Mid-Visit Thoughts on Singapore

There are two kinds of weather in Singapore--inside and outside. Inside is were you dart to lower your overheated core temperature in the air conditioning. Outside, it's pretty much always hot and humid. At 1 degree north of the equator, Singapore is tropical. They have the rainy season and the dry season, but the temperature is always in the mid-90s, and the air is always laden with moisture.

I hadn't realized that I was getting so darned dehydrated those first few days. I didn't know how much I was sweating until suddenly my vision would blur, the room would spin and my head felt like it was going to blow the top of my skull skyward. Now, I usually carry 2-3 litres of water with me at all times. I drink and drink and drink some more.

I haven't touched a beer or any alcohol for that matter since I've been here--for one thing, it's very expensive (a beer is 3 times the cost of a meal, a glass of wine in a restaurant will run you $20), and for some reason, it just doesn't appeal to me in this heat--I'm already quite light-headed most of the time. I've also pretty much lost my appetite the last day or two. Maybe because of all the water sloshing around in there, but again, it's hard to be hungry when it's this hot.

So, forget the weather--there's nothing to be done about it. Wear a hat, seek the shade, stop in at every air conditioned mall for a breather and another iced coffee (my new best beverage) or a fruit smoothie.

The energy of this place is tremendous. I took the MRT (underground trains) at morning rush hour to meet up with the Chinatown tour yesterday. The rapid clacking of heels on the tile floors as our huge herd of young people transferred from the north-south line to the east-west line sounded like an army on the march. It is an army of sorts. Everyone has a purpose, and that purpose is Business, Productivity, Capitalism--all with capital letters. The television is always exhorting people to get out there and make money for the greater good--for Singapore and Asia. It's a little creepy in a lock-step mindset kind of way, but I can't help but wonder if it was like this in the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution, or during WWII. Maybe our economy could use some of these exhortations to get out there and be a productive member of society.

The newspapers are all business news, the television is all about growth and progress, and there is a sense everywhere that Asia is ascendant, the West is in decline. While we dither, watch "reality" shows and decry big corporations for being all about making money, people here long ago decided that social order was preferable to individual freedom, and everyone is expected to have a nose to the grindstone for the benefit of the society. Slackers are not tolerated.

That said, it's an incredibly vibrant place, with an uncommon civility between many diverse ethnic races. People are mostly very friendly (especially if you buy something--then you're their new best friend), but they've all got places to go and things to do. No time is wasted. There's an economic world to conquer out there.

So much for societal ruminations. I'm off to go discover more today.