Singapore

City of Contrast

By Dave Shultz

Flying into Singapore is a lot like flying into any large city. It's after you get on the ground that you start to notice the differences. Mixed in with the ultra-modern skyscrapers you'll find the architecture and influence of distinctly different cultures.

The city has specific cultural regions like Chinatown, Little India and Geylang Serai but those cultures spill over into the everyday life of the country and blend with the modern in a way that makes Singapore unique. Toss in the British influence from the 1800's until self-government was attained in 1959 and the mix really gets exotic.

When Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore in 1819, he shaped more than the city's foundations. He brought English culture, customs and traditions that flourish today.  You'll see the name Raffles everywhere and the hotel he built is still operated much as it was during British reign.  Costumed doormen still greet guests arriving in restored British taxis.  I can't recommend stopping at the Raffles Bar for a Singapore Sling (it was invented here).  The atmosphere is fantastic but the outrageous prices take the romance out of the experience.   The price of a soft drink will buy a good lunch somewhere else.

The population is about 77% Chinese, 14% Malays and 7% Indians with other ethnic groups making up the balance. The official languages are Malay, Chinese (Mandarin), Tamil and English, but Malay is the national language and English the language of administration. Besides Tamil, some of the other languages spoken by Indians are Malayalam, Punjabi, Telegu, Hindi and Bengali.

With the diversity in population comes diversity in culture. While Singapore is an extremely modern, clean, technologically advanced city, it mirrors both traditional and contemporary culture. A modern facility might house conventional pharmacies as well as herbalists selling ancient Chinese remedies. You can find anything available from the finest names in London, Paris and New York as well as hand crafted goods made and used much as they were hundreds of years ago.  Little India is the place for gold.  Of course, you'll have to wander through hundreds of stalls selling watches, clothing, electronics, music, food and just about anything you can imagine to get there but I don't think you'll mind.

Modern Singapore offers world class hotels, shopping and restaurants, all of which are accessible by a Mass Rapid Transit system of over 15,000 taxis and 2,800 buses. Mass transit is quick, clean and cheap. Taxi fares are some of the lowest I've seen anywhere in the world and since everything is so condensed, it doesn't take long to get anywhere.

The shopping crown jewel of the city today is the Suntec City Shopping Mall and Office Towers located in Marina Centre. In the center of this area is the Fountain Terrace and the world's largest fountain. The multi story underground mall wraps around the fountain and offers tantalizing views of the huge display from almost every angle.

Across the fountain from the mall is the new Conrad International Hotel. This deluxe 31 story hotel offers great views of the fountain, city skyline and marina and is home to the city's newest and best restaurants. The Golden Peony Restaurant has exquisite Cantonese cuisine prepared by top chefs from Hong Kong and is on the must do list when visiting Singapore.

One of the things that impressed me the most about the Conrad was their dedication to local artists. The hotel collection of 3,400 original works is valued at over $3 million and local artists enjoy the most prominent positions. The theme is definitely Asian and each piece blends perfectly with the modern facility.

Singapore is also home to the worlds only nocturnal zoo. The Singapore Zoological Gardens offers a Night Safari. You can roam around the 40 hectares of dense secondary forest and explore wildlife in a tropical jungle at night. The subtle lighting technique allows you to view over 1000 nocturnal animals of 100 species in their natural habitats.

The bat exhibit was unforgettable. You walk through a free-range area where the bats are not caged but flying freely around the enclosure. They love to fly as close as possible to your head and you're warned not to duck since that only encourages them. I've seen lots of bats in the zoo but I've never had large fruit bats playing chicken with my head. Not for the squeamish!

If you go to the zoo during the day, be sure to arrive early enough to have breakfast with the orangutans.  Pose with them for a snapshot that's not your ordinary tourist photo.  This mother and baby was quite popular and everyone lined up for the photo op.

Dining in Singapore runs the full gamut.   Everything from five star to fast food is available in each of the distinct cultures.  Throw in the American fast food giants and there's something for every palate.  Of course, some of the delicacies might be a little strange to the non-Asian diner.  The Pig's Organ Soup stall at Kpoi Tian, one of Singapore's largest indoor food courts, wasn't doing too much business for breakfast the day I was there. 

Geographically, Singapore is a group of about 60 islands found at the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. The climate is equatorial and is subject to seasonal monsoons. The total landmass is only 647 square kilometers (250 miles) with the majority of that being on the island of Singapore. This small area is home to almost 4 million Chinese, Malays and Indians that constitute 99% of the population. That means a population density of over 6,000 people per square kilometer insures Singapore will remain a multi cultural melting pot.

For More Information:
Singapore Tourism Board http://www.newasia-singapore.com   http://www.singapore.com

For Travel to Singapore
Malaysia Airlines
http://www.malaysiaair.com/