THE SAFEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
When you first set foot in Singapore you are greeted by the Changi Airport, which holds a number of international awards and presents the completely Westernized face of Asia. Your first sightseeing trip, from the airport towards the heart of this tiny island nation with its tropical climate, will dazzle you with its lush vegetation and even arouse envy. The impression all along the route is one of a paradise rich with a variety of tropical flora. As your gaze seeks out people sunbathing on the white beaches and swimming in the blue waters, you are suddenly surprised by the small-windowed, tall buildings that rise to the right of the road. Crossing the Benjamin Shears Bridge, you are confronted by Singapore’s downtown, which with its towering skyscrapers and modern buildings is more like science fiction than paradise. Standing out in the ultramodern scene is the Esplanade, an art center completed in 2003 whose architecture is reminiscent of the durian, a fruit widely loved in this part of the world. Is this a Sim City built by someone on a small island, or perhaps a lego metropolis? Indeed, Singapore is world famous for its rules, its cleanliness, its order and its fines.