So, finally, one big part of our journey came to an end. After the three months in the Big Three that were Russia, Mongolia and China, now the next three month episode of travelling through South East Asia found their climax in three nights in Singapore.
Singapore is usually a big stopover where lots of travellers from and to Europe have a few hours to spare before or after their journey to Australia. For us, it was a big cultural stopover, coming from three months in South East Asia, going to a "western" country with all its benefits and shortcomings. The city is a country of its own, having seceded the Malayan Federation in 1965. Since then, it has been ruled by the same party. Officially a democracy, effectively it is quite undemocratic, with practically no opposition in parliament. But, at the same time, it has managed to become a highly developed nation, being on rank nine of the Human Development Index. The population consists of mostly people of Chinese descent, but the Malayan and Indian or Tamil population is quite visible in several parts of the city.
The reason why it has such stopover qualities for us is because it is a healthy mix of Western and Asian styles and cultures. We mostly ate in Hawker courts, with a wide variety of stalls. Some of them where mostly dominated by Chinese, which sometimes gave us a feeling of being back in China, because of the smell and the look of the food. Or the street scene around one Confucian temple, with lots of a signs stating your astrological lookout for the next year. And right around the corner, you would find a street with several street food places selling the whole variety of Malaysian delights. But, all in all, the city was one of the most highly developed places we visited so far, maybe even rivalling Beijing. Skyscrapers all around, a clean and efficient subway, and the well known Gardens by the Bay with its iconic hotel with a surfboard on top - or ironing board, if you want.
All this garnished with prices we haven't seen in a long while. Probably not more expensive then, say, Hamburg, or Munich, but definitely one the most expensive cities we have visited on this journey. And very definitely the most expensive city in South East Asia. The entry to the zoo alone cost us more than fifty Euros - more than one daily budget. Luckily, the mentioned food courts where relatively inexpensive.
But we thoroughly enjoyed walking and exploring a city where everyone adheres to street rules, where the subway is affordable, where everything is clean, and above really everyone speaks English. But, at the same time, where the next food court with a good meal for two or three Euros is just around the corner, and where Asian friendliness is still practiced, and different cultures and people from around the world live next to each other quite peacefully.