SINGAPORE ARRIVAL 9October2025
Arrived in Hong Kong from Toronto late afternoon. Beaten and bedraggled after 15 hours on Cathay Pacific. Huge airport. Boarded Cathay Pacific for a 3 ½ hour flight to Singapore. Bulkhead seats. Bizarre curry chicken over rice. Close to spoiled fruit salad and browned lettuce with processed ham slices on a bed of slimy quinoa. Cathay Pacific food this time on par (not a compliment) with Air Canada. I stick with a Betsy lager and more or less pass out opened mouthed and snoring.
Present Singapore arrival card electronically and then through customs. Our 56 year old driver Tan Eng Tiong had worked in Toronto for a real estate developer company. Gave an interesting talk about public housing in Singapore and not the public housing we have in Toronto. Generous governmental subsidies make it the predominate form of housing in Singapore. Based on a 99-year lease requiring a 5 year no disposition period. There are an incredible number of highrises. The wealthy can own their own property. Foreigners can purchase property but must pay a stamp duty (oh such a British concept) of 60%. Tan also mentioned governmental social engineering in public housing where residency based on the proportion of ethnic groups in the Singaporean population. The major ethnic groups are Chinese, Malay and Indian. Checked into the Shangri-La after being up for 30 hours. Orchid balls throughout the reception area are delightfully unusual. Exceptional room. Ready for the sleep of a lifetime!
My only impression of Singapore at this point (in late evening darkness) is relief that the journey has ended, the roads are superb and there are highrises everywhere.
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