February 15 -- Part Two, Touring Marina South

Singapore is an island, city-state nation of almost 6 million people. The residents are primarily Chinese, Malay, and Indian in their ethnicity, although not in their nationality. Singapore citizens cannot hold duel citizenship.

After breakfast, our two tour buses headed out for the National Botanical Garden, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walking around the National Orchid Garden, within the Botanical Garden, it was easy to see why it has earned this prestigious designation. For more about the Orchid Garden and pictures, refer to February 15: Part One. The rest of this blog entry focuses on the rest of the tour of the city, of which we only saw a small part near the south marina (below the red square on the map below.)

This part of the city is full of skyscrapers -- bank buildings, corporate towers, and residential buildings. Here are some of the Singapore facts that Jeremy, our guide, shared with us throughout the tour.

-- Today, February 15, is "Surrender Day" in Singapore, which marks the date in 1942, when the British surrendered the island to the Japanese army. Singapore remained under Japanese occupation until September 1945, at which time it reverted to British rule.

-- Singapore became independent of Great Britain in 1959, but in 1963 it joined with Borneo, Sarawak and Malaya, to form the "Confederation of Malaysia." Still, as Jeremy tells it, it was a "very brief marriage" and two years later, in 1965, Singapore became a totally independent nation.

-- The name Singapore is derived from a Malay phrase, "Singa Pura" that means "Lion City". This was the name given to the island by a Malay prince hundreds of years ago, who thought he saw a lion when first setting foot on the island. However, he was wrong. As far as science and archeology can tell, there have never been lions or lion-like animals on Singapore. Yet, the name has stuck. One of the sites shown to tourists is the Lion of Singapore fountain, located in the harbor of the Marina South district.

(Lion of Singapore Fountain)

-- The Singapore dollar is currently about $0.74 dollars US. Singapore has one of the world's strongest economies: and it is one of the richest countries in the world, both in its GDP (gross domestic product) and on a per capita basis. It has a AAA credit rating -- only one of a handful of countries in the world who do -- and has a lot of foreign direct investment.

-- It has a low tolerance for corruption and crime. For example, you cannot chew gum in Singapore, and if you do and get caught, you will receive a very stiff fine. There are long prison sentences for all manner of crimes. If you are caught possessing drugs for personal use, you can expect a prison sentence of many years. If you are caught possessing drugs for distribution, you run the real risk of being awarded the death penalty. You see very few public trash cans, because it is a VERY CLEAN place. You better not be caught littering! (For an illustrative example of crime and punishment in Singapore, Google the name "Michael Fay" and read about an American teen who got on the wrong side of the law here.)

-- The country has five airports: 1 domestic, 1 international, and 3 military.

-- Military service is compulsory for men. You can serve full time for two (2) years or part time for ten (10) years. And even after your service, you are required to serve in the military reserve until age 40.

-- There is lots of public housing, most of it for ownership (condos). About 80% of all housing has been built by the government. To minimize homelessness, the government provides rental apartments for as low as $26 SD ($19 US) per month. Homelessness is in fact a crime. For those who do become homeless -- mostly because of domestic problems -- there are temporary, transition shelters and case workers to help you get housed permanently.

-- There are lots of media outlets, but they all have to tow the government line.

-- You can only protest with a permit. Protest permits are granted sparingly by the government. Thus, you can only protest about what the government permits, when the government permits and where the government permits. Failure to do so will result in fines and/or jail sentence. As Jeremy quips, "You are free to say anything you like; you are also free to suffer the consequences of what you say."

-- Most aspects of life in Singapore are reasonably priced, except owning a car. First, you have to bid for an automobile certificate auctioned by the government. Certificate prices range from $80,000 to $100,000 SD (or $60,000 to $75,000 US.) AND THEN, you actually have to buy the car. Jeremy said that sample car prices are $150,000 SD ($113,000 US) for a basic Toyota to $500,000 SD ($375,000) for a Mercedes Benz. And to add to the burden of car ownership, your certificate expires after 10 years and you have to bid for a new one.

Anyway, enough about Singapore facts and figures. Here are some of the many sites we saw while on tour.

(Row 1: Marina Bay Sands Hotel with National Science Museum in foreground, skyline view, War Memorial Towers [right])

(Row 2: J.W. Marriott, skyline view, typical street traffic)

(Row 3: building under construction, skyline view, Fountain of Wealth)

(Row 4: major bridge used for Formula 1 racing, Marina Bay waterfront, Science Muesum)

(Row 5: waterfront photos)

(Row 6: waterfront photos, toasting our day with a cup of coffee in the Esplanade Mall)

(Row 7: Singapore street scenes)

(Rows 8-12: Scenes from Chinatown and Little India neighborhoods)

(Row 13: red dragon celebrating Lunar New Year, building with plants meant to symbolize the terraced rice paddies of Asia.)

(Row 14: skyline view, War Memorial Towers)

After the morning tour, we returned to the hotel. We ordered and ate lunch, laid down for a nap (Patrise), and worked on the blog (Doug). We have not yet decided what to do with the afternoon and evening.