Singapore

Singapore

Singapore is almost too perfect. Everything is spotless. The buildings are modern and gorgeous. Everyone is friendly and helpful. Everything is orderly and there’s no crime. Walking around it, you almost wish you could see a semi-toothed homeless man peeing in the street and laughing about it. Just once, so you’d remember that, oh yeah, the world is shit and we’re here to suffer through it together. But in Singapore you’ll never see it. You’ll never see bars on store windows, or police cars checking suspicious alleys, or even gum stains on the sidewalk, or anything but the perfectly clean, the educated and friendly.
I won’t bore you with the history lesson, but I find Singapore’s system fascinating. Chewing gum laws aside, they rate among the best in the world in wealth, education, health and quality of life. They really do have something special there. Staying there is a joy. The people, the food, getting around, all of it. The nightlife isn’t crazy, but it’s quality, with beautiful locals and a surprisingly large amount of international models. The catch is it costs slightly less than the GDP of Ghana to live there. No seriously, Singaporeans laugh at New York and London prices. $25 for a mixed drink, $30 for a casual dinner (for one). $200 a night gets you a small, basic hotel room. If you go, I hope your wallet is fat.