Singapore has been described as “Asia for beginners” because it is too safe, too clean, too air-conditioned. Having never been to Asia, I will take that at it’s word. It is all that and more. The people are polite and cordial, English is commonly spoken, the economy is strong (translate that to mean “expensive”), and the Singapore currency, also known as dollars, is similar to the US. Singapore has an enormous world impact for a country that consists of one large island and about 50 small ones with a total land mass of only about 441 square miles. The city of Singapore, with a population of about 3.9 million, is a melting pot of nationalities, religions, cultures and architecture. Of a total island population of about 5.4 million, 3.6 million of the inhabitants are immigrants, primarily from Malaysia, China, and India. Because such great diversity is so common, racial and religious bias does not exist.

The country has very high education standards and children are required to attend only government schools. To prevent pollution and traffic congestion, cars are very expensive and, when purchased new, the owner must obtain a complicated Certificate of Entitlement, which grants use of the automobile for ten years only, after which one must bid for an extension. Only twenty percent of the population owns a car and most cars are quite new. Housing is also very expensive and, instead of ownership, it is purchased with a 99-year lease.

Crime is rare. It is not accepted in Singapore, and should it occur, the consequences are swift and harsh. So, people here do not color outside the lines. The local newspaper reported recently that two women caught for drug trafficking were sentenced to life in prison. Also while we were there, the paper noted that a convicted sexual predator got 30 years in prison and 24 lashes, with a comment from the judge that, “such acts would not be tolerated”. It’s one strike and you are out.

As I write this, the country is in a state of national grief over the death, on March 23, of their founding prime minister and revered leader since 1959. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, 91 years old, and fondly referred to as Mr. Lee, oversaw the independence of Singapore from Britain and Malaysia and was the towering figure credited with eliminating corruption and creating the Singapore of today.

The city itself was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1820. Prior to that it was a sleepy fishing village, and Raffles built it into a major port hub. We stopped in at the fabulous, stately, and famous Raffles Hotel, opened in 1887, still resplendent with it’s colonial architecture and traditional Sikh doorman. The hotel has bedded down the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Ava Gardner, and Michael Jackson and is also known for creating the famous Singapore Sling. No tourist should neglect to visit the Long Bar at Raffles for a sip of the cliche experience beneath swaying tropical fans.

The diversity of the city is alive in the vibrant neighborhoods of Little India, wafting with the scent of curry, cumin, and other exotic spices, Chinatown, the Burgis (once known for it’s red light district), and the Jewish sector, all of which we toured on the human-driven trishaw, a bicycle with an attached one-wheeled two-passenger carriage similar to a motorcycle sidecar. The ultimate cheesy tourist activity, but really great fun!

And the architecture here is on steroids. Everything from colonial British, elaborate Hindu and Buddhist temples, to futuristic, contemporary buildings. The modern architecture looks like a competition for the best, the most, the biggest in the city. From our room on the 35th floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel, I almost expected to see George Jetson whiz by on his jetpack. It looks surreal from way up there. And even at ground level, it is a maze of varying structures, walkways, lights, fountains. They do things big and extreme here.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

Marina Bay Gardens, Singapore

Art and Science Museum, Singapore

We visited the Marina Bay Shoppes where you can find the likes of Hermes, Chanel, and Dior under the same roof as the Gap, Body & Bath Works, and Banana Republic. The malls are three massive connecting buildings, and include an indoor ice skating rink, a manmade “canal” running through it to take passengers on gondola rides, casinos, theaters, and celebrity restaurants…in other words, sensory overload. And, the adjoining Marina Bay Sands Hotel supports a futuristic ship on top of three giant columns. We went up for a sweeping view of the city and bays.

The nearby Marina Bay Gardens are acres and acres of lush, tropical, manicured gardens and waterways featuring nearly every plant in the world amid a setting of Jurassic-Park-like branching steel structures and two huge pavilions with indoor exhibits. At night, these features come alive with elaborate water and light shows.

If you still can’t get enough shopping just head to Orchard Road, famous for it’s blocks and blocks lined with couture boutiques and huge department stores filled with throngs of people. Truly amazing amounts of retail.

The climate is pretty extreme, too. Singapore is only 87 miles north of the equator, so it is hot and humid. The air has weight to it that you can almost see. This is good for dewey skin, but makes every day a bad hair day for me. But, not to worry. In this “beginner’s Asia”, there is plenty of air-conditioning.

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