The Differences between Singapore and Thailand

I am presently sitting in the airport with a bunch of Singaporeans waiting to leave Thailand after their Bangkok sojourn. Listening to them talk makes my teeth grate. I hate the way they sound. They absolutely butcher English. For example, every night the janitor that cleans my office asks me if I want him to “off” the lights. “Isn’t it,” when said by a teacher at the end of a sentence,means do you understand no matter what tense the teacher happens to be talking? The Thais butcher English but at least they do not purport to speak English, whereas the Singaporeans pride themselves on their ability to speak English. Yuk!

Other than their terrible grammar, actually some of the words they use are quite interesting. For example, they use the word spectacles instead of glasses. I presume it is because they were a British colony and although the British have left many years ago, they are still using what used to be British English, like some Italians in Toronto speaking a dialect thatwas used in the 1950’s in Italy that is not used anywhere else in the world today.

How could a comparison be made about Singapore and Bangkok without mentioning food? In Singapore, I suppose, there are loads of fantastic expensive restaurants as well as what they call hawker stands where you can buy cheap food. Having said that, there is absolutely no comparison between street food in Bangkok and street food in Singapore. I forgot how delicious Bangkok food is. I love the” Som Tum” which you can get anywhere and is made for you as the woman grounds the papaya and adds the peanuts, chilies and sauce. I also love the fruit you can buy at any street corner or the guy who comes around on his bicycle with his cooking equipment and makes you a fantast banana pancake or mango and sticky rice. The food in Singapore pales in comparison. When I got back to Canada after living in Thailand for two years I know my good cholesterol was up and my bad cholesterol was down and I was generally in good shape. This is, I am sure, because of the food. I don’t think I will be so lucky when I get checked out in Toronto this su

As I watch passengers walk down the steps to the waiting area there is no doubt who is who. The Singaporeans are the drab ones. The Thais take so much care in how they dress and present themselves. It is hard not to stare. Taking the subway in Bangkok is like attending a fashion show in some upscale dress store on fifth avenue in New York. Getting on the subway or bus in Thailand is like attending a fashion show.

Needless to say, I am sure I will notice more differences when I get back to Singapore. I will have no fear of breaking my ankle in some hole in the sidewalk or in fact falling off the sidewalk as I did in Pattaya today because the pavement is so uneven. Thank God I do not drink! Thailand cities also have dirty garbage bags everywhere, rats running around the street, water run-off everywhere, which is a polite way of saying human waste and traffic that you could not believe unless you experienced it.

Singapore on the other hand will be perfect. I will be out of the airport in literally five minutes as I will just scan my finger print and walk through. I will wait in a polite line for a cab in designated spots, will not haveto negotiate with the driver who will put on his meter immediately and drive me where I want to go. There is a one pricing policy and I will pay the same as the Singaporean taking the next cab. I will be

whisked home on a virtually empty highway, the cost will be about $25 and there will be nothing but politeness. In Bangkok, the same distance would cost be $5, I would have to try to speak a little Thai with the driver to get him to leave me alone and give me the right price and then we would have a great conversation about Thaskin, the Reds versus the yellows and so on. They will apologize for trying to rip me off and there will be a lot of smiling after that.

Bangkok is filthy, the infrastructure is almost unworkable, the traffic is in constant snarl mode and it is difficult to breath. Singapore is clean ( immaculate actually), everything works and traffic flows. Ask me where I would rather be?

I know my good friend Michael used to read these blog entries religiously every Sunday night and have a comment in my inbox Monday morning. He may have been my only reader and I will certainly miss him. If there is anyone else reading this, drop me a line sometime and say hello.