Singapore, Sunday

I expected Disney World.

Everything I'd heard about Singapore espoused how clean, how safe, how simple to maneuver. My first impressions didn't quite meet Disney's standards - our flight landed 3 hours late, the airline misplaced our stroller, and the lines at immigration stood still. Well, that last bit does sound like the Magic Kingdom, doesn't it?

Available suites in Singapore started at $450 USD, so we chose to go the budget route. The Robertson Quay Hotel had a double room at a quarter the price, so I booked it. How bad could it be? Our double room turned out to be 2 twin beds. We set up 1 travel cot between the two, and the other at the foot of the beds. If we had someone in a sleeping bag by the door, zero floor space would have remained. And that sleeper would not have been able to roll over. But the small room provided plenty of nooks for luggage, and was clean and quiet. This is really all we need.

In a great location, we walked down the river toward the Colonial District. We coated the girls in bug spray and never saw a mosquito. I imagine the Singapore Police don't allow them in. But the equatorial sun blazed, and we had forgotten the sun screen. We soaked up the sun on our walk, but then headed indoors to save our skin. The Asian Civilizations Museum proved the perfect diversion. With brightly textured exhibits safely behind glass, and very few other patrons, both girls explored and gave Dave and I the chance to bone up on our Southeast Asian history and enjoy the sparkling and colorful textiles and native garb, intricate shadow puppets, and other such well displayed exhibits. Extra points to the museum for scattering kids rooms throughout with topical puzzles, dress-up gear and storybooks which enabled us to lengthen our stay considerably.

Upon completion, we explored the Colonial District a bit more. Singapore grew and rose beyond regional prominence under the British Empire and what could just as well be labeled Little England remains the governmental and touristed heart of town, with The Raffles Hotel at its center. The hotel - lavishly decorated for Christmas, which we appreciated - was the peak of class, where the doorman doesn't make you feel bad when he won't allow you in the lobby. The surrounding shopping arcade gave us a taste of the hotel's style and a nice sampling of the Christmas spirit.

Lunch at a rather small and sterile hawker center a block away. The city had begun to feel like Disney World. Every surface sparkling clean, every food vendor regulated, the only litter I saw flew to the floor immediately underneath my childrens' chairs. The sidewalks are smooth, every busy street has an underpass for pedestrians and getting around with children feels both safe and comfortable. Its a bit like a visit to a new shopping mall in the states - engineered to maximize your experience.

And engineered to the hilt - Singapore is the ultimate nanny state, with $1,000 fines for riding your bike on underpasses and smoking barred from all public places. The government removed pollution from the river, which included removing the coolies and transport boats and displacing loads of folks who made their living on the water. The riverfront was revitalized, which meant removing any shacks or urban poor who may have frequented there. Of course its pleasant, but it also feels unreal - nobody actually lives in Disney World, and there are plenty of dressing rooms and break rooms behind the scenes.

An evening in Little India took us behind the scenes. Apparently members of the large Indian community fill the low-income positions in Singapore and life there felt less regulated. Dinner in the hawker center certainly felt less sterile. Loud conversations and bright lights filled the open air food court. Many tables held groups of men just enjoying hot Indian tea or a beer together. The attached market was just as lively, with piles of red, brown and golden spices, mounds of brightly colored fruit and row upon row of butchers slamming their knives through bones to create the cuts they would sell. The place was teeming and the crowds spilled into the streets, where men stood in clumps lost in discussion, crowding on the sidewalks and into the streets such that most cars just chose to go around. Shops and restaurants were all open and brightly lit, inviting people to their produce, floral temple offerings, electronics and vegetarian food. But it seemed that, like the teens at the mall on a Saturday night, most of the men filling the streets - and they were all men - were more interested in talk than in the brightly showcased goods. As we walked, it became clear that the crowds had spilled into the market and not the other way around, as this business spread for many blocks. We were charmed.

It was Dave's turn to share bedtime with the girls, and I got to spend the evening out of the room. I did some quick grocery shopping - where I coveted the many Western products available, and the labels written in English - and ended an entirely successful day with a Singapore Sling at the hotel's riverfront bar. We managed to keep the girls well fed, well slept and well amused the entire day. Maybe we're getting this figured out!