Lion City Singapore

The next stop is over in no time. This is sooooo fast!!!

I was in Singapore both before and after Indonesia. In total, I had more than a week to get a very good impression of the city (I apologize for the city-state). The conclusion this time is: Singapore is a fantastic city! If an offer came from DB Schenker Singapore (large building on the way to the airport ;o)) I would sign up for a year!

The 5 million inhabitants of the Lion City are literally piled into the approximately 40 km wide city. It is built both in height and depth. The clever Singaporeans are excellent at reclaiming land and simply throw their rubbish into the sea and simply create a new district. A visit to the city gallery shows what you have planned in the next few years and life, work, nature and, above all, shopping are not neglected. Shopping is a basic need for people in big cities in Southeast Asia and would be classified directly in Maslow's pyramid based on their need for security.

So that everyone feels comfortable in such a small space, everything is regulated and failure to comply with this is subject to high penalties. Sometimes, as a normally responsible citizen, you feel a little taken aback when, during a 10-minute subway ride, you are informed that there is a gap, let's say 8 cm, between the train and the double doors on the train Platform (serves for air conditioning of the station and of course for the safety of the citizens!). I think even the slightly shorter Chinese people, who make up 80% or more of the city, don't have feet so small that they're in danger of getting stuck in them!

This city offers pretty much everything you can imagine. In addition to its own island with amusement parks and kilometers of shopping malls open 24/7 (as I said, Volkssport No.1), there are also many green oases where you can spontaneously take a 10km long walk in the tropical forest, for example on the "Tree Top Walk". and admire free-roaming monkeys and turtles in the city park. The zoo is considered particularly beautiful. Yes, it's very nicely laid out, but every time I ask myself whether it's really such a good idea to keep the animals in cages. It may be that this will save some species, but I doubt that the polar bear feels comfortable at tropical temperatures of 30 degrees and a lot of humidity.

People like to boast about the biggest, most beautiful and most modern things. The Singapore Flyer, the Ferris wheel, of course the largest, the Helix Bridge, unique in the world, etc. But I have to give it to you, the countless skycrapers are fascinating, especially when you look at them from above. I was on the highest building twice and admired the city from the 63rd floor at 282m, which only reveals its very special charm at night with all the lights.

In addition to the modern city and the financial district, every district is a little different and if you didn't know that you were in Singapore (well, you know relatively quickly based on the cleanliness and safety), you would really think you were in Chinatown or Little India . I had a special experience in Little India in particular. One Sunday afternoon/evening I got off the subway and was surrounded by an incredible number of Indian-looking people. The streets were so crowded that you could hardly move. And they were all men. I suspected the oft-remembered Deepavalli festival, the festival of lights, to be of a similar size to our New Year. Apparently there is also a Deepavalli money that is immediately converted into cell phones and foreign transfers, or at least that is how I explained the long queues in front of the relevant shops. In retrospect, it turns out that it is not the festival, as it only reaches its peak two days later, but rather that this is what happens every Sunday in Little India, as all the Indians, Pakistanis, etc. in the city are at the end of their 6th year. Spend days a week chatting, eating and shopping there without ladies.

In general, Singapore's pavement is significantly more expensive than the rest of Southeast Asia and, incidentally, also Germany. No wonder! Everything, absolutely everything, has to be imported from the surrounding states. Speaking of importing. The only thing Singapore “produces” itself is drinking water treatment. Four pipes deliver water from Malaysia for treatment, which Singapore then pumps back in two pipes for the corresponding money, the rest is needed itself.

What I like most about the city, however, is the importance of food. There is something to eat on every corner. The hawker centers/food courts offer mostly Asian food for relatively little money. Everyone, whether wearing a suit or a jogging suit, joins the queues at the food stalls and eats their meal on the plastic chairs. At first I was really confused by the huge number of these food palaces, but when food is so expensive even in the supermarket, I understand why people just treat themselves to something ready-made for the same money at the next opportunity.

So, I could certainly write a few more pages about the city's founder Raffles, the composition of the peoples or other background facts that I have worked hard to gather, but at this point I would refer you to the well-known Internet for research and recommend a city trip of your own to experience the atmosphere to experience for yourself. ;O)

And then the first third is already over. We're heading to Australia!

Another comment about Berti: Don't worry, he's fine! The lazy dog is very reluctant to leave the large backpack and prefers to guard it like only a Meenzer Bull Terrier can! ;O)