Into the interior
Wanting to better understand the ordinary people’s lives, we took the LRT (Light Rail Transit system)out of the city and into the countryside. This high tech system allows contactless smartcards which utilize stored value tickets to be used in Singapore’s public transportation system. On the way to a tourist destination, the famed Bird Park, we passed myriads of enormous recently built highrise subsidized apartments in townships, referred to as “housing estates,” to house the service workers that support the hotel/restaurant, tourist sites and shopping. No one of moderate means can afford to live in the city. Schools and other industries, including many international conglomerates have now located facilities close to where the people now live.