Singapore

Finally Asia! As beautiful as the Americas were, we were more than ready for a new world and excited. The flight with Korean Air was a great start, not only very affordable but also with excellent service. There was far too much food, unfortunately so good for airplane standards that you couldn't afford to miss any of it.

Singapore welcomed us effortlessly, the entry was really quick via eGate, and on the bus heading to the downtown area, we could stress-free tap-on with a credit card. We arrived very early in the sleepy Chinatown, where we were greeted by pecking chickens at the roadside, of course against an impressive backdrop of skyscrapers. Not the picture we had in mind of clinically clean Singapore, but charming (and yes, still clean)! We stored our luggage at our shabby hotel with windowless rooms (but at significantly under 100 euros per night in a good location, a lucky find) and headed to the nearest Hawker center, where the first stalls were just opening for breakfast. And we immediately discovered one of our culinary highlights, with which we would start the next few days: Toast with Kaya (a creamy coconut jam) with soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and pepper, accompanied by a strong Kopi. A dream! Happily munching, we watched the city come to life.

Food was indeed a central theme, and we could barely keep up with the many delights of the Malaysian, Indian, and Chinese-influenced cuisine. Some of the Hawker stalls had even made it into the Michelin Guide, and the food was consistently so outstanding that we wouldn't find various Malaysian dishes later on during our travels through the country in such quality again. A balm for our battered foodie souls! Reflecting on the last six months, we were mostly searching in South America in vain for truly, truly good food that leaves you feeling happy and satisfied.

Aside from that, we let ourselves be carried along through the city, admiring the modern architecture, even if the whole bling-bling entertainment with illuminated skyscrapers at Marina Bay or the Gardens by the Bay wasn't really our thing. But people-watching is always fun. There were also some truly great museums, and we were particularly impressed by the National Gallery, where we spent almost a whole day. One of the best museums we have ever visited.

The city, originally founded as a trading post of the British East India Company, had managed since gaining independence from Malaysia 60 years ago, through business-friendly policies, technology promotion, massive social housing construction, and education, to transform from a poor, dirty monstrosity with no significant resources or industry into a rich modern metropolis. The preparations for the 60th anniversary celebration, which we unfortunately missed, were in full swing, and billboards promised citizens additional cash payments on this occasion.

At first, we were quite euphoric about how well this city worked, how modern everything was, how much emphasis was placed on education, and how peacefully and happily all cultures seemed to live together (and yes, we were also a bit high on the delicious aftertaste of Jiaozi in Sichuan chili oil on our tongues). We briefly imagined how nice it would be to live in this city. Disillusionment came upon a second glance. We noticed that social control seemed to be high; nobody was allowed to drop even a scrap of paper without being reprimanded by a fellow citizen. People with low-paying jobs like cleaners or gardeners seemed to be forced to behave as inconspicuously as possible; anything unpleasant or that does not conform to the norm is simply swept away. This is also reflected, for example, in the severe drug legislation; owning more than 500g of cannabis can even result in the death penalty. Apparently, they do not believe in rehabilitation here, only in deterrence through completely disproportionate punishments. Is a society that is so afraid of its fringes really free? We don't think so, when you delve a little deeper into it, also regarding the topics of freedom of expression and assembly. And all of this is not modern at all, but ancient and regressive.

But we had a good time until we finally took the bus to Malaysia, more specifically to Malacca.