Singapore was a great place for Caitlin and I to start our travels. It is very modern and westernized country. The city itself reminded me of Toronto. It was multicultural, clean, and safe. English is also the first language of this country. Coming here was not a huge culture shock for us at the beginning of our journey.
The people of Singapore are very friendly. It was really easy for us to go up to people on the street and ask for directions to where we were headed. Often, these people would even give us some random information about their city on top of their directional advice. One time, Caitlin and I didn’t know which direction to head in and we were looking around aimlessly when a lady came up to us and asked us if we needed help. The people of this country are also very proud of it. They would tell us why they loved their city, and why they thought it was great, but in a modest and polite way.
The laws of Singapore are very strict. It is even illegal to chew gum there, or have it at all. Gum is not sold anywhere in the country. Harsh penalties are also handed out for breaking laws. For example, trafficing drugs in Singapore lands you with a death sentence. The people of this country are not willing to risk the consequences of petty crime, and because of this, it is very safe in the city. We walked around at night to take pictures of the city skyline, and we were perfectly safe. Singapore is also very clean because it is illegal to litter – you practically get thrown in jail for even thinking about it. Maybe Canada needs harsher penalties for breaking the law…
The "Merlion" is a symbol of Singapore. It is on the edge of a bay in a busy part of the city. It has the head of a lion and the tail of a fish. Water spurts from its mouth and into the bay. It was built as a way to welcome all those who visit Singapore. The Eiffel Tower is to France what the Merlion is to Singapore, the CN tower to Canada, the Statue of Liberty to the US.
The transit system of Singapore is very good. It is an example and envy of other big cities around the world, which strive to model their public transport to be like Singapore’s. While waiting for the public train to arrive, a large neon sign counts down the time until its arrival. As the seconds run down and finally hit zero, the train is right in front of you, the doors opening. There are also foot print painted on the ground for you to stand on, and the doors open precisely where you are standing.
No comments:
Post a Comment