Introduction:
Singapore has traded in its rough-and-ready opium dens and
pearl luggers for towers of concrete and glass, and its steamy
rickshaw image for hi-tech wizardry, but you can still recapture
the colonial era with a gin sling under the languorous ceiling
fans at Raffles Hotel.
At first glance, Singapore appears shockingly modern and anonymous,
but this is an undeniably Asian city with Chinese, Malay and
Indian traditions from feng shui to ancestor worship creating
part of the everyday landscape. It's these contrasts that
bring the city to life.
One day you're in a hawker stall melting over a bowl of Indian
curry, the next you're enjoying high tea in whispered environs
complete with air-con, starched linen table cloths and gliding
waiters. Super-safe and mega-clean Singapore may be, but its
sultry rhythms wash inexorably beneath the regimented beat
of big-city life.
In the crowded streets of Chinatown, fortune tellers, calligraphers
and temple worshippers are still a part of everyday life.
In Little India, you can buy the best sari material, freshly
ground spices or a picture of your favourite Hindu god. In
the small shops of Arab St, the cry of the imam can be heard
from the nearby Sultan Mosque.
When to Visit Singapore:
Go anytime. Climate is not a major consideration, as Singapore
gets fairly steady annual rainfall. Co-ordinate your visit
with one of the various festivals and events: Thaipusam is
a spectacular festival, occurring around February. If shopping
and eating are major concerns, April brings the Singapore
Food Festival and the Great Singapore Sale is held in June.
Attraction in
Singapore :
Arab St
The Muslim centre of Singapore is a traditional textile district,
full of batiks from Indonesia, silks, sarongs and shirts.
Add to this mix rosaries, flower essences, hajj caps, songkok
hats, basketware and rattan goods, and you have a fair idea
of the products haggled over in this part of the city. The
grand Sultan Mosque is the biggest and liveliest mosque in
Singapore, but the tiny Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque is
the most beautiful. There's fine Indian Muslim food along
nearby North Bridge Rd and the foodstalls on Bussorah St are
especially atmospheric at dusk during Ramadan.
Chinatown
Chinatown is Singapore's cultural heart and still provides
glimpses of the old ways with its numerous temples, decorated
terraces and its frantic conglomeration of merchants, shops
and activity. Gentrified restaurants and expensive shops are
gradually overtaking the venerable incense-selling professions.
Colonial Singapore
The mark of Sir Stamford Raffles is indelibly stamped on central
Singapore. By moving the business district south of the river
and making the northern area the administrative centre, Raffles
created the framework that remained the blueprint for central
Singapore through generations of colonial rule and the republican
years of independence. Places of interest include: Empress
Place Building, an imposing Victorian structure, built in
1865, that houses a museum, art and antique galleries and
a chic restaurant; the incongruous Padang, where flannelled
cricketers once caught, bowled and batted in the searing heat;
Raffles Hotel, a Singaporean institution which has become
a byword for oriental luxury; and any number of imposing churches,
such as St Andrew's Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Good
Shepherd.
Jurong
Jurong Town, west of the city centre, is a huge industrial
and housing area that is the powerhouse of Singapore's economy.
This might seem an unlikely spot for a number of Singapore's
tourist attractions but it is home to the Haw Par Villa (an
incredibly tacky Chinese mythological theme park), the beautifully
landscaped Jurong Bird Park, Chinese Garden and the hands-on
Singapore Discovery Centre.
Little India
This modest but colourful area of wall-to-wall shops, pungent
aromas and Hindi film music is a relief from the prim modernity
of many parts of the city. This is the place to come to pick
up that framed print of a Hindu god you've always wanted,
eat great vegetarian food and watch streetside cooks fry chapatis.
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
North of the CBD, this reserve is the largest area of primary
rainforest in Singapore. The park is filled with over 800
species of native plants including giant trees, ferns and
native wild flowers. This is also where you'll see long-tailed
macaques, lemurs, reticulated pythons and the racquet-tailed
drongo.
Changi Village
There aren't too many places in Singapore that could be considered
virgin wilderness but there are some that offer an escape
from the hubbub of the central district. Changi Village, on
the east coast, no longer has traditional kampong houses but
it does have a village atmosphere.
Pulau Ubin
Changi Village is a convenient jump-off point for the northern
island of Pulau Ubin. As soon as there is a quota of 12 passengers,
a bumboat takes you across to the island where you can find
quiet beaches, a kampong atmosphere and popular seafood restaurants.
The tranquil rural flavour of Pulau Ubin is as far removed
from the cosmopolitan bustle of Singapore central as it is
possible to get. The island is small enough to cycle around
and this is still the best way to explore its fish farms,
holy temples, coconut palms and deserted beaches.
Southern Islands
Although some of the southern islands are industrial bases,
there are a few off-the-beaten-track islands where you can
find a quiet beach. Sisters' Islands are good for swimming
and, with their nearby coral reefs, are a popular diving spot.
Other islands worth checking out are Lazarus Island and Pulau
Buran Darat.
Reaching Singapore:
Most airlines fly into Singapore's heavily trafficked Changi
International Airport. The best way to get from the airport
to the city (20km/12mi away) is by train, but there is also
a wide choice of bus and taxi services.
 Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's rail system,
and three trains go to Kuala Lumpur each day. If you're going
to or coming from Malaysia, your options are myriad, ranging
from comfy buses to ferries and even taxis.
A swag of airlines fly into Singapore's ultramodern Changi
International Airport - often voted one of the best airports
in the world. It's certainly one of the most heavily trafficked,
with a glut of facilities ranging from 24-hour meditation
centres to boutique shopping. The best way to get from Changi
Airport to the city (20km/12mi away) is by train. There is
also a wide choice of bus and taxi services.
Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's rail system
and there are three trains a day to Kuala Lumpur (four on
weekends).
Lots of visitors to Singapore combine their stay with a visit
to Malaysia, which is just a kilometre away across the causeway
over the Straits of Johor. You can travel between Malaysia
and Singapore very easily by bus. Immaculate air-conditioned
buses link Singapore to almost all large Malaysian cities;
fares are generally inexpensive.
A second causeway has opened between Singapore and Malaysia
to ease congestion - it links Tuas in Singapore with Geylang
Patah - and is known pragmatically enough as the Second Link.
It can only be used if you have your own transport.
 You can travel between Malaysia (just a kilometre away) and
Singapore very easily by taxi.
A passenger ferry operates between north Changi and Tanjung
Belungkor, east of Johor Bahru, and a daily high-speed catamaran
links Singapore with Malaysia's Tioman Island. There are no
direct passenger ferries between Singapore and the main ports
of Indonesia, but it is possible to travel between the two
countries via the Indonesian islands of the Riau Archipelago,
immediately south of Singapore. Modern ferries link Singapore
with the islands of Batam and Bintan in the archipelago. Speedboats
link Batam with Pekanbaru in Sumatra, and several ships a
week link Bintan with Jakarta. |
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