What's your town/city like?

[islandboy]

Welcome Paulito,
I guessed Miami, Florida. but your city could be any number of cities throughout the US. I wish people could learn to live and work together for the good of the all. But things continue to get worse instead of better. The ways of the World, are pushing out the ways of God, and the only hope left is in people repenting of their sins and truly accepting Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. The troubles we see in this generation are nothing compared to what our children and their children's children will have to face.

[Debp]

Hello Paulito,

 I'll offer a wild guess of Singapore.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Hi Tom, I've been to Singapore twice.  It is an extremely modern and clean city/country with lots of beautiful "greenbelts".  When I visited there, they had fines for any littering ($500 US)....so you did not see any litter at all.  Also, if your child did graffitti....the first time you were given a warning, the 2nd time he did it, you were fined a very large amount.....and if your child did graffitti a 3rd time, the entire family was deported out of Singapore!!  (I never saw any graffitti there.)

Singapore also had very tough laws on bringing illegal drugs into the country, drug-sniffing dogs sniffed all of the luggage.....if caught, you were sentenced to hanging....and they hung you right away.....no fooling around with appeals.

Many, many years ago, Singapore did have an unsavory reputation.  But their President put an end to that.

[Soldier4Christ]

I have been to Singapore twice also. It has been many a year since I've been there. The first time was in 1972. They were just as strict on drug enforcement then but the cleanliness was not the greatest. The tourist attraction areas were pretty clean but many of the out of the way areas were really bad. Even the crowded down town area was relatively clean considering the conditions. There was one area of stores so close that you could touch products on both sides of the street without turning around. Sort of an open market area in the alley's.

[Shammu]

Hi everyone; I'm new to forum and thought I would jump in here.

I don't mind if you know what city I live in, but I might let you guess it first.

It's big, and very multi-cultural.  A lot of people like to move away from here when they get the chance.  Local newspaper and others have uncovered a lot of corruption.  I personally think we are on the way to becoming a much better place to live!

We have either the worst, or near the worst, traffic in the entire nation.

There are many good and friendly people here.  A person's view of this city depends on what you want to focus on.  People here, like anywhere else, need the Lord.

That would sound like, New York city, N.Y., or Miami, Fl.

[paulito]

Yes, Miami is it.  NYC is also a very good guess, esp as to the cultural mix.  I don't know about the traffic, but would tend to use their extensive public transportation system if I lived there.  I have heard that people there are very nice, despite the hugeness of that city.

That's interesting about Singapore.  Yes, to know that you will be immediately hung would  be a remarkable effective deterrent to even coming close to a forbidden action.

[Debp]

I have been to Singapore twice also. It has been many a year since I've been there. The first time was in 1972. They were just as strict on drug enforcement then but the cleanliness was not the greatest. The tourist attraction areas were pretty clean but many of the out of the way areas were really bad. Even the crowded down town area was relatively clean considering the conditions. There was one area of stores so close that you could touch products on both sides of the street without turning around. Sort of an open market area in the alley's.

Pastor Roger, I visited Singapore in 1987 and 1988....in our tour group, we joked to someone not to accidently drop their Kleenex because of that $500 fine.  Also, if I am not mistaken, is chewing gum outlawed there?  We visited their Chinatown in the daytime and the streets were also clean as a whistle.  We took trishaws (like rickshaws) to Little India at night....couldn't see much due to the darkness, but it was a fun experience....starting out in heavy traffic at first and then into the quiet streets of Little India.

Yes, Paulito, their laws did make a huge difference on crime.  Because they are so near to the "Golden Triangle" (opium growing), they had to be tough.

[Soldier4Christ]

I never heard about any laws with chewing gum. If you were with a tour group then you were probably kept away from the dirtier areas. Although I was told that new laws came out in the early 80's that gave the government the right to demolish any building(s) that did not meet certain aesthetic requirements and they would rebuild better looking buildings in place of those. My second time there was in 1981 and it was much better then.

The laws on the drugs were made so strict because of Singapore being a drug trading center for so long and the crime was way out of control. There were drug gangs fighting and such. It was ruining the tourist industry which is a majority of the financial base for the country as well as being a trading center for legal commodities. Most of the drastic changes in the law occurred in 1988 and the crime rate dropped by over 50% by 1993 and has continued to drop since then.

