Singapore, Singapore

The title just about sums up my mental abilities after the flight to Singapore. I mean, it was a good flight and all, but 12 hours cooped up in a little seat isn't really my cup of tea...

I'm here in Singapore until tomorrow (Saturday) morning, so I'll just run through a few initial thoughts. The first was, it's so neat/tidy/clean/expensive! The MRT system runs across the place on three lines, the station at the airport is literally 20m high with massive vaunted ceilings, huge escalators and so on, for about three people. That carries through to the rest of the country's (yes, it really is a proper country) infrastructure. The roads (bet you wondered how long it would take me to mention them) are wide, well surfaced, and congestion-free even at peak time.

Following on, everything's neat, as you might have heard about this place. Littering is punishable by a $1000 fine (300 pounds), as is spitting chewing gum and other offences of the sort. By contrast, having your car clamped only costs $50. Crazy!

The people seem to be hyper-efficient too. My stomach was feeling a but weak after a noodle breakfast on the plane (as if jet lag wasn't bad enough) and so, I must humbly confess, I went to a (whisper) Burger King! It is in the middle of Chinatown though, so is that better? Anyway, it's built much bigger than it needs to be, with the cashiers having microphones to tell the kitchen staff what to make. The staff seem to have no qualms about being like this, which in your average UK or USA fast food establishment would seem rather strange to say the least.

Maybe they get it from the Government, who's advertising campaigns on buses include "Speak Better English", "Eat More Calcium" and "Avoid Myopia! [in small print] Take a break from your computer every 40 minutes." Sound advice I'm sure, but it seems very excessive to make it so public.

Anyway, enough about that. I'll mention the hostel I'm in in passing: firstly, it's an old "shophouse" (you guess the meaning) with lots of nooks and crannys. Conveniently or otherwise it's just on the outskirts of Chinatown, and I don't think I'll get much sleep thanks to the café next door! (Thankfully, the room is air-conditioned.)

I'm leaving tomorrow for Malacca across the Straits in Malaysia, about 4 hours away apparently. What I find there is anyone's guess...