The squeaky clean city of Singapore!!

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Finally I left my beloved Thailand; home to me for 3 months (minus the 2 weeks in Cambodia and Laos) and made my way alone to Singapore. It's very strange when you've been with people for so long, to suddenly be on your own again, not having anyone to consult with...especially when you are so awful at making decisions like myself! I had 4 days to explore Singapore, I wasn't sure if this would be too much but actually when I was leaving, I wanted to stay longer!! I managed to fit a lot into 4 days so I'm afraid this may be a long Blog!

A bit of background info for you: Singapore is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia with a total land area of 692.7 sq km (267.45 sq mi). The name Singapore is derived from the word “Singapura” or “Lion City” as legend has it that a Sumatran prince sighted a beast that looked like a lion when he first set foot on the island in the 14th century. In the year 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles established a British trading station on this island. Singapore gained its independence as a sovereign and democratic nation on 9 August 1965. The population of Singapore is approximately 4.68 million and comprises of Chinese (75.2%); Malays (13.6%); Indians (8.8%); Others (2.4%).

The biggest thing to remember whilst in Singapore are the strict rules and regulations; you can get fined for jaywalking, littering, chewing gum (which will be confiscated as it is banned), not flushing the toilet, eating, drinking or smoking on the MRT (tube system). Most of these you would never do, but I found it hard to remember I couldn't drink on the MRT, especially as most of the time I carried a bottle of water with me! There are signs everywhere to remind you of these, and to be honest it makes the city so unbelievably clean, no cigarette butts on the floor or litter to step over, and probably saves them a fortune on employing street cleaners! The MRT is also impeccably clean, marble-clad shiny stations and AIR CON!! It's really simple to use as there are only 3 lines so you're never far from where you want to go, and it's cheap, so always a plus when you're on a budget.

I decided to stay in an area called Little India in a hostel that had been recommended by some people I had met in Thailand. This was my first experience of a bunk-bedded (and to my surprise mixed dorm) hostel so I was throwing myself in at the deep end. Accommodation in Singapore is pricey for the backpacker, and even this was $20 (Singapore Dollars) per night, but this included a make-your-own breakfast! I have to say in the end, it was fine, the worst thing was all the snoring men!! (yes it was the men, and no, I wasn't snoring myself). Little India is quite a spread out area so you can wander around and get lost in the culture. Obviously, this is where many of the Indian population have settled and the area is an assault on the senses with curry houses and flower garland shops everywhere. The first Indian settlers in Singapore arrived with Sir Stamford Raffles as assistants and soldiers back in 1819. Most of the area is made up of 'Shophouses,' so called because their owners operated a business on the ground floor and resided upstairs. The 'five-foot-way' was a unique feature of Malaya's shophouses. Stamford Raffles stipulated that shophouses must have a covered walkway of about five feet along its street front. These walkways were meant to protect pedestrians from the hot tropical sun and rain, but are now used for trade stalls. Whilst here it was a must to try the local cuisine, and the mixed curry plates are served on a banana leaf which is quite sweet!

Before I get started on what I got up to whilst I was in Singapore...an EYE update!! I had thought that after my visit to the hospital in Bangkok my eye was improving, however, not long after arriving in Singapore it got much worse, to the point that one morning I woke up and could barely open my eye as it was stinging so much and was sensitive to the light. I immediately got in a taxi to the nearest Hospital and promptly sat myself down in A&E crying and holding my cardigan over my eye (quite funny looking back now, but a scary memory at the time!) I must have looked a state! Anyway, thankfully my taxi driver had taken me to a very good Hospital with a specialist eye clinic (I didn't feel quite as stupid here with fellow one-eyers!!) and once I had been examined thoroughly was told that the infection had got so bad I had managed to scratch the surface of my cornea (hence the sensitivity to light!) I was given yet more medication and assured that there would be no permanent damage. (I am writing this Blog in Bali and luckily it is much better now - touch wood) So for info, there are not that many pictures of me in this blog and those that I am in, I'm wearing my sunglasses!! ha ha...

So apart from the MRT, the best way to get around and see the most of the city is by your own 2 feet; this I did a lot, and got very tired in the process!! My favourite place was down by the Esplanade Theatre; from here you got a full view of the Central Business District (CBD) and all its skyscrapers and the waterfront. It was particularly spectacular at night when it really came alive with the lights shimmering in the waters' reflection. Near the Esplanade drive is Merlion Park, comprising of 2 statues gushing out water from their mouths. The larger of the two 'Merlion' stands facing the river and has a walkway in front for visitors to view. Its name comes from a portmanteau of mermaid and lion. The merlion was designed by Fraser Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964 and was used as its logo up to 1997. The Merlion continues to be a Symbol for Singapore and the Merlion Park is a huge tourist attraction. Even 'Monks on Holiday' went to have a look and take some photographs. I think it is best viewed at night when it is lit up and you get the skyscrapers lit up in the background. Singapore is a really chilled out place and at night, many people sit around here and the Esplanade just people watching and enjoying the view!!

