Singapore
Singapore was a stopoff point on our way home after a visit to Bali and a very good choice too. It`s a strange country that shouldn`t really exist. With the postwar breakup of the British Empire it became, in 1963, part of Malaysia but internal conflicts including the Malaysian equivalent of apartheid which discriminated against non-Malay citizens (known as "Bumiputra" led to violence between indigenous and non-indigenous groups and after 2 years Singapore was thrown out of the federation and left to survive on it`s own! This was a bunch of islands at the tip of the peninsular amounting to only just over 700 square kilometres with very few natural resources beyond it`s own population . But WOW just how well they did it! It`s and incredible and incredibly successful place and has to be on your bucket list. The ethnic Chinese and Indians have created one of the top nations in Asia and the religious and ethnic tolerance is reflected in the places of worship that you will see in the gallery below. It has four `official` languages - English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil but the good news (for tourists and business) is that English is the tongue spoken by most people. Singapore has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world and is ranked 9th (globally) on the UN Human Development Index. Oh and also 7th highest GDP /capita in the world and has 91% home ownership. An amazing achievement for a city state/nation that really shouldn`t exist even. Oh and the streets are immaculate - they banned chewing gum.
We started our brief visit with a trip to Chinatown with it`s maze of little shops and street market/stalls but soon started tiring in the heat when we discovered an oasis for lunch. Not any oasis but one in the air in a revolving restaurant - the Prima Tower. OK I hear you respond - been there, done that ! Yup me too. In Munich, overlooking the Olympic village, in Canada looking down on Niagara and in Sydney looking down on the city and the harbour. BUT this one is different because it sits not on top of a communications tower - it lives on top of a old grain silo!!!! But the views were still amazing. As it rotated we gaze out across the Singapore Strait, past Sentosa Island (see next paragraph) towards a series of big storms approaching. And then there was the food! All you can eat seafood/Chinese! And it was proper seafood - lobsters, crabs, king prawns, scallops. Probably one of the best we`ve ever had. As you can imagine we took our time. Emerging sated we hit Orchard Road with all it`s shopping malls selling just about anything and everything. Even here though Singapore has managed to plant an avenue of trees along the full length. Eventually we finished up at Raffles Hotel where we in rapid succession we indulged in a Singapore Sling cocktail served in the bar where the cocktail was created, followed by tea and tiffin - we some things you just have to do! Sadly Raffles Hotel, which was originally established in 1887 and came through the Japanese WW2 occupation with many amazing stories, was deemed to be in the way of major commercial developments soon after the turn of the century and was taken down! But fear not ! Because it was then reassembled brick by brick in a new more suitable location. So you can still have your tea and tiffin there (but not like we did in the original location!).
Amongst the many developments in Singapore the issue of entertainment and wellbeing has not been neglected. At the end of Orchard Road is to be found a true green oasis in the form of Singapore Botanic Gardens full of themed gardens and lakes - perfect for quiet time and battery recharging. And then there is the island of Pulau Ubin encapsulates original village life with mangrove swamps, monitor lizards, lotus covered lakes, greenery and wildlife - all accessible using a (motorised) sampan. Or if you want something more Florida-like then Sentosa Island delivers in spades. There something there for all ages including Universal Studios theme park, Sea Aquarium, artificial surf ing waves at the Wave House and even a casino submerged underwater!Along with world class restaurants, sun kissed beachs and bars and evening spectaculars. And then there is "Gardens By The Bay". The home of more than 1.5 million plants in more than 100 hectares with exotic conservatories and "Supertrees", light at night by the Garden Rhapsody light and sound show and connected by the Skyway. Singapore has a surprising amount of green. It is possible to hike the trails at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, 163-hectares of primary rainforest climbing to Singapore’s highest peak, Bukit Timah (163m). It`s cacophony of roving monkeys, rare birds and lush canopy hark back to a time when Singapore was mostly thick, wet wilderness.
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Browse through the picture galleries below relating to this page and you will get a much better idea than just reading my words! Each page has it`s own set of relevant images - where possible taken by us.