. Heavy-duty escalators shuttle passengers up or down stations at a rate of 0.75 m/s, 50% faster than conventional escalators. Doug and I were each taught how to use the MRT and we continued to use the system the following day.

Physically, Singapore is very clean. However, we couldn't find a garbage can anywhere. If you have any trash, you just take it home with you. Doug and I had a brief "Oh, Gawd." When in the MRT, we noticed a sign that there was a fine of S$500 for any food or drink. We quickly hid our water bottles. We also learned that stiff fines are given for both littering and jaywalking. Homosexual acts between men, including kissing, are illegal in Singapore and penalties include imprisonment. There is no specific law against homosexual acts between women. However, any overt public displays of affection by persons of the same sex should be avoided. A wide range of offenses, including offenses against 'modesty' (such as men behaving inappropriately towards women, using inappropriate language or singing offensive sporting team songs), can result in corporal punishment (the rattan cane) and/or imprisonment. Other nuances about the Singapore laws: bungee jumping is illegal; the sale of gum is prohibited; oral sex is illegal unless it is used as a form of foreplay; pornography is illegal; as it is considered pornographic, you may not walk around your home nude; failure to flush a public toilet after use may result in very hefty fines; it is considered an offense to enter the country with cigarettes; cigarettes are illegal at all public places; it is illegal to come within 50 meters of a pedestrian crossing marker on any street; you are convicted of littering three times, you will have to clean the streets on Sundays with a bib on saying, “I am a litterer."

On the other hand, religious tolerance is valued in Singapore, the most followed religion is Buddhism with 42.5%. We paid a visit to the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery. At first I thought, oh no, not another temple, but it was truly lovely. The Monastery, an architecture gem of the nineteenth century with a blend of architectural styles, impressive buddhas, and sculptured gardens, it is the oldest Buddhist monastery in Singapore.

The sunny, hot and humid day turned into a downpour of a storm though like I had never seen towards the end of the tour. The bus couldn't quite maneuver into the housing complex we visited, so we walked the block or two into the apartment complex. No big deal. However, as we left, the skies opened up and a thunder and lightening storm with a torrential downpour came upon us. The guide and bus driver worked for the longest time to bring the bus to us, wasting almost an hour to do so. No one really was bothered. However, it was almost 6…maybe a bit later…and we still hadn't seen everything. There was one more stop. Now, it was a miserable rain, so it was near impossible to see anything, traffic was horrendous (Singoporeans go to malls in the rain as their apartments are so small), and we were running late and hungry. One gentleman suggested we forego the final stop. The guide mentioned that if he did that he would get in trouble if anyone complained. We all agreed that if anyone wanted to go to this final stop, we all would go. One by one, the guide took our vote and shook our hands when we said "Back to the ship." When he got to one gentleman, the guy really wanted to go, and he hesitated, but sensing a mass mutiny, agreed to go with the majority. Tired and damp, we all arrived, the last bus back, at the ship about 7pm. We still had to finish packing, eat and say our good bye. We packed up what we could. We had lots of extra plastic and paper bags filled with our new purchases that just didn't fit into our luggage. We needed another suitcase.

The next day, we couldn't really find anyone to say good bye to and made our way out of the ship to find our luggage. I have blue and red luggage and we quickly located that and loaded it up on the carts. Then, the search for the black Tumi bag began. There were dozens and dozens of them. Here, we met some friends and said some good byes while climbing over luggage and reading tags searching for the illusive black bag. Finally, Doug located it hiding among a mass of look a-likes and we were off and there was our car, waiting for us. Within minutes, we were packed up and off for the hotel. We were met at the Intercontinental Singapore and taken up immediately to a guest room to check in. They apologized for not having our room immediately ready, but gave us a gift of chop sticks and placemats (I was sorry to have traipsed around Hong Kong to buy some, as these were really pretty!). This room was a standard guest room, of average size and they had fruit and water out for us. We were told we could go to the Club to have breakfast. We went on down and relaxed a bit, sampling some of the traditional breakfast items. Then, it was up to the room to freshen up and go to try to find a suitcase to hold all of our new purchases.

The concierge couldn't have been nicer. We did a bit of shopping and found a suitcase for $13!! We walked up to Little India and then over to the famous Orchard Street. Little India is an area full of East Indian shops and restaurants and Orchard Street is full of mall after mall after mall of high end stores…Gucci, Prada, Tiffany, etc. We stopped in one mall for lunch at an Indonesian restaurant. The food was unusual and delicious and spicy. The owners were very concerned about the level of spice for us Occidentals and kept coming over concerned to ensure it wasn't too spicy. In fact, we (our tour group) got this wherever we went. We had to make sure that they didn't "dumb down" the food for us to make it palatable for us Westerners. Then it would be bland and tasteless. It's better to get more rice! We then went over to the Flyer (Ferris Wheel) to see what it was about. The cab driver talked us out of going for a ride. He said that for the money, you don't really see that much. So, wandering around, we found the nail fish spa. I was looking for a manicure and we walked in to see folks with their feet in pools of water with fish adhered to their legs. Doug and I thought it was so strange looking, we asked a woman if we could take a picture of her. Then, we started to leave. The cost was S$10 for 10 minutes. I suggested that we try it. Doug said why not? So, off with the shoes and into the tanks our feet went. It's a strange sensation. I quite liked it. We got more than our 10 minutes worth. Afterwards, we both agreed our feet felt great.

After wandering around in our clean feet, we stopped back to the hotel for high tea and then went out for dinner at Newton Circus. Newton Circus is an outdoor area of stalls with picnic seating in the center. I am told that it is probably the busiest food outlet on the entire island. Circus is an appropriate name for this place, because as you walk by each stall, staff come out and try to hawk their food and tell you why their food is better than someone else's. Newton Circus works like this: you choose what you want to eat, which could be grilled prawn or chilli crab from stall 43, a stingray fillet with chilli sauce from 11, and a coconut juice from 70. Order accordingly, and give the chef at each stall the number of the table you're at . We were lucky, for a nominal up charge, the chef, got our beverages for us. Seemingly seconds later, the steaming plates are in front of you. When we got there about 6, there were a lot of tables … about half were full. When we left about one hour later, there wasn't a table to be had, except ours. The place was hopping. It is a jeans and T-shirt place, with reasonable prices. It was so much fun to have great food and not have to dress up. That night, we returned to the room, spread out in our new, large suite and repacked our luggage.

The second of November came too soon. We had a leisurely breakfast, called the bellman and loaded up the waiting limo with our 6 bags of luggage plus two carry ons each. With no traffic, we were at the airport in less than 30 minutes. Considered to be one of the world's finest, Changi International Airport, has a movie theater, small science museum, fitness center, medical clinic, supermarket and a multitude of duty-free shopping. However, as vast as this airport is, even with two hours, we barely had time for Doug to enjoy the Lounge and for me to have one last fish pedicure. Our Cathay Pacific flights…we had a switch in Hong Kong…went without a hitch. We arrived at JFK on time, our luggage complete and intact and we were out the door within 20 minutes of landing.

A wonderful 24 day vacation, over much, much too soon.