One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the Singapore Zoo. It was opened in 1973 and the whole area is set in a rainforest environment so it's really pleasant to walk around. Singapore Zoo’s world famous ‘open concept’ means there are no cages, just moats, and all the animals live in spacious environments simulating that of their natural habitat. They have 315 different types of species, 16% of which are threatened. The map you get when you go in is very informative and suggests times to visit some of the animals whist they are fed. The highlights for me were the Polar bears, and watching them have to swim to catch the live fish for their feed, watching the Elephants interact with their trainers and the beautiful (and very lazy) white tigers! Oh, and I saw my first crocodile, although it wasn't moving so I hope it wasn't dead (or plastic?!!) I spent just over 5 hours at the Zoo wandering around as there is so much to see and information boards to read along the way.

After visiting the zoo, I made my way just in time for sunset to the Singapore Flyer. It's very much like the London Eye and stands 165 meters (the height of a 45-storey building) which is 30m higher than the Eye. It was officially opened on the 15th April this year, so it's a fairly new attraction for Singapore. It's setting is down by the waterfront along from the Esplanade, and in an area which is currently vastly under construction. The construction doesn't really spoil the view luckily as you can see for so far that you're not really focusing on what's down below you!! Apparently you are able to see Malaysia and Indonesia, although I couldn't tell you if I did, as I wouldn't have known what I was looking for! One thing which I know will interest the Football fans amongst you, is that they are obviously building a 'floating' football stadium down by the waters edge (as seen in one of the Photographs) - not quite sure what will happen when the ball gets kicked out though?!

Another area which is great to walk around and explore is Chinatown. Sir Stamford Raffles wanted Singapore to be segregated according to 'ethnicity' and in 1822 he produced the 'Jackson Plan' where four areas were designated for the different ethnic groups. He allocated the area south-west of the river for the Chinese population. Large sections of it have been declared national heritage sites officially designated for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Once again the traditional 'shophouses' are evident here and many of them were built in the style of painted ladies, and have been restored in that fashion. These styles result in a variety of different colours lined up against each other which make the streets look very attractive. I wandered around for quite a while, soaking up the atmosphere and trying to dodge the tacky souvenir shops! In the main square there were local men playing chess against one another (apparently they do this all the time!) which was really sweet. Just in time for the all important sunset I made my way to Breeze bar, a rooftop bar located in a hotel and enjoyed a glass of wine whilst looking out over Chinatown. When I left the bar, Chinatown was even more alive and the Temple looked amazing with all it's lights. I wandered down Smith street which in the evening is sectioned off from traffic and the food stalls open up along it's length. There are chairs and tables dotted along the road and a real atmosphere here...definitely the place to eat!

On my last day, having made friends with Lisa who was in my Hostel, we decided a trip to Singapore was not complete without a visit to The Raffles Hotel and tasting the famous Singapore Sling!! The hotel dates back to 1887 and survived World War II despite the hardships Singapore faced and the use of the hotel at the end of the war as a transit camp for prisoners of war. In 1987 the government declared the hotel a National Monument and visiting it makes you appreciate why. It is a beautiful hotel that is HUGE and it's tranquil despite being nestled in amongst the high rise buildings near the City Hall. Outside the entrance you get to meet Singapore's most photographed man, Narajan Singh, the Sikh doorman(!) who wears a wonderful outfit complete with turban and a full beard! He has inspired a range of fridge magnets and soft toys besides posing with celebrities like Michael Jackson! So of course....if it's good enough for Michael, it's good enough for us!! We made our way to the 'Long Bar' for our lunchtime alcoholic beverage, the Singapore Sling! This cocktail was invented by Ngiam Tong Boon (a bartender who worked at Raffles) sometime between 1910 and 1915. It consists of Gin, Heering Cherry Liqueur (cherry brandy), Cointreau, DOM Bénédictine, Grenadine, Pineapple juice, Fresh lemon juice and Angostura bitters (phew!). At $25 (Singapore Dollars - about 10 GBP) it was quite an expensive drink for us budget travellers, but we made it last as long as we could and ate as many free nuts as we could possibly handle. Incidentally, the Long Bar is the only place you can (and are expected to) litter (yes you did read that correctly). The tradition is that you throw the nut shells on the floor after you've eaten them! So we basically tiptoed amongst the nuts as we left the bar and felt quite ashamed as we commented that it's not the way our mums brought us up!!

Lisa and I then headed over to Sentosa island which lies just half a kilometre away from the southern coast of the main island of Singapore. We decided to get the cable car across which was definitely not the cheapest option but was the most fun and we had a good view from the car. We decided we would have some fun instead of doing sights, sights, sights; and for this we went on the 'Luge' which is basically go-karting on a downhill track and then getting a chair lift back up to do it all over again! it was so much fun and we went on three times before it was sadly time for us to head back so I could get my flight :-( The cable car ride back was really well timed with the sun just setting across from the cable cars heading the other way.

For those of you that are still reading at this point (apart from my Mum and Dad who I know will be :-)) - well done! There are 2 videos for you to enjoy as well!! Sorry it's such a long one, but there was just so much to do, and I really could have done more and stayed longer! Anyway, I would thoroughly recommend Singapore to visit, and I would love to come back one day......

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Comments

[Mum]

Journalistic skills!
Been avidly reading your description of Singapore ready for our visit in December - you ought to get a job writing for the Lonely Planet guides! Sounds great! Can't wait! Love Mum xx