Emely vs. Singapore

How I found Singapore... good question. It was different than expected, but I wasn't disappointed because of it. Singapore is a big city that is very advanced for the Southeast Asian region and similar to Western big cities. We quickly found our way around, although the island and peninsula sometimes confused us a bit. And wherever I can quickly find my way around, I also feel comfortable. But we did feel a bit like outsiders among all the business people. The fancy restaurants with their exorbitant prices didn't improve this feeling.

But there are also ordinary people living in Singapore for whom the country is maybe even too expensive. Because when we sat on the street early in the morning, trying to figure out how to proceed, an older lady behind us plucked mangos from the street tree.

But now let's talk about why Singapore was different than expected. In my head, I imagined Singapore as the ultimate high-tech city. Because when people talk about Singapore, they always tell stories. "Everything in Singapore is super strict on the streets, because even the smallest mistake results in enormous fines." "Singapore is so developed, all major companies have branches there." "Singapore, the city." And let's not forget: "You're going to Singapore, it's so expensive there!". Yes, Singapore is expensive, yes, you can explore Singapore for a few days, look at us and you won't believe it, but you'll see some German tourists sneaking around the city next to us. Yes, there are signs with threats of fines that can actually scare you, because there are also cameras everywhere and announcements to report suspicious behavior. So, you always feel under surveillance. The streets are very clean compared to Asia, but not much cleaner than in Germany. There are no self-driving cars on the streets, there are no floating trains, and not everything works with machines. The sidewalks are not made of polished marble, and the bus stations don't have digital displays. Because that's how I imagined Singapore 😅 certainly a bit naive.

For a big city, I found Singapore very beautiful. Water everywhere, cool neighborhoods with low buildings, and skyscrapers that you see from different angles. There is a lot to see architecturally and a lot to explore. There were a few things that intrigued me, but the time was too short and the budget too small. But that's not bad, because you can do this in other places in the world too. 😉

I'm glad I've seen it and now I know what Singapore really looks like at first glance.

Because I'm not familiar with the system it brings for the locals and how it all works, I don't know if there may still be some special features there.