Three Days in Singapore

Singapore popped up on our agenda randomly and without warning. We have all heard the stories of people being caned for chewing gum, or getting their hands cut off for jaywalking. We wanted to see if this was true...and also get some cheap electronics. Before landing in Singapore, we probed the couchsurfing community online for friendly faces and spare bedrooms. Our only positive response was from one June Abdullah-- who turned out to be the nicest, most welcoming and informative host we have had yet. She met us at the monorail station near her small apartment (where she lives with her mom and a boarder who we never met named 'Mr. Fred') and led us to her room. Against all our protests, she demanded we take the bedroom while she slept on a couch in the living room. The generosity of the people we've met has at times been staggering. Conveniently, that night June had been planning to attend a massive outdoor party at one of Singapore's many artificial beaches (they ship the sand in from Indonesia). She brought us along, as well several other members from the couchsurfing community. The party was crazy. Bikinis, dancing in the pool and hot tub, and a bizarre interlude of firedancing and Thai floating lanterns made the night something special indeed. The next day we spent at the Singapore national history museum, learning about the country's history of British colonization and the terror of the Japanese occupation in WWII. The museum had some cool futuristic features, like smell-o-vision and a 360 degree video installation. Singapore is, without a doubt, the cleanest city I've ever seen. What happened to their homeless population is a mystery, and the contrast with Indonesia and the Philippines is outrageous. One exhibit briefly attempted to explain Singapore's rapid transformation from an inpoverished third world country into a major world class economy. We failed to understand how this happened so quickly and so totally.