Singapore full steam ahead.

Steamy Singapore welcomes us - at 31C at 500pm. The upside is the lush vegetation everywhere in the city which allows everything to flourish and grow. The downside, a film of sweat which follows you around most of the day and night. They say it is good for skin elasticity but I wont be around long enough to see the benefits of that. 

This is my first real visit - so I am excited about what I will find on this small island which has 300 parks and 4 nature reserves, abundant and architecturally interesting sky scrapers and no shortage of shopping, though for me this holds zero appeal. 

I am here to explore the juxtaposition of old and new, the food, fauna and flora, (probably the best three F's ever combined ) and draw perhaps some inevitable comparisons with my beloved homeland. 

Historically it was a British Colony which eventually became part of Malaysia. At the end of World War II it was handed back to the British. Singapore attempted union with Malaysia but this did not go well and eventually it branched out on its own. I think of Cyprus and Greece at this point and I too am pleased that we went our own way.  

However when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia (I bet they are regretting it now) Singapore knew that it had to do something different and radical to enable it to stand on its own. And where did it invest in ? Public education, public housing, manufacturing and shipping. In 50 years it has become one of the world's most prosperous nations with a high standard of living and incomes for its people. 

Education - housing- any clues there to where we went wrong? 

Cyprus is attempting to emulate some of its richer more organised neighbours but it has a lot of catching up to do and most of all in the vision of the future that it has in its sights. Surely the reunification of the island must have top spot, (sadly screamingly absent from any government initiatives at the moment) together with a better more inclusive education and a more tolerant society. Singapore has a Ganges Road, a Penang Road, a Victoria St and a Bukit Timah Road. Its history is rich and complex, just like Cyprus, but here they have successfully opened themselves up to living peacefully and productively with peoples whatever their colour and creed. We seem unable to go beyond our very limited vision and that window is closing fast on our small world. The Cypriots say we are the navel of the earth, that is what Cypriots like to believe. Perhaps we are, but we know where a lot of navel gazing gets us don't we!