Singapore Visit

When I found out I would have three days in Singapore, unencumbered by any obligation to be anywhere, or do anything in particular, I was both delighted and somewhat wary. It was the summer of 2004, and the story of the American teenager sentenced to be publicly caned for vandalism by the authorities in Singapore was still very fresh in my mind. As a result of the many news reports generated by the above mentioned delinquent's situation, I was aware that Singapore took a much more serious view of even minor infractions than anything I was familiar with. So, I made a mental note not to follow in the teenager's footsteps and absolutely, positively avoid spray painting graffiti on automobiles while in Singapore. I also resolved to keep my head down and tread softly while learning the lay of the land. It wasn't that I was genuinely concerned about my ability to avoid engaging in criminal activity-I'm at an age where boredom is considered a blessing. The concern was that, as an American conditioned to think of "illegal" as a synonym for "negotiable", I fretted a bit about inadvertently stepping out of line in the midst of a society that routinely enforces ordinances against littering, jay-walking, spitting on the sidewalk, etc. Think about it. In Singapore they execute drug smugglers when they catch them. In America, we've locked up our own law enforcement officers just for wounding a drug smuggler. It shouldn't be too hard to see why I felt like I was not only traveling from the west to the east, but perhaps to a place where things really were upside down as well. My concerns were totally unfounded. As it turned out, all it takes to stay out of trouble in Singapore is to treat the laws as laws not suggestions, and the benefits to be derived from not coddling scofflaws were a continuing theme throughout my entire visit.

For three days, I prowled the streets of Singapore. Not once did I end up with someone's gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe. The streets were busy but orderly, and in every direction I looked there was some juxtaposition of eastern and western, or modern and colonial that justified a photograph. Not a single time did I have to re-frame a shot to avoid litter or graffiti in the picture. On one of my journeys, I came across an older looking fellow asleep on a public bench beside the Singapore River. What I took to be his laundry was spread out to dry on the railing between the bench and the river. I staked him out, hoping to get a photograph of whomever came by to steal the clothes, or, at the very least, abuse the old man or his laundry, in some fashion. Scores of people passed by in the course of an hour or so, as I sat, and smoked, and watched. After the man woke up, collected his things, and walked away, I sat a little longer, reflecting on this bizarre behavior by a sufficient number of people to have produced at least one miscreant where I come from.

I would recommend a visit to Singapore for anyone who thought they could stand polite strangers, wide, clean streets that seem to function without horn honking, fist shaking, or single finger salutes, and, with the exception of a few gentlemen with machine guns at the airport, no visible show of force to explain why all these people get along so well together. That's right, I never once spotted cops on patrol no matter where I went day or night!

I would also recommend the Swissotel Merchant Court as the place to stay in Singapore. It is within walking distance of Chinatown, right on the Singapore River with bumboat (tongkang) rides available right outside the hotel entrance, and, last but certainly not least, a Hooter's a few blocks away and just across the river.

As I boarded my plane to leave Singapore, I found myself wondering if stricter penalties for criminals, and the occasional public caning of less serious offenders, wouldn't make home more hospitable.