SINGnoPORE

If there is one thing Singapore is not...it's poor. Business is booming in this town and the rewards are evident. The streets are solid, the sidewalks are clean, and there are more aircon malls that you can shake a kebob at. One thing this town does well is shopping. Tons of clothes, souvenirs and electronics. As a sidenote, I now own my third camera of this trip. Unbelievable, I know. Through a rigorous systems of fines for littering, jaywalking, spitting, smoking in public, and various other unclean offenses...this nanny-state stays shiney and new. Looking back, I cannot believe that nobody asked me for money on the street for 5 whole days!

I enjoyed the cable car to Sentosa island and the obligatory trip to China town. But the highlight of Singapore is its famed zoo with the largest collection of primates in the world. Most have free reign and you will quite often look up in a tree over the walkway and see plenty of cheeky monkeys. I have been to quite a few zoos and this one ties with San Diego for best zoo on the planet. If you're ever in town, make a day for it.

While I enjoyed myself in Singapore, spent a lot of money and had a good time. It didn't seem like Asia. Sure it was diverse and had ethnic quarters, but so does every large city. It was like going home for a weekend and could have easily been SF or NYC. Then again, maybe that's why I liked it so much. I was anonymous again in a Western city and it was a welcome break from my current ordinary life.