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We approached Singapore from the east - dreading the crossing of the
Singapore Straits, which had been described as a "conveyor belt of ships looking
for yachts to run down". The sky-line was the most impressive we had seen
since leaving Brisbane over 4000 miles before. We found the procession of
ships to be orderly and well-spaced and easily made it across the eastbound
and westbound lanes with no drama.  We cut through one of the shipping
anchorages and passed the container port entrance where ships entered and exited
every couple of minutes. Extensive dredging and landfill operations had made our
charts obsolete (Singapore extends their land by 1% each year, much to the
dismay of their neighbors) but we wended our way through ships, dredges,
markers, ferries, and breakwaters to find the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club
and Judi, waiting to take a line.
Singapore is an independent republic with 3 million people on one major and
20 smaller islands.  Thrown out of Malaysia in 1965, they have had to make their
own way in the world - and have done a great job of it. Clean, prosperous, safe
with all necessary amenities, it is a first-world enclave in a developing part
of the world. Technically a democracy, Singapore seems to be more like a
benevolent dictatorship, where the country has been run since its independence
by a single political party which controls the press, selects its candidates,
and runs the country very well.
Chinese make up over 75% of the population with Malays (14%) and Indians  (7%)
distant 2d and 3rd. Cultural harmony is paramount, and so holidays are
equitably divided between Christian, Hindu, and Moslem and intolerant behavior
and statements are not tolerated. The Lonely Planet guide to Singapore
describes 24 different festivals and holidays through-out the year, so any time
of year can be interesting.  Orchard Road during the Christmas shopping
period is as busy as Fifth Ave. in New York and Chinatown is covered in red a
month later as the Chinese New Year holiday is in full swing - 2 weeks of
celebrations, lion dances, and Yu Sheng's where a large Chinese raw fish salad
is tossed high - for prosperity in the New Year.
The LifestyleOur observations
of the Singaporean lifestyle are somewhat limited, but they include:
- Education is king - High
emphasis on education (some complain that the children are worked too hard) and University education is
common - business is the
preferred curriculum; many study overseas.
- Hectic lifestyle - The streets are busy late into
the evening with people going to work early, talking on cell phones on the
move, and eating out. Reminiscent of New York City.
- Orderly - People may push you aside to get ahead,
but they respect queues and laws - a very safe place to visit.
- Plan, plan, plan - The government plans far in
advance of their needs. For example they are already negotiating water
rates with Malaysia for the period beyond 2060 (60 years in the future)
and they fill in land and build high-rise residences 10 years ahead of the
demand for the apartments.
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