Singapore

Singapore is an unexpected delight.  I imagined that it was another Hong Kong with endless high rises, crowded shopping markets, and noisy traffic.  (Not that I don't like Hong Kong, but if you've seen the original...)  I assumed that the only thing to do here would be shop as that's what I've heard from so many people.  I'd also heard that there were laws against smoking on the street or in any public place, which would be a bit stressful for me.  For the above reasons, I've avoided visiting Singapore while trouncing around the rest of Asia and only came this time because I have a friend living here.  I happy to report that it's none of the above.   It's a very clean, well ordered city with a lot to offer.  One of the things that I find interesting is the mix of people - Chinese, Malays, Indians, Arabs and Westerners all, seemingly, working together to create a peaceful community.  In addition, the people seem quite friendly, or at least polite, towards each other, certainly more polite than in some Asian populations - they say excuse me, let pedestrians cross streets and queue patiently (of course, could be my tourist colored glasses.)  It gives me a bit of hope, actually.  What surprised me the most is the amount of green.  The city's really been built around the jungle instead of fighting it.  Everywhere you go, you are surrounded by the jungle, even in the downtown area.  In the middle of the island, there is quite a large park where my friend and I went walking a couple of times.  You can seriously forget that you're in a city, though once outside the park, you're ten minutes away from the city center.  Fantastic.  The parks are filled with monkeys and birds and we even saw a couple of monitor lizards, though not the big one I was looking for.    The only thing that really drove me to distraction is the lack of taxis.  Not that there aren't a lot of them on the streets, but it seemed, at least for us, quite difficult to actually flag one down.  We must have spent two hours on Sunday waiting for taxis. 

I think it really helped that I had a friend here to lead me away from the touristed areas and especially into the parks.  If you're going to visit Singapore, I recommend you make a friend here.  I'd also recommend getting off Orchard Street and into one of the huge parks.  I'll post some pics and perhaps a bit more information later.  For now, I've got a bus to Malaysia to catch.   

Comments

[blackfeline]

glad u like singapore..at least u cleared some of the misconceptions..flagging a taxi is not that difficult..legally speaking..the taxi driver will try not to halt by the road with double yellow lines..or a designated bus lane..etc if they are booked..the penalty is quite heavy..there are many taxi stands...or try the MRT..public buses not too bad..and try not to flag for a cab around 11.30pm to 12.00 midnite..chances u would not get one..because most will be hiding, taking a nap, snacking..etc until the clock strikes 12 midnite..just for the extra charges they can earn..lol

[secretdubai]

Me too - I thought it was a beautiful place when I visited, just magical. Clean, perfect weather (even though it rained), fantastic nature, beautiful buildings, just utterly lovely. Chinatown was my favourite place.

It also made me sad, because when you see it having come from the Gulf, you realise that no amount of artificial irrigation can create a lush tropical paradise like that.

[sheikha]

I am in complete agreement. I took my 5 and 6 year old children over Eid in November by myself. I loved it, we had a great time taking the MRT all over the place. Singapore is extremely child-friendly and I felt completely safe there by myself with the two of them. We will be returning in a couple of months.