| | Feb 3, 2006 - Singapore - A Fine City | (click to enlarge)
 |  | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | Quay area of Singapore
| | Fun bus shelters of Singapore
| | 2006 - The Year of the Dog - 'It's my Year!'
| | Chinese Lanterns up for Chinese New Year based on the Lunar Calendar
| (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | Chinese Sculptures
| | Famous Raffles Hotel
| | Raffles Hotel
| | Raffles Doorman
| (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | Green gardens of Singapore
| | Hindu Temple in China Town
| | Air conditioning alley
| | Chinese Lanterns
| (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | Restored shophouses in China Town
| | Riverside sculptures
| | Singapore River
| | Stunning Singapore Marriott Pool Area
|
| Singapore - A Fine City
From KL we caught the nicest coach I have ever taken to take us to Singapore. For only about $25 CAD, we boarded a 2 story coach with leather seats, movies and complimentary refreshments for our six hour journey to Singapore, South-East Asia's most modern and developed country. Both a city and a country together in one, this small island nation has been strictly ruled to create its safe, clean and more westernized island environment. Commonly known as a "fine city", this word play truly describes this sparkling clean and green city as a nice place. However, the deeper meaning is the large fines they impose on their citizens and visitors to keep the city in such great condition. Fines can be issued for chewing gum in public - yes, chewing gum is illegal. How the many 7/11 variety stores are profitable without their sales of Trident, Extra, Dentyne, Bubalicious, Clorets and the slew of other chewing gums sold around the world is beyond me. You can also be fined for eating or drinking on their subway system, smoking in a public place, jay walking or riding your bike in non-bicycle zones - all things you could potentially be fined for at home too but the fines are much steeper in Singapore and more strictly enforced.
Aside from being a markedly clean city, Singapore is also an incredibly green city with large mature trees forming canopies over the streets, pink bougainvillea draping along the roadsides and most major buildings having lovely manicured gardens outside their doors. The spotless city acts like a magnet drawing Asian travellers to the orderliness as a welcome respite to the chaos of most other South East Asian cities
Apart from a pleasant city to look at, Singapore attracts many travellers for the abundance of shopping. Orchard Street is lined with malls typically six or seven stories tall and cram packed with everything from cheap and cheesy souvenirs to your entire high-end brand labels. Most astonishing was the number of high tech electronic stores. Being a bit of a gadget fiend, I hit the Lucky Mall known to be 'the place' for electronics shopping and was amazed with store upon store of cameras, phones, video cameras, computers, DVD players and virtually anything else that seemed to have a circuit board. The amazing thing was, every store looked alike! Virtually identical! How you would ever find a store you wanted to return to I am not too sure, although, not that it would matter as they all seemed to sell the exact same products at better prices than we would find at home.
Aside from shopping, Singapore has very active districts in Little India and Chinatown both with excellent traditional cuisine, markets and lively atmospheres. The riverfront has been nicely developed and makes a beautiful walk along traditional buildings all restored and turned into shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. As with any major city, Singapore also has its share of museums and galleries to explore.
Not to be missed is a visit to the famous Raffles Hotel named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore in 1819. Perhaps more of a claim to fame is the Long Bar where the Singapore Sling was created back in 1915 and is now famous around the world. For an absurd price you can sit at this bar today and enjoy the frothy pink cocktail while throwing peanut shells to the floor and soaking in the atmosphere of this historic colonial style hotel.
Singapore - a city, a country, a modern and welcoming gateway to Asia. For us it was part of a comfortable beginning easing us into our three months of South East Asia. After enjoying our 3 days here, we are now off to Hong Kong to meet Eric's mother and her partner and enjoy a piece of luxury - a 15-day Oceania Cruise!
10 Travel Tips for Singapore
1. English is one of the official languages of Singapore making it easy to get around and read signs throughout the city. Other official languages include Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
2. Singapore has an excellent and modern public transportation system. The MRT - Mass Rail Transit, is cheap, safe, easy to use, takes you to most attractions in the city and is one of the most modern, clean system in the world. A pleasure to use if you would like to save some money rather than taking taxis.
3. Experience the vibrant Little India for an authentic taste of India. Little India is loaded with incredible restaurants and streets that will overwhelm your senses with the sounds of Indian Pop music blaring onto the streets, a bustle of people, street side food stalls, vendors, and overwhelming scents of incense floating through the air.
4. Do not bother to rent a car. Use the MRT or taxis, which are very reasonable and should get you pretty much anywhere you need to go within the small city.
5. Remember Singapore is a 'fine' city - don't chew gum, eat or drink on the MRT, jaywalk, or smoke in non-designated public areas or you may very well be hit with a very hefty fine.
6. Transfers to and from the airport can easily be done on the MRT which goes right into the airport terminal and will cost you less than $2 CAD, and take about 30 minutes to get into the heart of Orchard Street.
7. If you like to shop, Orchard street is loaded with shopping malls selling everything from cheap and tacky souvenirs to Gucci and Prada or browse through hundreds of electronic stores for the latest in gadgets at good prices.
8. If you enjoy a drink or two be prepared to pay the price. Beer, wine and liquor are quite expensive even more so than Canada's heavily taxed alcohol!
9. Hawker stalls are street side food vendors offering cheap excellent food. Usually there is one beverage booth for all stalls and seating is like at a food court but outside. Hawker stalls in Singapore offer excellent authentic Asian food at budget prices and provide you with a local experience.
10. Explore the city's beautiful riverside and venture into China town to view the traditional architecture, markets and historic areas of the city. The city is the safest and cleanest in Asia and perhaps the world so just get out, explore and enjoy!
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
|
| |
| |
