As with any decision in life, sometimes it simply does not turn out to be as great as you expected. I spontaneously went to Singapore while on holiday recently. A clean, sprawling, and somewhat expensive metropolis were characteristics shared with me by other visitors I had met while on the road. Add a free place to stay, thanks to a fellow Aggie Alum, and it would have been sacrilegious not to go check out all the hype about Singapore.
I had read that Singapore was expensive but experiencing the costs was the equivalent of paying back a student loan for taking courses you had no interest in. Singapore is ranked as the 6th most expensive city in the world according to CNN Travel. Granted, coming from Thailand, where the cost of living is relatively cheap did not help with the cost culture shock, but some prices were just unexplainable.
The first price shock occurred at the Marina Sands Bay Hotel. A visit to the 70th floor rooftop bar of this hotel is a requirement for any traveler to this city. It is a spectacular view of a modern, cosmopolitan city. It was as if the Jetsons cartoon had come to fruition. Where were Elroy and Astro? I unenthusiastically purchased an $18 corona to enjoy the view with. I sipped the corona so slowly that the beer became warm with over half of it left.
Next, I proceeded to the famous Raffles hotel with the expectation of having a drink named after the city, a Singapore sling (mix drink). However, after being informed that it was $28, I decided I would not enjoy the drink if I bought it for that price and decided to leave.
Outside of the cost of living, Singapore is an anomaly in SE Asia for other reasons as well. The city gives off a “Big Brother” feel. There were cameras on many public streets and all square footage of the subway stations seemed to be covered. I also noticed that no old cars were on the roads. Used cars older than 3 years cannot be imported into the city. In addition, cars can only be owned for 10 years after which they have to be scrapped, exported, or the owner has to partake in a selective renewal bidding process. Lastly, the city does citywide fogging to control mosquitoes. The amount of big brother presence was a little much for my liking.
My favorite part of town was little India. The mixture of street stall smells, Hindu art shops, shoulder to shoulder walking, and gongs ringing provided a unique experience versus other parts of the city. Other places of significance that I enjoyed were the Clarke Quay waterfront eating district, and the famous Orchard road shopping district. The vast amount of high end retailers, and multiple mega malls all within walking distance of each other made Chicago’s Michigan Avenue look average.
Although Singapore does not make my recommendation list of places to visit, each person should form their own opinion. If you would like to visit just be sure to save up a copious amount of sending money.