Did you get to see the Tiger Balm Gardens while you were there? It is a major portion of the history of Singapore.

[Debp]

I never heard about any laws with chewing gum. If you were with a tour group then you were probably kept away from the dirtier areas. Although I was told that new laws came out in the early 80's that gave the government the right to demolish any building(s) that did not meet certain aesthetic requirements and they would rebuild better looking buildings in place of those. My second time there was in 1981 and it was much better then.

The laws on the drugs were made so strict because of Singapore being a drug trading center for so long and the crime was way out of control. There were drug gangs fighting and such. It was ruining the tourist industry which is a majority of the financial base for the country as well as being a trading center for legal commodities. Most of the drastic changes in the law occurred in 1988 and the crime rate dropped by over 50% by 1993 and has continued to drop since then.

Did you get to see the Tiger Balm Gardens while you were there? It is a major portion of the history of Singapore.

Yes, by 1987 and 1988, it was really a nice, clean city.  I did walk around on my own as well.  (I was there as a representative of our tour company.)

No, I didn't see the Tiger Balm Gardens (we did pass by the mansion of the founder of Tiger Balm...they were talking about perhaps tearing it down as it was in disrepair).  We went to the Botanical Gardens, took a harbor cruise (after the monsoon stopped!), visited the high peak with the view (forgot the name!), visited the musuem's jade collection, Chinatown and Little India.

As I prefer cities that are older and have authentic atmosphere, Singapore was not my favorite place.  I liked Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan the best.  Also, I visited Sabah, Malaysia on the Island of Borneo....that was very interesting, going into the jungle to see the orangutungs near Sandakan.  Also, stayed in Kota Kinabalu there.

[Soldier4Christ]

I think that you would like portions of Korea then. Some of the older cities not damaged by the war. Singapore and Hong Kong were neither one my favorite places as both of them had rebuilt to more modern facilities. Hong Kong reminded me of downtown Chicago in many ways.

Japan was ok but I didn't get the chance to get out to the older areas. The Tiger Balm Gardens were set up with buildings of the older times, most of them of course were miniatures but they were exact replicas.

I always enjoyed going to the areas that were not normally considered tourist areas and actually meeting the residents that weren't affected much by the tourist industry. I think that I got to see more of the country and it's people as they actually are that way.

[Debp]

I think that you would like portions of Korea then. Some of the older cities not damaged by the war. Singapore and Hong Kong were neither one my favorite places as both of them had rebuilt to more modern facilities. Hong Kong reminded me of downtown Chicago in many ways.

Japan was ok but I didn't get the chance to get out to the older areas. The Tiger Balm Gardens were set up with buildings of the older times, most of them of course were miniatures but they were exact replicas.

I always enjoyed going to the areas that were not normally considered tourist areas and actually meeting the residents that weren't affected much by the tourist industry. I think that I got to see more of the country and it's people as they actually are that way.

I also visited Hong Kong (3 times) but it's very similar to our Chinatown in L.A.....except for the nice harbor.  I did enjoy the ride on the Saipan and also a ride on a Chinese "junk" to Lantau Island (Hong Kong).

I understand Lantau Island got built up.....when I was there, it was all natural with the monastery on the tip top of the mountain.  It had a beautiful beach on the China Sea where we landed.  We walked through a tiny village....it was so interesting....the lane was so narrow.  I bought a couple of sweets from a "bakery" there.  A water taxi (a man on a flat wood raft) would take a person across a tiny waterway to some shacks on stilts.

I also saw a bull eating in the bush on Lantau Island, just mosying around several feet from me!  Got a photo and got out of there.

I don't care for Tokyo, but I did love Kyoto (declared a National Treasure during the war and therefore not bombed).  Kyoto has thousands of temples with beautiful, large gardens, all different.  As a Christian, I viewed this from an architectural viewpoint....plus I simply love gardens.  The people were very nice, too.

