Last year, Steven and I did not leave Changi Airport on our way to Manila. We regretted it because we felt there was something big outside.
Last December, we saved some of our vacation money for Singapore. With only typed instructions from friends, we ventured out this high-tech city.
We stayed at the Hotel 81 in Chinatown, very close to a metro station. Public transport system made our jaw drop several times. These trains run every few minutes, they are fast and their routes are easy to understand.
The street stalls offer various cuisines from mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam and even Thailand. I am guilty of binge-eating in Singapore eventhough we stayed for one night only.
I have never seen a city as multi-cultural and multi-national. We saw Australian and Filipino businesses. We heard languages from different parts of the world in public places and even as public announcements. And Singaporeans can also speak English!!!
How can this city-state be so high-tech and efficient on one hand and so traditional on the other? I ate on the street and yet there was a security camera pointed at me. Chinese dragons and merlions are around and yet I see people attached to mobile devices.
In an eerie way, I also felt like I was home in the Philippines because of the number of Filipinos living there. In every corner, I heard Tagalog. If I were single, Singapore would definitely be on my short list of countries to live in.
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