THE INDIAN NOMAD

SINGAPORE

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Singapore is an island city state and is one of the most developed countries in South East Asia. The country boasts of a strong GDP, developed country status and a high standard of living. Singapore lies one degree north of the equator (137 kms or 85 miles)

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Singapore has become a global hub for finance, tourism, education, trade and transport. The city is home to more than 5 million residents with almost 40% of them being expatriates.Singapore has one of the lowest employment rates amongst the developed countries. 

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Tourism forms a large part of the Singaporean economy, with around 20 million tourists visiting the country in 2019.

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The government encourages its citizens to use public transport as far as possible. The government levies high taxes on cars and personal vehicles to discourage their use. The city has an extensive network of MRT, LRT and other forms of public transport. 

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Singapore has four official languages - English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. It has a large population of Indian expatriates. Indian tourists also visit Singapore because of its nearby location to India and the comparative ease of getting a visa.

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The ideal time required to visit Singapore is 3 days. However, it is recommended to stay for at least a week to get a real feel of the country. It needs to be mentioned that Singapore is an expensive country. However, with proper planning, it can easily be managed in a budget. Hotels are quite costly in Singapore. AirBnB's are also illegal in Singapore, hence it is not recommended to book an AirBnB while travelling there. Although it is still a grey area, but the rules need to be followed.

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Singapore has very strict rules and regulations. Breaking any rule will either get you a huge fine or may even result in jail time. Be sure to know about the strict Singapore laws before travelling to the country. Some of the laws are:

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1. It is illegal to bring chewing gum. Only prescription chewing gum is allowed.

2. It is illegal to feed pigeons.

3. it is illegal to eat or drink in the MRT, LRT etc.

4. It is illegal to hack into someone else's WiFi. Even using an unsecured WiFi is a crime.

5. It is illegal to spit in the roads and public places.

6. It is illegal to do Jaywalking.

7. It is illegal to urinate in lifts and not to flush the toilet after using it.

8. It is illegal to smoke in some areas of Singapore.

9. Drugs (of course) are illegal.

10. Vandalism is a serious offence in Singapore.

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The above points are just a few of the strict laws that Singapore has. On the positive note, because of the presence of all these laws, Singapore is a very clean and safe country.