[venus]

Ah, that's not totally fair. There's places to go that aren't shopping malls - I miss the hawker centres and food streets, and there's some great walking to be had.

That said, the single best thing about Singapore is that it's a gateway to the rest of SEA. Changi is the best airport in the world, IMO, and you can be in Thailand or Vietnam in an hour for $100. No malls there! (Well not by CapitaMalls, anyway)

[ghshephard]

Changi Airport, both on arrival, and departure, is amazing. If you have a work permit, then the arrival process is 15 seconds to clear immigration - I kid you not. You swipe your passport, and entry gate pops open (quickly), you walk ahead five steps, punch down your thumb, and then a message appears, "Welcome to Singapore, ghshephard" - and then the second gate opens.

I thought YVR (Vancouver) was fast - (You submit your entry form, answer a couple questions on a kiosk, and then present it to an immigration person who makes sure you match the passport - about 2-3 minutes) - but Changi beats it hands down.

Departure is just as good - no long lines at security or worry about missing your flight - everything is done at the departure gate (which also makes a helluva lot more sense from a security perspective as well).

Makes SFO feel like a miserable cast-off of an Airport after spending time in Changi.

[seanmcdirmid]

Schiphol is run the same way and is arguably more plush than changi, though both have nice outdoor areas behind security. Honestly, my layovers in changi seem like a drag, you run out of things to do waiting for that Mumbai or Bangalore connection.

[ulfw]

I'd say every country I've been to has been incredibly efficient when it comes to immigration procedures. Except for the USA and UAE, both of which I wasted 3+ hours queuing.

[hrasyid]

>>> Ah, that's not totally fair. There's places to go that aren't shopping malls - I miss the hawker centres and food streets, and there's some great walking to be had. Those usually get old after a few months/years..

[contingencies]

it's a gateway to the rest of SEA

That title, albeit very amorphous, is definitely Bangkok's by any honest number (eg. flights) or remotely holistic cultural assessment.