Jan 25-30: Singapore

We departed Johannesburg at 1:45 in the afternoon and arrived in Singapore at 6:30 in the morning (one day later).

After so many flights on budget carriers, Singapore Airlines’ economy was like first class. Is that an adjustable foot rest under my seat? Hot towels, you say? A cold glass of water before departure? Or perhaps a glass of bubbly (no charge!) after we reach cruising altitude? RyanAir, be damned!

Despite our luxurious flight, we were wiped out when we arrived, and the warm, extremely humid air added to our lethary. We had a great Uber driver from the airport, who pointed out things along the way and gave us suggestions for things to do and see. The lush, tree-lined drive exiting the airport was our first of many things we found surprising about Singapore.

We arrived at our hotel, the Furama Riverfront (which I found on Agoda.com, a new site I really like), way early for check-in, but luckily, after dozing in the lobby for an hour or so, were able to get into our room.

After we all slept some and in lieu of just sleeping through the rest of the day and night (which sounded pretty appealing at the time), we decided to get out of the room and check out the neighborhood. Only, when we got downstairs, it was pouring down rain. Our first monsoon!

An hour later it was still sprinkling, but we headed out anyway. Our Uber driver told us that the hawker centres (think SE Asian food court) were the best way to eat authentic food for cheap. So, we walked to the closest one – the Zion Food Center.

After surveying the many stalls and a variety of options, each of us ended up getting different rice/meat plates and we split a big order of the best pan-fried pot-stickers I’ve ever had. It was dark when we walked home, but still warm and humid.

The following morning, Jeff figured out how to use the yellow bikes we’d seen parked all over town and over the next few days we rode them everywhere. First, you download the OFO app on your phone. Then, when you see a bike where you need one, you just scan the QR code (that square, black-and-white code thing) with your phone’s camera, and “click,” the bike unlocks. When you get to where you want to go, you simply park your bike (anywhere is fine) and engage the lock, which ends that particular ride. You’re asked to thumbs-up or thumbs-down your ride and report any problems with the bike. Genius.

When you need a bike again, you just find one that’s parked. We biked up and down both sides of the Singapore River – during the day, at night, in the sun and in the rain – and took lots of pictures of the different bridges (lit up at night) and vertical square footage.

The two coolest things we saw were the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino and Gardens by the Bay, with their lush, tropical gardens and fascinating solar-powered supertrees.

The 50-acre Marina Bay Sands complex (by Las Vegas Sands) opened in 2010 at a cost of 8 billion Singapore dollars. It has 2,500 rooms, 500 casino tables, 1,600 slot machines, a convention center, a shopping mall, amuseum, two theaters, many restaurants, an ice skating rink, and two floating crystal pavilions.  Lying across the top of its three skyscrapers is a 1,120 foot ship-like “Skypark” that holds 3,900 people. Overhanging the north tower by 220 feet is a platform that supports a 490-foot infinity pool that (sadly) is only for hotel guests. Maybe next time!

Gardens by the Bay is a much different kind of complex – a lush, 250-acre oasis in the middle of the bustling, hi-tech city.

Figuring nothing could beat what we saw at Eden Project, we skipped the two domed conservatories in the complex and focused on the Supertree Garden.

Imagine an enormous tree (the largest is 16 stories high) covered with a vertical garden of 163,900 different plants. That’s a supertree. Surrounding the concrete trunk and extending out at the top like branches is a framework for the garden, which is illuminated at night. Eleven of the trees house solar panels that provide power for the complex. The gardens have only been open since 2015, so the plants haven’t yet grown up and out to the “branches,” but I can imagine that’ll be even more spectacular. Again, maybe next time!

More pictures…

Things I learned … 

Singapore is sometimes called the “Fine” City – the homograph referring to its excellence and its strict system of punishment – including fines, jail time, caning and hanging.

Crime

• Annoy someone with a musical instrument in a Singapore public place, that’ll be $1,000. (Bagpipers beware!!)
• Spit in a public place? $1,000
• Don’t even think about logging into someone else’s WiFi unless you’re willing to cough (but not spit) up $10,000 and spend 3 years in the clink.
• Forget to flush? $150
• Like feeding pigeons? $500
• Jay-walk? Up to $1,000 or 3 months in jail (double for 2nd offense)

 

Government

Singapore is a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system.

Economy

State-owned companies, such as Singapore Airlines, produce 22% of Singapore’s GDP (more than double the world’s average).

“The economy of Singapore is best described as a mixed economy. Although the country strongly advocates free-market policies and practices, government intervention is also evident in macroeconomic management and major factors of production such as land, labour and capital resources. This innovative and highly successful economic system – where both the market and the state have equally strong roles in the government – is dubbed as the Singapore Model.”
– SINGAPORE. A SUCCESS STORY. NOT A FREE MARKET ONE

Cars

In order to reduce the number of cars on its roads, Singapore makes driving very expensive. First you need to bid for on eof the limited number of COEs or Certificates of Entitlement. If you’re lucky enough to get one, you pay between $5,000 and $10,000 for the 10-year term. Then you need to buy a purposefully price-inflated car. The price for a 2017 Honda Civic? $83,500. No thanks, I’ll take the bus, or ride a free city bike, or hop on a train … (That’s the idea)

Housing

90% of Singapore’s territory is owned by the government and four-fifths of the permanent population live in government-subsidized units. Every year the government (the Housing Development Board or HDB) sells 99-year leases for new, un-built flats, predominantly to first-time buyers, below market price. If the buyer doesn’t want to wait 3 or 4 years until the unit is built, they can buy an existing unit directly from the owner. Government grants are given to 1st and 2nd time buyers of new or existing flats. Quotas ensure that the racial makeup of the housing (Chinese, Indians, Malays) matches that of the country overall.

Healthcare that Works

The 3 M’s: Medisave, Medishield, and Medifund

Medisave: Working citizens are required to contribute 7 to 9.5% of their wages (like Social Security payroll tax, but for healthcare) and the government decides what those funds can be used for (approved providers, drugs, etc). Routine care is paid for out of this account and there is a set deductible.

Medishield:  Nationwide catastrophic insurance program that kicks in when Medisave deductible has been met. Premiums are set by your age and deductibles are reasonably high @ $1,400. Citizens are automatically enrolled, but may opt out. Again, government decides what funds can be used for.

Medifund: Government endowment fund set up for the neediest Singaporean patients – those with financial difficulties that remain after exhausting government subsidies. Hospital boards decide who qualifies based on need, but the vast majority of applications are approved. Government surpluses are contributed to this fund.