Though we are only in our second month as temporary Singaporeans, here is one thing I can say for sure: Singapore is predictable...to the nth degree. This convenient feature of Singaporean life becomes blatantly apparent when using the city's subway transit system...the MRT.Singapore's MRT works much like any other subway. The lines are color-coded, and you know which direction to go based on a particular line's termination point. Easy enough, right? Well, just in case the color-coding and directional logic evades a novices skill set, each line is also labeled based on which directional areas it serves (NE, SW, etc.). Presumably, if you know which area of town you need to go (and can't figure out the colors) you can still get to your destination. And just in case you're still not sure which line is the correct one to board, each line is also numbered.
So by now, any novice traveling by subway in Singapore has probably boarded the correct train. But how do you know at which station to disembark? No problem. Chinatown is labeled "Chinatown." Same for "Little India" and the "Changi Airport." Additionally, all the stations are labeled not only in English but in Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. And just in case you don't read or speak any of those languages, each station is also labeled based on directional route with a consecutive numbering scheme (NE22, NE23, etc).
So props to Singapore for making it easy to get around. But for those looking for the excitement of the unpredictable, you'll be predictably disappointed.
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