We don't understand: why are they fined and imprisoned in Singapore

The city-state of Singapore has the nickname Fine City. Simple wordplay: the English "fine" has two meanings - "fine" and "beautiful". And both of them accurately characterize Singapore. Actually, thanks to the voluminous list of all kinds of prohibitions, this island of prosperity, where there is practically no crime, has become so beautiful.

The night in Singapore comes right on schedule — at 22:00. If you want to walk along the well-groomed streets after this time, it's worth splitting into pairs. Local law prohibits companies of more than two people from gathering at night. For disobedience, you can go to the police station.

Singapore is still very far away in the fight against the propaganda of homosexuality in Russia. It is strictly forbidden to show excessive sympathy for a person of the same sex in public. Theoretically, even a kiss can lead to arrest for up to two years. However, this does not mean that there are no gay people in Singapore. There are, they just hide in profile bars.

Urinating in an elevator is not a purely Russian problem, as it may seem to someone. This practice is widespread all over the world. But it was only in Singapore that they came up with the idea of equipping elevators with urine detectors. As soon as the alarm goes off, the doors are automatically locked, the police arrive and issue a hefty fine. 

The authorities protect the cleanliness of the streets even more diligently than the cleanliness of elevators. In the business district of the city, the pavements are washed with shampoo once a week. On the outskirts everything is simpler, but by our standards it is also very clean. It is worth the law enforcement officer to notice that you threw a piece of paper or, God forbid, spat on the sidewalk, and the fine is secured. By the way, you can't feed pigeons either. They don't care about fines.

The tradition of tipping has been eliminated from the Singapore service sector. In cafes and restaurants, it is not customary to leave a tip, no matter how excellent the service. However, in some respectable establishments, an additional fee is already included in the price. And taxi drivers are legally prohibited from taking tips at all. Obviously, such rules are related to the fact that the country has been fighting corruption for a long time and very effectively.

There may be complications at the border if gum is found in your luggage. It's no joke, a fine of up to one hundred thousand Singapore dollars is provided for the importation of this seemingly harmless product into Singapore (one dollar now costs about 42 rubles). Chewing gum in the city is not prohibited, but there is nowhere to buy it. The war on gum was declared in 1992. In hot climates, being on asphalt, it spoils the road surface and the shoes of passers-by. The problem was solved radically.

The Singapore government is very sensitive to criticism. With a foreigner, most likely, they will simply hold an educational conversation and close further entry, but residents can expect arrest.