Singapore, Singapore

I arrived in Singapore around 3PM local time and, after exploring the airport a bit, got through customs and took the MTR to my train without issue. Many of the "little things" such as signage and messages are very similar to the Hong Kong MTR, presumably since both Hong Kong and Singapore were once both part of the British Empire.

After checking in I went straight to Clarke Quay, a nice area of shops and restaurants (touristy) along the Singapore river and did much walking around there. As it was getting dark I headed back to my hostel, located in Little India. If someone knocked me out and left my body in the middle of Little India, I'd swear I was somewhere in the middle of Dehli. Unlike most other ethnic communities and "Chinatowns" I've been to, Little India in Singapore isn't touristy at all - it's the real deal, with real Indians going about their everyday life. There's lots of gold and jewelry shops, food stalls, and other establishments - all fairly dodgy and dirty as one would expect - but this is part of what establishes it's authenticity and charm.

I ate dinner at a local Biryani place (an Indian rice with saffron and other spices), which was some of the spiciest and most flavorful Indian food I've had (read: authentic).

I think I'll spend most of tomorrow relaxing somewhere to try to give my foot a rest as a tendant in my right foot is very sore from the insane amount of walking I've been doing this entire trip. It's about time I catch up on some work as well.

I took it easy the second day and spent a fair amount of time working on open source projects to rest my right foot, which was rather sore from all the walking. In the morning I went back down to Clarke Quay and walked through Boat Quay and across the bridge for some great views of the skyline.

After getting some coffee at a swanky coffee bar "The Coffee Connoisseur (TCC)" I walked a bit more through downtown and through some shopping malls, then took the MTR to Orchard Road, which is a major shopping district - probably the greatest in all of Asia. The sheer number of malls - aboveground and underground - in this area was staggering. This area was nicer and more extensive than New York's Fifth Avenue and a true testament to Singapore's economic power, ranking just *above* the USA in per-capita GDP (in PPP terms from the World Bank). During part of my visit I ralaxed at a Borders Books and perused through one of the many books on expatriate living in Singapore.

I then decided to visit Chinatown, which was nice though much more touristy than Little India, then walk back up to Clarke Quay to take in the vibe at night. I headed back to the hostel early to work on some projects and rest more.

The standard of living in Singapore and Hong Kong is extremely high; the World Bank even ranks Singapore above the United States in per-capita GDP (PPP). Even just walking the streets, Singapore feels much "richer" than anything I've seen in Europe and most of America. And it's no wonder - both of these countries have very low tax rates, secure property rights, and a limited hands-off government. The comparison of free-market Hong Kong to culturally identical but significantly more poor China is as much a lesson in sound economics as is standard of living differences between South and North Korea.

Somehow I had missed it the first time walking through, but this time I decided to go to Merlion Park in the morning to take some photos of the Merlion (national symbol of Singapore) with the downtown skyline in the background. I continued wandering around the financial district and Boat Quay since it was such a nice day out.

The rest of the day I spent on Sentosa island, which is somewhat of a resort in Singapore that contains University Studios Singapore, Underwater World, and lots of beachfront hotels. I decided to check out Underwater World, the hallmark of which was walking through tunnels through a large tank. I also touched some fish and a sting-ray in the touching pool. This was one of the best aquariums I've been to.

From there I explored the beach on the south side of the island - which looks like anything you'd see in the Caribbean, and some other touristy parts of the island.

After a long day of walking I came back to Little India to eat at "The Banana Leaf Apollo", a somewhat famous Indian restaurant in Little India. Indian restaurants here are much more authentic and spicier than anything I've had back in the US.