Singapore

For some reason, I expected Singapore to feel the same as Hong Kong. While they are both developed Western metropolises studded with sky-scrapers and shopping malls, Singapore seems more green, more efficient, and more friendly.

Everything is clean and orderly. The food is fresh and beautiful -- even the hawker centers resemble food courts in upscale malls rather than the standard frenetic Asian night markets. The subway is fast, cheap, and air-conditioned. Taxis are spotless Mercedes sedans (including meters). Stores accept American Express. And the airport has free Internet!

Singapore is the best city in Asia! Maybe staying at the Ritz-Carlton and painting the town red with my friend Casey has something to do with it. Or maybe after Bali I am ready for a big-city fix. Either way, I can't stop telling Casey how much I love it here and am starting to think that I may need to come back after toughing it out on the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia circuit.