The one thing you notice about Singapore upon arriving is that the country is incredibly clean. This is no easy feat when in Asia as there’re crowds of people wherever you go and food stalls only a couple of meters away.

On the surface, Singapore is one of the finest places to be in Asia. The public transport system is efficient and connects all parts of the country. All you need is a single EZ-Link card to get on both the buses and MRT. The city center is very modern with skyscrapers towering over patches of greenery. It’s a refreshing feeling to see vegetation after wandering around concrete blocks all day. You can also walk in the middle of the night, at any hour, without feeling any danger. For non-Singaporeans, the country offers a massive expatriate community – great if you’re prone to getting homesick as you can probably find someone from your country here. You can also live as luxuriously or as frugal as you’d like.

Below the surface though, there are unseemly things that I find disturbing. There are problems with corruption that is hidden away so well. There are specific character traits with Singaporeans that make them difficult to interact with. Your freedom is very restricted and the penalties are severe: exorbitant fines, jail time, caning (aka ‘beating with a large stick’) and death. Housing is terribly expensive and most people end up renting or spending a lifetime paying off their mortgage. So many things are also artificial and deliberately planned – taking away the charm that comes with a country’s history.

Don’t get me wrong though, Singapore is a great place to live. I like this country, but the draconian government and the nature of the locals makes me think twice about staying here. The living expense here is also extremely high. There are cheap food available at hawker centers but a healthy meal in decent portions is as expensive as in North America.

I’ll write more about these things in detail, in separate posts later.

But all in all, I agree with what a taxi driver here told me about Singapore when I asked him for his views on the country, “Singapore is a FINE country” – in more ways than one.