Singapore Glimpse of Charm
Singapore Glimpse of Charm
Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia. Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, since independence it has become one of the world's most prosperous, tax-friendly countries and boasts the world's busiest port. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences along with a tropical climate, tasty food from hawker centres, copious shopping malls, and vibrant night-life scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.
Singapore is a small island country. With a population size of over 5.5 million people it is a very crowded city, third only to Monaco and Hong Kong as the world's most densely populated country. The centre of the city is located in the south consisting roughly of the Orchard Road shopping area, the Riverside, the new Marina Bay area and also the skyscraper-filled Shenton way financial district known, in acronym-loving Singapore, as the CBD (Central Business District).
Riverside (Civic District) is Singapore's colonial core, with museums, statues and theatres, not to mention restaurants, bars and clubs. Orchard Road is a 2.2 kilometre-long major road with lots of shopping malls. Marina Bay is the newest feature of Singapore, dominated by the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort and the Marina Barrage. The newly opened Gardens by the Bay is a large public garden with a cluster of gigantic Super Trees.
Bugis and Kampong Glam are Singapore's old Malay district, now largely taken over by shopping Chinatown is the area originally designated for Chinese settlement by Raffles, now a Chinese heritage area popular with tourists. Little India is a piece of India to the north of the city core. Balestier, Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh — Budget accommodations and Burmese temples within striking distance of the centre.
The northern part of the island, also known as Woodlands, forms Singapore's residential and industrial hinterlands. Singapore Zoo is located here. The western part of the island form Singapore's residential areas with Star Vista. Jurong is home to Nanyang Technological University and the last housing frontier before the industrial area. Attractions include Singapore Bird Park, Singapore Science Centre and Singapore Discovery Centre. North East is home to many residential towns with a heart of Serangoon NEX, Hougang Mall and Compass Point.
Tampines is a residential town located in the heartlands, in the far east of the island close to Changi Airport. East Coast is the largely residential eastern part of the island contains Changi Airport, miles and miles of beach and many famous eateries. Also covers Geylang Serai, the true home of Singapore's Malays. Sentosa is a separate island once a military fort developed into a resort, Sentosa is the closest that Singapore gets to Disneyland, now with a dash of gambling and Universal Studios thrown in. North West is the aspiring north-west that goes into the undeveloped jungles, and the military training areas (Ama Keng, Lim Chu Kang, cemeteries, Kranji Camp and SAFTI).
Getting around Singapore is easy: the public transportation system is extremely easy to use and taxis are reasonably priced when you can get one. Very few visitors rent cars. Singapore is a microcosm of Asia, populated by Malays, Chinese, Indians, and a large group of workers and expatriates from all across the world.
Singapore is a microcosm of Asia, populated by Malays, Chinese, Indians, and a large group of workers and expatriates from all across the world. Singapore has a partly deserved reputation for sterile predictability that has earned it descriptions like William Gibson's "Disneyland with the death penalty" or the "world's only shopping mall with a seat in the United Nations". Nevertheless, the Switzerland of Asia is for many a welcome respite from the poverty, dirt, and chaos of much of the Southeast Asian mainland, and if you scratch below the squeaky clean surface and get away from the tourist trail you'll soon find more than meets the eye.
Singaporean food is legendary, with bustling hawker centres and 24-hour coffee shops offering cheap food from all parts of Asia, and shoppers can bust their baggage allowances in shopping centres like Orchard Road and Suntec City. In recent years some societal restrictions have also loosened up, and now you can bungee jump and dance on bar tops all night long, although alcohol is still very pricey and chewing gum can only be bought from a pharmacy for medical use.
Singapore is a melting pot of cuisines from around the world, and many Singaporeans are obsessive gourmands who love to makan ("eat" in Malay). You will find quality Chinese, Malay, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French, American and other food in this city-state. Eating habits run the gamut, but most foods are eaten by fork and spoon: push and cut with the fork in the left hand, and eat with the spoon in the right. Noodles and Chinese dishes typically come with chopsticks, while Malay and Indian food can be eaten by hand, but nobody will blink an eye if you ask for a fork and spoon instead. If eating by hand, always use your right hand to pick your food, as Malays and Indians traditionally use their left hand to handle dirty things. Take note of the usual traditional Chinese etiquette when using chopsticks, and most importantly, do not stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. If eating in a group, serving dishes are always shared, but you'll get your own bowl of rice and soup. It's common to use your own chopsticks to pick up food from communal plates, but serving spoons can be provided on request.
Accommodation in Singapore is expensive by South-East Asian standards. Particularly in the higher price brackets, demand has been outstripping supply recently and during big events like the F1 race or some of the larger conventions it's not uncommon for pretty much everything to sell out. Lower-end hotels and hostels, though, remain affordable and available throughout the year.
A lot to see in Singapore
Sentosa
Marina Bay Sands Singapore
Gardens by the Bay
Universal Studios Singapore
Chinatown, Singapore
Orchard Road
Night Safari
Merlion
Singapore Flyer
Singapore Zoo
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Clarke Quay
Resorts World Sentosa
Jurong Bird Park
Little India, Singapore
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
River Safari
ArtScience Museum
Singapore Cable Car
Pulau Ubin
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
National Museum of Singapore
Fort Canning Park
Helix Bridge
Sentosa Luge
Masjid Sultan
East Coast Park
Haw Par Villa
Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore
Mount Faber
Siloso Beach
National Orchid Garden
MacRitchie Reservoir
Fort Siloso
National Gallery Singapore
Haji Lane
Science Centre Singapore
S.E.A. Aquarium
Marina Barrage
Southern Ridges
Suntec City
Tiger Sky Tower
Fountain of Wealth
Wings Of Time
Peranakan Museum
Asian Civilisations Museum
Mega Adventure - Singapore
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Supertree Grove
Telok Ayer Market
Singapore is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Singapore. Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Singapore.
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