City of the Lions

The name, Singapore, is based on the Malay word for lion.  It seems that an early explorer saw a beautiful animal on the island and thought it was a lion.  There are no lions in this area.  Tigers, perhaps.  The national mascot is a merlion with the head of a lion and the bottom half of a fish.

Singapore is one of only 3 countries that are also cities, and it is the only one which is an island.

Singapore is the only country which has gained its independence by being kicked out of another country.  In 1963 Malaysia gained its independence from Britain.  At that time, Malaysia included the present Malaysian territory and also Singapore.  After 2 years, Malaysia wanted no part of a city which was more concerned about itself than about the country as a whole, so the other provinces voted to get rid of Singapore.  Thus the island became a country in 1965.

A new condominium shaped like a rock
which once blocked the harbor.

Modern skyscrapers abound.


The country has 4 official languages, the first being Malay, but all schools are taught in English.  Everyone must learn to be fluent in at least 2 languages, English and the language of their ethnic group.  Being fluent means reading, writing and speaking in that language.  About 75% of the inhabitants are ethnic Chinese.

7 connected buildings of public housing

85% of all people live in public housing, but they own the apartment, purchased with help from the government.  Each public housing building must reflect the current ethnic mix of the country.  If 15% of the citizens are Malaysian, then a public housing building must have 15% owners of Malaysian ethnic heritage.  This is done to promote understanding and peace among the various groups.





Automobile ownership is discouraged by having a lottery, the winners of which are allowed to pay at least 150% of the car's price to purchase it.  A car license is good for 10 years, but you must pay a steep price each year.  After 10 years, the annual price rises each year.  For each new car bought, an old one must be removed from service.

This is a clean, green country.  Its Botanical Garden is a World Heritage site.  Building owners are encouraged to plant greenery on balconies and rooftops. 
Trees and flowers line the streets in many areas.  I saw NO litter of any kind.  All trash which can be recycled is recycled.  Other waste is burned which reduces its volume, leaving only ashes.  The country has linked two small islands and lined the link with extra heavy duty plastic, in effect making a huge trash bag.  The ash is dumped into this area.  The surrounding area is closely monitored to see if there is any effect on it from the ash.  This will hold enough to last until about 2035.  By then they hope to have the technology to deal with it.


Littering, especially with gum, is punished by stiff fines (about $500) and dealing drugs is a hanging offence.  Smoking is banned, but on our 4 hour tour, I did see 2 people smoking. (probably tourists.)

Speaking of tourists, a Chinese cruise ship is docked at the same terminal where the Viking Sun is docked.  It holds 6800 passengers, and they were all in the terminal when we returned from our tour.





















The weather was cloudy today, so I did not get many pictures except at the Orchid Gardens.  There I could not stop snapping pictures.  I have never seen so many orchids in such lush bloom anywhere else.  There is even a VIP section where orchids are named after visiting royalty and heads of state.  Here are a few of the orchids I saw.

The Laura Bush Orchid