The City of Fines

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I arrived in Singapore mid-afternoon on Saturday.  The bus ride from Melaka was very smooth, the bus A/C, and equipped with big plush seats.  It's amazing how much buses differ depending on where you are (or where you're going).  I got in line with all the others, Singaporeans and Malaysians, to go through immigration.  As I walk through the metal detector my bags are scanned on the xray machine.  As my bags come out of the machine the lady scanning looks worried and asks me to scan my purse again.  As I put the bag on the machine for a 2nd time I remember I have a flip knife w/ a 4 inch blade in my purse (for peeling fruit) - hm, I wonder if this will be a problem???  The thing about Singapore is that you know they have so many strange laws and regulations, but you just don't have any idea what they all are?!  As I wait they take the knife out,  3 guards examine it (concluding it is in fact a knife?)... then they hand it back to me and let me go on my way.  um, ok.

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I guess some of the rules on social behavior have been loosened, as it is now allowed to buy and chew gum.  However, there is still a $1,000 fine for spitting in public.  So, I was quite shocked when I saw a man spitting in chinatown - the rebel.   Luckily for him no under cover cops were around ;)  One last interesting Singapore law observation ... I was in a bookshop looking around, not reading any of the books since there were signs up all around forbidding reading in the store, when I noticed another sign posted.  It was a thank you letter from the police department to the book shop.  The police were thanking them for turning in a shoplifter, who ended up receiving (the shop highlighted this part) - 10 MONTHS in jail for stealing a book.  I don't know whether to feel safe or on edge here?! 

It's a little fuzzy, but it's a warning "Death to Drug Trafficers" on the immigration form.

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Well, I ended up staying 3 days.  It is a very clean city, well organized, and with tons of air-conditioned malls.  I did a lot of walking around here, since that was the cheapest activity, ducking in and out of the malls when it got too hot outside.  I also visited the zoo, which had some beautiful white tigers, the botanical gardens (plus orchid park), and even had a Singapore Sling at the Raffles hotel  - the colonial hotel where the drink was invented.  Anyway - I'm happy to be leaving.  My next stop - Borneo.