Initial impressions of Singapore are very good. Some might say it's a utopia. The first thing I'm struck by is the cleanliness. Steep fines for littering ensure the streets are probably the cleanest we've encountered anywhere in the world, and the rapid development of the city has resulted in a sleek, futuristic skyline of highrises. The Singapore Flyer (ferris wheel), Marina Bay Sands (fish slapped atop three towers) and the Merlion (lion's head attached to a fish tail, vomits water occasionally) add to the iconic feel of the place.
This is a place to wander subtropical rainforests inside a UNESCO world heritage listed Botanic Gardens before ducking down the street for some high-end shopping centres (think fountain pens retailing for $28,000 and Dali sculptures starting at $30,000). I've been searching relentlessly for a Kinder Surprise for weeks, and I finally found them here (don't ask). Here one can also see a Buddhist monk wander past an Islamic mosque, visit a Hindu temple and follow that up with a Christian church... all within 5 minutes stroll of one another. The subway names further reinforce the multicultural vibe: will you get off at Orchard, Dhoby Ghout, or perhaps Yio Chu Kang? The "hawker" food centres offer Korean dolsot bibimbap alongside Indian curries, roti and biriyani, Hainanese chicken and rice, lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork, caesar salad, pastas, Turkish pide, DIY noodle soups, Japanese gyoza, pancakes and peanut butter on toast. We are in foodie heaven! Skating crusty garlic roti through the dregs of butter chicken, and washing down another 'progressive dinner' with a red kidney bean and green tea ice cream dessert. Oh yes, utopia indeed.

Now if you've read any young adult literature in recent years you'll know that any perceived utopia will have its dystopic undercurrent hiding in plain sight. And so it was in Singapore. My insistence in including chilli in every meal resulted in my being hospitalised. Sjane had convinced herself I had malaria, so off to the ED we went. I had a few tests (I was too big for the x-ray machine), got a bunch of medications (turns out I had gastritis - inflammation of the stomach; something about my stomach lining eroding from eating too much chilli) and we spent the night critiquing the Singaporean healthcare system (FYI very good). The real sad news stories from the night were that the doctor told me I couldn't eat any more chilli for a few days (what a party pooper!), and the Doc even forgot to give me a jelly bean for being such a good patient.

Other dystopic elements in Singapore are a result of such hyper-development. People are glued to their mobile phones at every turn. The showy extravagance of Lamborghinis, Rolexes and sparkling shopping malls is jarring having been in mostly third-world nations lately. The humidity is relentless (even in the 'coldest' part of the year). It is also crowded and getting stuck behind slow-moving shoppers can be annoying. Sometimes you'll get the double-whammy of frustrations: someone stops in the middle of a busy shopping centre walkway focused intently on something menial on their phone. But let's be honest, I'm clutching at straws trying to come up with negatives to suit this dystopia analogy. If that's the worst I can come up with, you can see it's a pretty magnificent place. Overall, Singapore is an amazing travel destination (possibly even utopian), and once again we find ourselves sad at the need to leave.