Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
J & J's Travels
So we both arrived in singapore after our long overnight train journey across the length of malaysia.
No embarrassing incidents like my brother who when inter-railing around europe and thinking he was on a non-stop train, took the long, careful and clearly exhibisionist decision to sleep on the top bunk beside the window completely in the buff. After an 8 hour slumber and still some hours from his destination he awoke with his naked arse pressed firmly against the window and the gentle hum of a stationary train ringing in his ears. Still naked and no doubt a little disorientated he rolled over to find out why the train had stopped.
Picture the Scene. You are a 35 year old bulgarian mother standing at the platform amongst the crowds of your local station with your 3 young, innocent and ever curious children, ready to board a train to go and see the grandparents.
One of the children yells, his eye's a gog and pointing to the train, you and the rest of the station following the instruction of the young lads digit are confronted by a big hairy arse pressed against the top window on carriage number 3. You can't help but stare, it is truely a unique and awe inspiring sight and everyone is transfixed.
All of a sudden it moves, lolling slowly, ever so slowly onto its side, and it keeps lolling until you see him, (bleary eyed, clearly disorientated and confused) a 6ft 3"s scotsman as naked as the day he was born only a lot bigger, a lot hairer and a lot better endowed. The whole station gasps you have only 2 hands and 3 children. You must save them the indignity and the trauma and spare their fragile and impressionable minds. You quickly cover up the eyes of your youngest 2 offspring, making a choice that could emotionally scar your eldest for life.
Then embarrassed but brave the man waves, not knowing how or why you are drawn to the most primal and inherent of your instincts and wave back. Your youngest child starts crying.
What have you done, What kind of mother are you.
Realising that this may have been the scene at stations all over europe, my brother swiftly closes the curtains, rolls over and goes back to sleep.
Anyway to Singapore.
A truely awesome, awe inspiring city, futuristic city. Probably the closet thing to utopian city that exists within our planet. We would both live here in a second. Just to give you an idea. This is the only place I think on planet earth where 4 of the major religions (hinduism, buddhism, muslim and christian and oh yeah the Irish of course) live in complete racial harmony. No crime, no racism, even marital relations cross culture and racial barriers.
There are huge areas in each city devoted to the religious and cultural needs of its ethnic melting pot, each of them as affluent, clean, friendly, welcoming and respectful to the other citizens as each other (Little India, China Town, The Arab Quarter and Molly Malones Irish Pub).
In a city of 3 million, There is no graffiti, no homeless, no alcoholism, no drugs, no smoking in public places, no unemployment and very little stress, even chewing gum is banned. People just get on and work hard. We never heard one car horn or argument (outwith our own) in 5 days. The police are all in plain clothes but the laws are strict and fair. The city is spotless and everything looks as new as the day it was built. Public transport is super efficient the subways and buses don't smell like old mans piss! (buses even have TV's and DVD players to watch)and the taxi drivers all have degrees and must pass examinations and speak english to drive. The majority of them are retirees or funding their retirement by driving a cab as a second job, while the office is shut at the weekend. Words cannot explain this city to you, you have to see it in your life time. What you give up in terms of personal freedoms (there is always a sense that Big Brother is watching you) you gain from the massive effort that the government has gone to, to keep its citizens happy. Even going as far as creating a huge, man-made tropical island getaway come themepark, come disneyworld style escape for the locals to come at the weekend or days off. Its called Sentosa Island (how futuristic does that sound) and everyone is invited.
Its safe to say we blew a huge chunk of our budget here on shopping, night safari's and sight seeing (drinking is only an expensive luxury in this city) but what better cities can you have a good time in. I think governments and city councils alike could learn huge lessons from the way that Singapore runs its affairs.
- comments