The Only Shopping Mall in with a Seat at the U.N.

Okay, okay... there's a lot more to Singapore than shopping but I love that label. It's more cheery than frequently-cited "Disneyland with the Death Penalty."

A quick confession. I could not have time my trip to Singapore more poorly! India and China, which bookend the Asia leg of my trip, are about to witness the longest solar eclipse in the 21st century. Unfortunately, I did not consult a lunar calendar when planning my itinerary and I am stuck with a remarkably common partial solar eclipse. I hardly feel it is even worth waking up early and making a pin-hole box to view the eclipse (remember those things from elementary school??). Oh well, the pollution in India and China would probably dampen the effect anyway. At least that's what I am telling myself.

Singapore has been a huge change of pace from India. Over the weekend I met with couchsurfers for a party of travelers (covered every continent but Antarctica) and then with a friend of some of my high school friends. We went to a restaurant called Black Angus, which I am told is of not relation to the American chain. It was a steakhouse though, and I did have the first steak of my entire trip. The meal was unbelievable... USDA prime cut never tasted so good. Trying to ignore the fact that my carbon footprint probably doubled by eating steak flown in from America, I savored that meal. We then went to Clarke Quay, a popular hub of restaurants, bars and clubs which is just down from where the first British explorer landed on the Singapore river. After 4 weeks of feeling awkwardly wealthy, Singapore has brought me crashing back to reality. A single drink cost as much as I spent in two days in Bangalore. Fortunately, the combination of 7-11 and liberal open container laws (I was surprised too) meant that we could avoid incurring the astronomical drink charges.

Sunday, I went to Sentosa, an island full of man-made beaches, world-class golf courses, tourist traps and even it's own mascot "Oscar... the random tropical fish." Spent the day lounging some of my newly-made friends on the beach. This was not your typical SE Asian beach. While I'm told that Bali and Phuket are nice... I'm not sure they can compete with this view.


Yes, there are ships EVERYWHERE just off the coast. The water is still safe to swim in, but the exotic atmosphere is a bit tainted.

Today I had a meeting with the Singapore Economic Development Board. What a tight ship they run! From the 28th floor of Raffles Tower, I could look out on huge number of cranes and high-rises being erected around the city. They even had a telescope, presumably so investors could track their project's progress from air-conditioned comfort. I'm not sure this is true, but someone told me that the EDB is so intense that they once took an oil company up in a helicopter, pointed at a piece of sea and said "You can build your refinery there." The executives were confused, only to return a year later and find an island in that space. Even if it is not true, I could not have been more impressed with the EDB. One of the trends I've realized in my travels is that successful governments leverage their strengths, but more importantly, acknowledge their weaknesses. The EDB conceded that Singapore had a lack of resources and an ageing population, but emphasized their openness to foreign knowledge workers and their ability to innovate through challenges. Innovation was a big theme for them, something that I found particularly interesting. They were well-aware of the pressure globalization puts on all countries to climb the value-chain and are actively taking steps to encourage an innovative and creative hub in Singapore. They are even building housing developments around certain industrial cluster areas to increase the exchange of ideas. The argument goes that you're more likely to start a business with someone you see in the elevator everyday than someone who is a complete stranger.

Off to bed for me...

Day 51/82
Distance from NY JFK: Same as before
Current mood: Contented
Current music: Cafe Del Mar Pandora Station (thank goodness for proxy servers so I can still get US websites and avoid censorship)
Only here moment: On Saturday night I had my temperature taken at 3 different night clubs. It was certainly unique to have a 300 pound Samoan man holding a little machine up to my neck. They take swine flu, VERY SERIOUSLY here. Fingers crossed I don't develop a fever, because not only will I not get into China, my Singaporean social life will be shot.