Also, visited Nikko (day trip from Tokyo)....you go up 32 hairpin turns to get there....beautiful lake, scenery, red bridge, waterfall lookout, and a lovely large shrine (very colorful and ornate architecture).  We were there in the Autumn.  You take 32 hairpin turns back down the mountain a different way.  Didn't get to Nara or anywhere else in Japan.

[Soldier4Christ]

I spent most of my time in Hong Kong in the downtown area where there were a lot of skyscrapers and shops. I did manage to get over to the Kowloon side just once by a small motorized passenger boat. I didn't have much time though to leave the shops that were next to the pier.

I was only in the Yokosuka area in Japan within a short walking distance of the Navy base there. Most of the people in that area weren't very hospitable to Americans.

I did get to spend more time in the Philippines and Korea where I got to travel further away from the Military bases and sight see more and interact with the local people. I also lived in Hawaii and in Guam for three years each and traveled to the nearby islands. The only other place I've been in the Pacific area was Viet Nam and the war was going on then so that was a totally different situation, no enjoying anything.

Speaking of gardens  ...  One of the most beautiful ones that I have seen are those in Hawaii. There were five of them that I got to see. One of them I toured on horse back and another was by boat. God's handiwork in these gardens was totally tremendous. Many of the plants were rare, endangered species that can't be seen anywhere else. (A nice stint in jail for anyone that tries to pick them.) The air was full of a wondrous aroma and the sight was totally unbelievable.

[Debp]

I spent most of my time in Hong Kong in the downtown area where there were a lot of skyscrapers and shops. I did manage to get over to the Kowloon side just once by a small motorized passenger boat. I didn't have much time though to leave the shops that were next to the pier.

I was only in the Yokosuka area in Japan within a short walking distance of the Navy base there. Most of the people in that area weren't very hospitable to Americans.

I did get to spend more time in the Philippines and Korea where I got to travel further away from the Military bases and sight see more and interact with the local people. I also lived in Hawaii and in Guam for three years each and traveled to the nearby islands. The only other place I've been in the Pacific area was Viet Nam and the war was going on then so that was a totally different situation, no enjoying anything.

Speaking of gardens  ...  One of the most beautiful ones that I have seen are those in Hawaii. There were five of them that I got to see. One of them I toured on horse back and another was by boat. God's handiwork in these gardens was totally tremendous. Many of the plants were rare, endangered species that can't be seen anywhere else. (A nice stint in jail for anyone that tries to pick them.) The air was full of a wondrous aroma and the sight was totally unbelievable.

Sounds like a wonderful experience you've had in travelling.  I think it's good to see other places for the learning experience besides the beauty, etc.

I've been to Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Hawaii) twice.  Lovely....Regarding gardens, just got to Foster Gardens, Byodo Inn Temple (beautiful with peacocks and Koi in the streams, set against the lovely green mountains) and a park in Manoa Valley (Paradise Park I think it was called.....it used to have bird shows....but the gardens were so beautiful).

Haven't travelled for some years now....it is always so refreshing I think....at least for us city dwellers.

I've heard Guam has a tremendous amount of poisonous snakes.  True?

[Soldier4Christ]

There were only two snakes that I was aware of in Guam. There is the indigenous blind snake that can't bite and the slightly poisonous brown tree snake. The blind snake was really small almost worm like and stayed mostly in termite nests. I never saw either one while I was there and many residents that have lived there all their lives told me they had never seen any of the tree snakes. They did recognize the lack of birds the tree snake had caused though. Birds are almost extinct in Guam because of them. The tree snake has no natural predators there so they could spread quite easily but seemed to stay hidden all the same.

[Debp]

They did recognize the lack of birds the tree snake had caused though. Birds are almost extinct in Guam because of them. The tree snake has no natural predators there so they could spread quite easily but seemed to stay hidden all the same.

Too bad they couldn't import some mongooses (like Hawaii) to control those tree snakes....it's a shame the birds are almost extinct due to those snakes.

[Soldier4Christ]

The authorities in Hawaii are really concerned about the brown tree snakes for some reason. They keep getting them in on transports coming from Guam. I would think that they wouldn't be worried about them because of the mongoose. After all Hawaii had a really big snake problem until the mongoose was imported. When I was there in 1974 there were no snakes left and the mongoose was becoming a problem because they didn't have any snakes left to eat.