Singapore
December 2004

Singapore, the shopping capital of Asia, and if you're a traveller like me, you'll have to budget hard sensibly.  Streets esspecially the famous Orchard Road are crammed with shops and shopping centres, alot of which are big names such as LV, Gucci...  Really there's not much to do here but shop, however, I found some spare time and decided to get myself lost in the island (this was unintentional), I manage to get myself to another side of the island, which again had a big shopping centre and flats.  The country is quite similiar to Hong Kong.  I visited, infact, I stayed in Little India.  Had some amazing walks here, just watching the people selling and buying from brightly coloured markets full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The country comprises the main island - linked by causeways to the southern tip of Malaysia - and around 50 smaller islands.  Once a colonial outpost, Singapore has developed into one of the world's most prosperous places - with glittering skyscrapers and a thriving port.  The vast majority of the island's population lives in public-housing tower blocks.   The citizens enjoy one of the world's highest standards of living, but also a system of punishments for acts such as busking without a licence or not flushing a public lavatory.  Government-led initiatives have encouraged Singaporeans to have more babies, be more courteous to each other, and "Speak Good English".  Chinese make up more than 75% of the community, along with Malays and Indians. Singapore also has a large number of foreign workers.  Although a multi-party nation, the People's Action Party (PAP) has been the dominant force since independence. Rights groups have accused some politicians of using defamation suits to silence their opponents.  Singapore is often referred to as one of Asia's "economic tigers". Its economy has weathered regional crises, including the 1997 Asian markets slump and the 2003 Sars virus outbreak.  The country was referred to - less kindly - by the writer William Gibson as "Disneyland with the death penalty".  Singapore argues that its use of capital punishment - applied mostly for drugs trafficking offences - has stopped the growth of narcotics syndicates.