Travel Tip: Singapore and Smokes

I meant to mention this yesterday, but... If you're planning to visit Singapore, don't bother trying to bring in any duty-free cigarettes (purchased innocently enough at the international lobby of your point of departure). Yesterday when I went through customs I said that I had nothing to declare. I honestly thought I was telling the truth--I mean, that's what "duty-free" is, right? Wrong. At least in Singapore. They found the smokes that I'd made no effort to conceal. They weren't heavy-handed about it, or anything. In fact everyone was quite friendly about it (I imagine it happens a lot here). Still, I had to pay 70 Singapore dollars duty on a carton of smokes that I'd already paid 2300 yen for. Ouch. "Still cheaper than smoking in Canada." That's what I keep telling myself...

Smokers should also take note that Singapore is about the unfriendliest place I've been to for indulging your habit. It's occurred to me that a couple of whacks across the ass with a cane for illegal smoking might make for an interesting blog post. I'd probably have a hard time explaining it to my family and employers, though...

Travel Tips

Context is everything, so there's nothing served by getting yourself all worked up about not understanding a foreign language. I mean, really, what the hell do you think the waitress who's just come up to your table is saying? Jeesh.