Singapore

He Said:

· Singapore is boring. It is nothing but a big city with a lot of shopping malls – a LOT of shopping malls that are all connected underground.

· It’s an interesting cultural and economic case study of how diverse cultures can live and work together. The whole country (of 4.5 million people) operates like a business.

· 90% of the people live (own) government subsidized housing (1700 ft/sq 2 BR apartments).

· The temples, churches and mosques were interesting, but not that interesting. It’s as if a whole country was designed by Walt Disney.

· Architecture is amazing. Lot’s of tall, interestingly designed new buildings; the old blending with the new.

· All the guides, drivers and servers seemed programmed. They are like a bunch of “Stepford Wives” all smiling and saying the same things. This is not necessarily a negative. Programming can be good – like the USSR and corporations.

· The food is undistinguished. Not bad, but not great.

She Said:

· Singapore is endlessly fascinating. All malls can be avoided easily because shopping is much more interesting in the areas of Chinatown and Little India.

· There is order, cleanliness and people are friendly wherever you go. No beggars in the street and no overt class structure.

· Singapore has done a good job at maintaining its culture—it has only been independent for 41 years so they take great pride in their history and accomplishments.

· The people do seem somewhat programmed, but they’re proud of their country. There are incentives for home ownership (85% of the pop. owns their own home). Education is a priority and with a literacy rate of 90% who can complain? Can you tell that I’ve been listening?

· The food, especially the selections of fruit and veggies was fabulous and I have tried something new each day. Especially like the mangosteen, dragon fruit (pink on the outside, white with black dots in the centre) and the variety of greens.