Singapore

Singapore is a small modern country on the southern tip of the main island in Malaysia. It continues to re-invent itself with new developments popping up all the time.

Other than the office buildings there is not much to see outside of the numerous shopping centers scattered throughout the city. Money is king.

Hot (average temperature is 31 celcius) and humid. Monsoon season is late October to January where it typically rains (heavily) once a day. The rest of the year it rains far less frequently.

There are a few things that are definitely worth seeing.

A must see if you have any amount of time in Singapore. The Night Safari is very difficult to get to (being beside the zoo) but this attraction opens daily at 7:30 pm (until midnight) and boasts a tram tour that takes you through enclosures containing everything from hyenas to antelopes to lions. On the tram you are often directly in with the animals with no barriers between you and them. Anticipation builds as you go from one to another…what will you see next? Being at night this is when most of the animals are awake and active so you have a great chance of seeing animals you might never have seen running about before. The park is divided into different regions that you can also walk through with a series of walking trails throughout.

When first arriving the temptation is to linger at the various restaurants and other attractions outside the entrance but proceed directly in and get into the queue for the tram. Once you have completed the tram trip be sure to walk some of the trails. We particularly found the ability to walk in the Wallaby enclosure and the bat enclosure directly absolutely amazing - You could reach out and touch them! Nothing between you and the animals (ok, the bats freaked us out a bit as they fly around above your head).

Note that if you take public transport that bus that takes you to the last train at the closest subway station leaves at about 10:30pm.

The harbour is home to the iconic images and attractions of Singapore. What could be more iconic than the Merlion? The crowds gather to get their picture taken with the Merlion (or her smaller “cub”).

The Sinapore Flyer is the largest observation wheel in the world. Taking about 30 minutes to go around it is fairly expensive but offers great views of the harbour. Of course the best time to visit is in the evening. All of the tour buses tend to stop here…

Clarke Quay is a shopping complex located on the Singapore River (just in from the harbour) but opposite has a number of restaurants along the water. Quite relaxing and pleasant.

The Helix is a pedestrian bridge crossing the harbour from Marina Sands Mall to just beside the Singapore Flyer. Patterned after the double-helix of DNA this is a magnificent sight to behold particularly at night as it is beautifully lit.

Another Singapore institution, Raffle's Hotel is an old colonial hotel located in the heart of the city on Bras Basah road. The two-story hotel has a number of shops and restaurants that are all open to the public.

The Long Bar is the home of the Singapore Sling and is open to visit by non-guests with an entrance to the bar right on Bras Basah. The atmosphere is very relaxed with peanut shells everywhere (roasted peanuts are free and very tasty) and the old-school fans in the ceiling. The Singapore Slings are very tasty with a non-alcoholic alternative also available though both are quite expensive. I would suggest dressing semi-casual but I don't think they would care if you walked in in jeans - as long as you could afford it! Be aware that it gets busy in the evenings very early.

Little India stretches around Serangoon Road and is comprised of a number of shops selling cheap jewellery and clothes. There are a few restaurants as well. Certainly worth visiting during Dawali as the street is elaborately decorated and lit.

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (141 Serangoon Road) is a Hindu temple devoted to the goddess Kali. It is open to visitors who must remove their shoes before entering and, of course, be respectful. A hive of activity, there are several areas where worship occurs and be sure to walk around the back as well. Full of a lot of smoke and people but an interesting visit, that is for sure.

This is an absolutely amazing attraction. Gardens by the Bay consists of two domes: The Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. The domes are used to house plants that are not normally grown in the Singapore area due to the high humidity and heat - The domes are cooled, super-efficient, glass domes that are amazing to behold.

There is also a large exterior garden (that is free to visit) that contains a series of artificial “Supertrees” that are straight out of a Science Fiction story.

The Cloud Forest contains a rain forest “mountain” that has a tall waterfall and a series of walkways at different levels allowing you to look at the plants found covering the peak. Occasionally the air will cloud with mist as it “rains”. Absolutely amazing - The walkways are suspended out in the middle of the air.

The Flower Dome is incredible - The first sight you have is of the Baobabs that they have planted here (that are amazing in themselves as these trees are notoriously difficult to grow outside of Africa). There are a series of paths that take you through the dome with sections for different areas of the world.

The Supertree Grove is a series of 50m tall artificial trees that are covered with plants. It is incredibly surreal to see these sculptures located throughout the park. There is a walkway between the tops of two of the trees that you can walk along that is highly recommend (a small fee is charged that you pay near the walkway entrance) - Yes, there is an elevator to take you up and down. Note that the walkway is closed in adverse weather (such as wind or rain).

Getting around Singapore is remarkably easy with large roads throughout (you could easily rent a car here without any problems - and all road signs are in English).

Taxis are plentiful and all are operated by native Singaporeans (though don't think this means that they are good drivers). Taxi fares are reasonable.

There are several companies offering hop-on, hop-off bus tours throughout the city. They include:

• City Sightseeing
• SIA
• City Tours

All of the tours take in basically the same things and all have a depot at the Singapore Flyer where you can join.

The MRT (mass rail transport) subway is run by SBS Transit in the North-East Line with SMRT running the other three lines (North-South, East-West and Circle).

Tourist tickets are available for a few days (that also work on the buses) but can be purchased in only a few locations (such as City Hall).

“ez-link” is the standard stored value card that locals use for subway and buses. You may top up your ez-link cards at SOME ticket offices (but, it should be noted, not all). The minimum top-up value is $10 while the maximum stored value allowed on the card is $100.

You may also choose to buy a paper (though electronically encoded to be used on touch-in/touch-out scanners in stations/on the buses) “Standard Ticket” that can be used up to six times within 30 days from the date of purchase. A $0.10 deposit is required and will be automatically refunded through an off-set against your third trip. You can simply keep adding money to this ticket (using the machines) as you wish to take more journeys (up to six times).

In addition to the MRT, SBS Transit and SMRT also run the public buses. Most buses are modern and air-conditioned. Buses accept cash or “ez-link” cards with different fares for different routes.

For further information, please see:

• My Hong Kong and Singapore Journal 2013 (October 2013)
• My Singapore Restaurant Reviews
• CIA World Factbook (Singapore)
• Your Singapore - Official Singapore Tourism Board web site
• Wikipedia (Singapore)
• Wikitravel (Singapore)
• Singapore.sg - Official gateway to Singapore