YOU'VE JUST GOT TO SEE SINGAPORE ONCE IN YOUR LIFE

Me?  I've been here at least a dozen times.  But something about this current one convinced me that everyone should come here at least once, preferably just before Christmas, for it is not as hot, and those holiday lights are awe-inspiring.

While safety is only one big plus, a recent study cited these as the safest cities in the world:

• Reykjavik (Iceland)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Montreal (Canada)
• Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
• Seoul (South Korea)
• Singapore (Singapore)
• Tokyo (Japan)
• Berlin (Germany)
• London (England)
• Sydney (Australia)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Honolulu (Hawaii, the USA)
• Rome (Italy)
• Dubai (The UAE)
• Paris (France)

I would, though, like to interject my input.  Paris and Rome are NOT so safe.  From gypsies to pickpockets to worse, I now refuse to go there anymore.  In contradiction to the above article is a more recent report (23November2022) that headlined:

Paris and Rome entered the top most dangerous cities in the world

Also, see Barcelona, for the sights are memorable.  However, be aware of a variety of petty crimes.

But back to Singapore, a U.S.-based company called Swiftest called Singapore the safest country in the world for international travel.  

• Their Travel Safety Index took into account seven safety risk factors, ranking the 50 most visited countries in the world.
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  And oh by the way, Swiftest also on 1December2022 provided a list of the 50 most deadly travel destinations.
• #1 was South Africa.
• #2 India...yikes, I was just there.
• #3 Dominican Republic, #4 Mexico and #5 Brazil.
• #11 China.
• #12 Thailand.
• #18  Malaysia.
• #20 USA
• #24  UAE (I did not think it was dangerous for tourists).
• #29   Canada
• #30 South Korea
• #32  Austria
• #36  Japan
• #40  UK.
• #50  Singapore
• I guess being the 50th in dangerousness must mean #1 for safety.
• The safest countries are:
• #1  Singapore
• #2  Denmark
• #3  Netherlands
• #4  Switzerland
• #5  Israel
• #10  Germany

So why should you see Singapore at least once in your life?

• This still benevolent dictatorship (they call this a democracy...but it's not, really) works.
• Clean, well-managed, vibrant, progressive, high standard of living, little (1000?) homelessness...

• 
  Sure chewing gum is still banned, except for therapeutic purposes.  After all, gum is a maintenance problem and useful for certain crimes.  First time offenders can pay a fine from $500 to $1000, with up to $2000 for repeat offenders, plus assignment for corrective work.  Pharmacists who can legally sell certain kinds of gums can be fined up to $3000 and jailed for two years if convicted.
• I haven't even mentioned jaywalking, littering and vaping.
• Crime is low because of strict punishment.  Death penalties for murder, drug use/sale..and public caning for something not so serious.  Security cameras are everywhere.  From pre-school, education teaches compliance.
• But everything is so expensive.

Well enough about all that.  We yesterday caught their MRT system to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  The mass transit system is clean, swift and accessible, everywhere.  Signs are fabulous and staff maybe too helpful.  Once you get a card, travel is quite economical, and one of the few things that is.

• MRT stands for Mass Rapid Transit.
• Fully automated with no drivers.
• Began in 1987, now with a daily ridership of 3.4 million (their population is 5.5 million).
• 144 miles, 134 stations, covering the whole city (and country).  Remember, Singapore is less than half the size of the island of Oahu.
• A new line will soon (any day now?) stop at the Orchard Station, to make it even more convenient for people staying at the Marriott Tang Plaza.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens was founded by Sir Raffles himself 163 years ago, and is free, save for certain special areas.  It has been ranked as Asia's top park attraction since 2013.

The Gardens occupy 203 acres, and is somewhat linear in shape.  The University of Hawaii Manoa Campus sits on 320 acres.  Best way to get there is by MRT to the entrance of the Bukit Timah Gate.  The botanics are not spectacular, but walk is pretty, with the occasional large lizard, the only exciting part of the tour.  

We did pay S$3 to enter the National Orchid Garden, but tourists normally pay S$15.  If 60 or older bring your passport.  Frankly, not much to see, but better than the garden in general.  A few photos.

It felt like a long walk, but I only took 7,000 steps, all day.  We went for our free drinks in the early evening to the M Club, then stopped by the food court for chinese roast pork, duck, and beef noodle soup to have in our room with beer and Monkey Shoulders whisky.

Our final breakfast before we head on to stay at the Crowne Plaza at Changi Airport.  We leave tomorrow on ANA for Narita, then Honolulu.  The weather for these past 5 weeks has been wonderful.  Read that a "vigorous" rainstorm is headed to Hawaii also on Sunday.

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