Scholars, Theologians, Historians, Writers have all spent centuries researching to determine the exact location of the Garden of Eden – and in only one short day, I figured out that the Garden is not situated along the Tigris and Euphrates River. It is located many thousands of miles southeast just above the equator at the southern tip of Malaysia.
It’s called Singapore!
To catch up those who weren’t aware, my Chinese visa is good for 60 days. I can enter as many times as I want in a year, but I can only stay for a maximum of 60 days per visit. This current trip will cause me to stay longer than 60 days, so in order to stay legal, I had to leave and then come back, so I am taking a weekend trip to Singapore (4 hour flight).
This is a garden city paradise!
To begin, it’s a City-State like Troy or Athens, but without the wars. It has lush tropical gardens with a very modern city nested inside. They have 2% unemployment, an economy growing around 5% a year, inflation is a challenge, but generally stable and Singapore is a democracy with a free press. Jobs are growing at a surprisingly good pace.
The city is not just free of trash and litter, but it’s clean; clean streets, clean buildings, and clean cars. Smoking is pretty much banned in all public areas except for a few permitted areas. The Singapore River has no trash and junk floating in it.It’s always around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, gentle cool breezes, fluffy clouds, and blue skies.
The primary language is English, but many languages are spoken. I found Singaporeans, Chinese, Indians, Australians, British, French, Americans, Vietnamese, Malaysians, people from Thailand, and many other ethnic groups (even a Georgia Bulldog) all peacefully co-existing together inside a very small land area.
I saw Indians sitting in a park singing 
and playing music and only 200 yards away, a small group of Asians under a pavilion enjoying a Bible study class. There is a beautiful Church just down the street from a Mosque and (I think) a Hari Krishna temple. My hotel has both a Gideon’s Bible and the book of Buddha. Even the Taxi drivers were friendly, accommodating, helpful, and polite and if THAT’S not a good definition for the Garden of Eden – I don’t know what it could be. 
If I have to pick the one thing that isn’t perfect, it’s the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road; but I’m certain that’s just a personal problem since I was the one who kept looking the wrong way before I crossed a street – which was a bit dangerous on a few occasions!I think I will join the Singapore Tourism Board and go on the speaking tour to tell the entire world, that they need to visit Singapore – The Garden of Eden!
More from Singapore later, but here are some photos.
2 comments:
Ahhh yes. S'Mitch hath found the garden. I really like your writing in this one... flows nicely and makes me want to say again... publish that journal (ok, I guess that's what you are doing now, huh?).
Sue, both kids and I spent a long weekend in Singapore... stuff we did was mainly kid-focused... and as a matter of fact was our very first venture outside of China.
Probably the best experience there: upon late-night arrival, we proceeded from hotel across the street to Skakey's Pizza Parlor to find embedded, none other than the entire US Navy (ok, there were 30 or so). We waited a while and then found one to ask - "ok, where's the boat?" Turns-out, theirs was the Kitty Hawk (famous for Gemini and Apollo astronaut pick-ups)... and anchored for a few days 3-mi out in the harbor. We managed a tour of the boat next morning - but that's a different (and very nice) story. Think: hot dogs, apple pie, powerful "little airplanes," God bless America... and hey - they had Americans out there too! That was a good day.
Was nice and clean in 1993 too, but I wonder how much Singapore might have changed? Early-1990's, they had just added the infamous chewing gum law. Inspired by the root cause investigation for a subway incident, chewing gum was implicated in a subway door switch failure.
Still crime-free too? Both Singapore and Malaysia had the same tag-line on their little immigration card... it said "Caution - DEATH to drug traffickers in Singapore." That's all... except for stuff like "name, address, promise us you won't stay and take away our nice atmosphere, you big ugly American..."
If that chance arrises again, try stepping only 30-km further slightly NE and Tioman Island (Al, Ronda, and Louise went there too... and by the way, has he told you about Mary Ann??!!!). Accessible by ferry from downtown or by puddle jumper from the other downtown airport, Tioman is a nice l little island, great scuba and snorkeling, golf and/or hiking.
Also close by: Phuket (careful with the pronounciation, dude!) and Penang.
Hang in there S'Mitch - keep working hard, keep playing hard, get the family over there to see the nicer parts, and get home - safely - soon.
S.
Sid is right, get your book published! Terriffic pictures, I never knew any of this about Singapore!
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