Singapore, the city of prohibitions!

I advise anyone heading to South-East Asia to spend at least 3 or 4 days in Singapore, because it is extraordinarily beautiful. Fascinating and charismatic, it presents itself to Western eyes as a melting pot of different ethnic groups: Indians, Malaysians, Chinese, all firmly proud of being Singaporean... they live peacefully side by side... To speak aesthetically, the city is splendid; in fact, having been a French colony, every building is exquisitely painted in pastel colours with a BON TON effect... Every corner is kept maniacally clean; there is a strong sense of cleanliness and care, which is why I advise you to bring education and respect from home: just imagine that even a single cigarette butt thrown on the ground could cost you between 200 and 300 Singapore dollars... this is because Singapore has a strict system of laws that you would do well to know and above all respect...

Moreover, they will be the ones to remind you that merely possessing 20g of any drug is punishable by the death penalty... in fact, on my arrival at the airport I was given the entry visa, on the back of which was a nice skull and crossbones with the words: POSSESSION OF DRUG 20G DEATH SENTENCE. Honestly? It gave me a bit of anxiety... In short, in Singapore you cannot be the scatterbrained tourist that we Italians like so much... or rather, you can, but you risk emptying your wallet... or losing your life. In reality, if it presents itself as so liveable and clean there must be a reason: do you think the prohibitions end here?? Unfortunately this is only the beginning... There was even, in the past, a ban on chewing chewing gum...

these Orientals are crazy!!!...There is still the ban on eating on the metro, on carrying flammable products on public transport, on smoking in open-air places on the metro, on feeding animals, on picking flowers, on urinating in lifts (obviously), on fouling public ground (even a little spit), on crossing the road where there are no pedestrian crossings, on putting your trolley on the escalator, on letting children run free on the escalator, but the most absurd one, which carries a 150-dollar fine, is this: NOT FLUSHING FINE $150... got it?? For anyone who has not understood... in short... you must pull the chainnnnnnn!! OK, there are many prohibitions, but with a bit of adaptation and intelligence... usually all tourists (or almost all) have it, and you will see that Singapore will appear to you only in its positive sides and you will no longer notice this endless list of clauses....

after all, why should you urinate in a lift? or take a little flower from the lawn?? BE CONTENT TO LOOK AT THEM, TO SMELL THEM, BUT PLEASE DO NOT BE RECKLESS: for us it may seem trivial to take a flower, but for them it is a real offence and it will not be easy to persuade them not to give you a fine saltier than salt!!! Anyway, life there is very easy... there are also many attractions... I definitely recommend the zoo: superbly well kept (like everything else), it presents itself as a great ecosystem where the animals, free from bars and cages, live the wild experience of nature to the full; it is very easy to come across monkeys, kangaroos and parrots along your path, a little less so leopards and lions (luckily), but even so you can admire them at fairly close range: photographing a lion up close is perhaps not possible even in Botswana or Namibia...

whereas at Singapore zoo there is the chance to admire them in their habitat (albeit artificially built) and to interact with them. Another attraction is Sentosa island, a short distance from central Singapore... very nice, even if it is not my thing, as it is too organised and super accessorised... it feels like being at Disneyland.... events, shows; very beautiful is the pink dolphins show and the wonderful under water.: an aquarium below sea level where you can admire sharks and very strange fish while crossing a tunnel on an electronic carpet... in short, for those who love animals it is a place worth visiting; also take a peek at Little India, especially on Sunday evening: lights, colours, little markets and the scent of spices are the stars of this neighbourhood...

One piece of advice? especially for women: avoid wearing clothes that are too tight or low-cut, because the vast majority are men... in short, men who are a little too curious!!! I hope I have given you the idea. In reality it is a precaution to take only in this area, because otherwise the city is truly quiet... As for accommodation, yours truly made do with the hostel (there are tons of them, 15 euros) but it is possible to sleep in a hotel at higher but not exorbitant costs (then it depends). The food is fabulous: eat everything, always, anywhere... and then it is so cheap!! The weather left something to be desired... it often rained but not heavily... the local people are delightful, always ready to help us... English is spoken everywhere but not very well: I never understood them... they have an incomprehensible pronunciation...

finally I can only wish you a happy stay in this little city... and remember, if you have any little vice you cannot give up, Singapore is not for you... kisses and see you soon.