I love subways, as I think I've mentioned before in my blog. I wish more cities had them. Somewhere or other long ago I had a list of all the subway systems I've ever been on; I haven't seen it in some time, but next time I find it I'll have a new one to add.
The Singapore subway is especially useful as it actually goes to the airport. This incredibly helpful feature really ought to be available everywhere, but alas. Supposedly in Wuhan someday...someday...there will be a line to the airport, but they don't seem as much in a hurry to finish that section as I think they ought to be. Probably all the taxi drivers who make a killing going out there lobby for its delay. Anyhow, the Singapore subway is pretty normal as far as subways go, but as is befitting Singapore, quite clean, modern, and organized. I did get a kick out of the signs I saw posted in the station by the airport. There was the usual "no smoking" sign, the usual "no food or drink" sign, and, unusually, a "no durian" sign. Durian, if you aren't familiar with it, is a tropical fruit that grows well and is quite popular in this part of the world. They are a bit bigger than a cantaloupe, and covered with a thick yellow rind of spikes. Supposedly they are extremely nutritious. The problem is their strong smell...unlike most fruit, the smell lingers and lingers; it's hard to get it out of the air. And it's generally considered unpleasant--to me, it just smells like a large amount of very overripe and beginning to rot pile of melon and mango, but many say the smell is like strong onions and garlic. However you smell it, it's the sort of fruit that should be eaten outdoors and not kept in small spaces, and I think the sign-makers were quite wise to stipulate that it should not be eaten on the subway.
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