By Bob Van Leer

(SINGAPORE,Wednesday, March 22, 2000) - After a tour of the city this morning we boarded our cruise ship, Legend of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International vessel.

   Betty and I have been on this ship before. Several years ago we cruised through the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal on this vessel, winding up in Acapulco, Mexico. This time we are traveling with my sister and brother-in-law, Bud and June Pallardy of St. Louis, Mo.

   Our guide said Singapore is the busiest port in the world and from the ships around here we can believe it. This is definitely not a third world country. In some ways it is more advanced than the U. S. For instance, at the Changi Airport anyone with a properly equipped lap top computer can access the Internet by wireless modem.

   Regulations are strict on this island, and maybe they have to be with 3.86 million people, about the same population as all of Oregon, in such a small area. The area bounded by Ophir-Agness-Pistol River, is larger than this whole country. For instance, chewing gum is not legal to have here. Jaywalking is viewed very seriously. Leaving standing water is not legal, as this could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Just over watering outside plants in pots with a dish to catch the drain water is a violation. And canning can be part of a punishment.

   Ownership of automobiles is enormously expensive. A license to own a car for 10 years is $35,000. Then you purchase the car and there is a 155% tax on it. That is not a misprint. A small car can cost over $100,000 by the time you are ready to drive. And then comes a road tax, about $1500 a year for a small car. More for larger cars.

   Our guide said this is the second richest country in the world. There is no debt, and a $24 billion reserve. Per capita income is second in Asia only to Japan. Religion and government, including schools, are kept separate. Children start school at age 4.
Their version of Social Security is a "Provident Fund" into which workers pay 20% of salary. Employers pay 10% additional and this is going up to 20%. The fund can be tapped for things such as a house purchase and at age 55 it can be used for anything.
The big name around here is Sir Thomas Raffles, who founded the city in 1819. The Raffles Hotel, built in the 19th century, is still in business ($600 per night and up) and is a tourist attraction.

   We are eight time zones from home, but we crossed the international date line and lost a day, so I think our time zone is 16 hours behind the Pacific time zone.

   Our ship will be in Singapore tonight also and tomorrow we will take a tour of a bird sanctuary. At 6:00 p.m. Tomorrow we will sail for Malaysia.