At our yoga and meditation retreat on November 2nd, we met a really nice Indian guy named Herojit. He mentioned that he was living in Singapore, and the following exchange took place:

Me: “You’re from Singapore?! We are going to be in Singapore on November 10th for a layover. Do you have any restaurant recommendations?”

Herojit: “November 10th. November 10th," he said, flipping through his calendar. "Oh no. I think I'm traveling that day."

Me: Giggle. "Oh no. That's okay. We just wanted to know if there were any good restaurants to try."

Herojit: Still flipping through calendar. "Oh wait! No, I will be in town! Yes, I will show you around the city."

Me: "That is so nice of you to offer, but that's completely unnecessary."

Herojit: "No, no - I will show you around myself! What time to you arrive?”

Me: “7am, but it’s a workday so it probably won’t work for you. But we would love any recommendations.”

Herojit: “No, I will pick you up from the airport and drive you around until you have to leave. It would be my pleasure. Just call my cell when you land.”

After that conversation, I turned to Stephen: “I’ll come up with stuff for us to do anyways. No way he picks us up at the airport.”

My mentality is that of a New Yorker. People are generally too busy or too flaky to ever rely on a conversation made in passing like this. So when we arrived at the Singapore airport drowsy from a crying baby-filled overnight flight, we were blown away by a grinning Herojit parked at Arrivals ready to show us his city!

We hopped into his Volvo SUV, and one of the first things we noticed was how green the city is. Singapore is often called the "City in a Garden" and for good reason. 50% of the tropical island is greenery. But interestingly enough, Singapore is mostly man made and has no natural resources of its own, importing both sand and fresh water from Malaysia!

We stopped for a traditional breakfast in an underground food court that only a local would visit.

Yummy (and diverse) breakfast in Singapore.  Sweet butter sandwiches to dip in a mixture of egg and soy sauce, noodle soup with beef, and noodles with fish balls (not shown) — Yummy (and diverse) breakfast in Singapore. Sweet butter sandwiches to dip in a mixture of egg and soy sauce, noodle soup with beef, and noodles with fish balls (not shown)

Singapore is one of the 20 smallest countries in the world at only 718 square meters. Within 50 years, Singapore went from a third-world swampy island to an incredibly clean, high-tech and modern country - the 6th wealthiest country in the world. As one of the world's major commercial and financial hubs, the country boasts the highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of every six households having at least $1 million USD in disposable wealth.

The futuristic buildings and network of wide immaculate highways is impressive to say the least. Even the airport is a palace, with a movie theater, gaming center, gym, orchid garden, and (essentially) a mini Madison Avenue.

The Singapore Flyer is the tallest ferris wheel in the world at 165 meters (the London Eye is 135 meters). In good weather the wheel offers sweeping views of the city, and the ferris wheel can even be seen from a few of the islands of Indo… — The Singapore Flyer is the tallest ferris wheel in the world at 165 meters (the London Eye is 135 meters). In good weather the wheel offers sweeping views of the city, and the ferris wheel can even be seen from a few of the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia!

One of Singapore’s most impressive buildings is a five-star hotel complex called Marina Bay Sands, consisting of three 55-story towers with a SkyPark in a shape of a ship across the top. The SkyPark features a 150-meter long pool… — One of Singapore’s most impressive buildings is a five-star hotel complex called Marina Bay Sands, consisting of three 55-story towers with a SkyPark in a shape of a ship across the top. The SkyPark features a 150-meter long pool, but is only for hotel guests. Bummer!

We continued our drive around the city, stopping at Sentosa Island, a manmade island primarily visited for entertainment. Here you can find a beach, an indoor skydiving arena, a luge, and even Universal Studios!

Next we visited Little India - as if we needed more time to explore India! There are tons of Indian expats living in Singapore, and they have created a little village of sorts. We found the area to be nothing like India - it was clean and there was no traffic (or cows in the road)!

The cost of living is extremely high in Singapore. Apartments are outrageously expensive, and cars - well we'll get to that in a minute. "Work hard, play hard" is the motto in the city. On average, people work 10 hours per day, but most bars are open until 3-4am so the worker bees can let loose. Singapore also offers many opportunities for retail therapy, featuring every brand-name store imaginable.

One of the main shopping areas in Singapore.  Look how spotless those sidewalks are! — One of the main shopping areas in Singapore. Look how spotless those sidewalks are!

Singapore works hard to keep the city clean, and there are a few causes that we noticed. For one, the number of vehicles is restricted artificially by the government. Drivers need to pay for a special permit to buy a car (costs about $10,000), and on top of that, an import duty of 41%, plus a fee for putting the car on record (140% of the value of the car). After all of the taxes and fees, a basic Nissan or Toyota costs $100,000+ in Singapore!

Secondly, there are tons of fines imposed for various offenses. For example, the fines for spitting on the ground, smoking in public, littering, and a few other bad habits are $500. I can't imagine how much additional revenue could be generated in the US if fines were imposed for these things!

Not many cars on the road (for obvious reasons)! — Not many cars on the road (for obvious reasons)!

We stopped for a little snack, hungry after walking around the shopping area.

While exploring, we came across an annual contest where people compete for days trying to win a car. The rules are that you need to keep one hand on one of the sample cars at all times, and your other body parts can't touch the car or the ground. The contestants only get 5 minute breaks every 6 hours! Last year's winner lasted for 3 days and 9 hours!!

The sad part is, even if these people win the car, they have to pay the crazy government tax on it.  Or they can take the cash value of the car, which is what any sane person from Singapore would do!! — The sad part is, even if these people win the car, they have to pay the crazy government tax on it. Or they can take the cash value of the car, which is what any sane person from Singapore would do!!

We pretended but both agreed that neither of us would last very long.

Before lunch, we headed to Chinatown. Chinatown is kind of a big deal in Singapore, as the Chinese make up most of the population here (75%). With the exception of a small native minority, most people living in Singapore hail from Malaysia, China and India. As a result, Singaporeans do not share a common religion, customs, or all speak the same language. Areas around the city like Little India and Chinatown are important to the city because it is still in the process of creating its own identity and culture, having only been an independent country for 50 years.

The little lanes of Chinatown in Singapore.

Chinatown - much more charming and clean than China, or New York's Chinatown.

Before needing to rush back to the airport for our afternoon flight to Thailand, I insisted on having Singapore's famous Chilli Crab. I've always wanted to try it, and of course Herojit knew the perfect place!

Singapore's Chilli Crab, ranked on CNN's top 50 dishes in the world a few years ago.  We soaked up the delicious sauce with soft and slightly sweet Mantu buns.  Yum! — Singapore's Chilli Crab, ranked on CNN's top 50 dishes in the world a few years ago. We soaked up the delicious sauce with soft and slightly sweet Mantu buns. Yum!

With Herojit, our Singapore hero.  Literally the best host in the world! — With Herojit, our Singapore hero. Literally the best host in the world!

To say that we were humbled by Herojit and grateful for his kindness and hospitality would be an understatement. For someone to take a whole day off work to show around (basically) strangers that he had met only a few days before (and not let them pay for a single thing) is pretty amazing and unfortunately almost unheard of back home. He is just an awesome person and we are glad to know him. We definitely learned some lessons from him about generosity of time and spirit, and are so happy to have a new true friend in Singapore.

-Michelle