This time last year, I was on my way to Singapore. When you think of Singapore, you probably think of enterprise and money. You’d be, well, on the money.
Singapore is one of the world’s great business centers. It is, in many ways, America without the Bill of Rights and pesky government interference with industry. Personal liberty is not particularly valued in the great city-state. Freedom of speech is non-existent, punishments for crime are harsh, and chewing gum is illegal.
But economically, Singapore is one of the freest countries in the world. All you need to know about Singapore is nicely summed up in an episode of The Pupil, Singapore’s version of Law & Order, that we watched while waiting for the flight to Thailand. The prosecutor, in classic Jack McCoy fashion, extolled the court that the accused could not go free. His offense struck Singapore to its very core, and was a betrayal of everything the nation stood for. His crime? Was it murder? Rape? Human Trafficking?
Nope.
Bribery. And, as the show made sure we knew, Singapore is the least corrupt country in the world. Even on television, it’s always business, business, business.
Personally, though, I was more interested in Singapore’s more…cultural offerings, particularly the famous Raffles Hotel Long Bar.
Raffles is one of the finest hotels in the world–well out of my price range. But its long bar is also the birthplace of one of the world’s finest drinks.
And for only $30, you can have your own Singapore Sling.
All and all, a fun night in Singapore. But the trip really began at the next stop–Krabi, Thailand.
Beware The Shadows 