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Singapore RiverHighlights
Raffles Hotel Orchard Road Little India Chinese Quarter Singapore River Sentosa Zoo
A travel report:
Singapore is an independent, very modern city-state, situated only 140 km from the equator, neighboured to Malaysia and Indonesia. People are at 70 % from Chinese descent, others are Malayan, Indian and European.
It is the nice place for a transit rest for one or several days.Singapore has one of the world's lowest criminal rate (but one of the world's highest chance to get legally murdered (see below).
The success story of Singapore
Singapore's success story is closely tied with the first premier minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was ruling Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He was always following a pragmatic way and always tried to support the economic and social prosperity and the political stability of Singapore. Ethical and social impeccable behaviour was demanded. The essential guidelines were the equal opportunities, the performance principle and the integration of all ethnic groups. Corruption was combated and never widespread in Singapore. The way of reign was authoritarian, opposition was not tolerated. The country was ruled like a big company. The prospering factor was also that even the education of the poor was promoted; it was long time the second largest share of the national budget.to top My reason for a stay
I had one day stop over in Singapore, when I was flying to Denpasar/Indonesia. My plane was scheduled to arrive in 5 pm and leaving at 11 pm the next day. The travel agency in Germany, where I booked my flight to Bali offered me a hotel room for 68 Euro in a four star hotel, he claimed that backpackers in Singapore are not good, but I really don't need a four star hotel for sleeping alone only for some hours. And I wasn't as afraid as before my stop-over in Taipei last year, where I had a really good day. And in Singapore this good day happened for the second time.Finding a stay
The first thing I had to look for was a room for the night. I surfed in the Internet to the link visitsingapore.com and found a thread for accommodation. Rooms were listed in price categories. When you go to the budget price category you find among others some backpacker hostels with links. I narrowed down the choice to three backpackers. All have clearly-presented homepages, where you find the location, the room prices and what they offer. Have you ever try to book a room in Italy? I mailed to one of them, which was central situated with the name Buggis Backpackers. After three hours I had a confirmation for the reservation of my room, with a clear description how to find the backpacker. They don't ask my credit card number or transferring money, just come and pay.
I bought a travel guide and didn't worry anymore.to top
Arriving there
The airport was very modern and clearly structured. There are information desks and free maps for town. EU-citizen only need a vaild passport for entry. No entry or return fees were levied.
Changing Money
was possible at the airport to a fair exchange rate, which was the same in town. Dollars or Euro were rechanged with a slight reduction only. In town there were some licensed moneychangers at Orchard Road, who changed money to legal determined conditions, no commission was charged.1 $ Singapore ($ Sing) = 0,50 Euro ( Dec. 04 )Going by Metro
I had to take a free airport tram to another terminal from where the Metro started to town every 20 minutes.
The Singapore Metro was modern, quick and cheap. Fares range from 0,80 $ to 1,80 $ Sing (in 2005), which was shown by pressing your stop on a map. I had to put 2,50 $ Sing in the ticket machine for going to the center and got an electronic ticket with chip. At the station an electronic board displays the time to the next metro. Don't throw your ticket away, because you get 1 $ Sing refund for it, when you put it in the ticket machine leaving the metro.The trip to the center took 45 minutes. I had to change the metro at the second station. The other metro was going from the opposite platform. While driving the metro, in the suburbs you see high-rise blocks of flats, where 70 % of the 3 Mio Singapore people are living. Place is limited in Singapore, so city designers built these blocks of flats. Today Singapore do some effort to improve its architecture.
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Accommodation
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My backpacker was just across the road of the exit of Buggis Metro Station. I had expected a single standing building, but it was only a floor in a house that was integrated in a complex building. The entrance was up to a narrow and bare stairwell and difficult to find. The staff was very friendly and helpful. There were two (one for women and men) barren dormitories with many simple beds but with comfortable mattress, a kitchen, where you take your breakfast, some showers and toilets and a day room with TV, journals and Internet. The price with breakfast was only 20 $ Sing (10 Euro) you have to pay in advance. If you only want a bed and don't mind sleeping with any others in a dormitory. The backpacker is situated near the quarter "Little India" and all sights are in reach by walking.Hostels: Buggis Backpackers, betelbox.com, atravellerstreststop.com.sg, singapore-guesthouse.com,
more Hotels look at visitsingapore.com,
Sightseeing
I took a trip to Orchard Road in the evening and went to the Raffles Hotel first
Raffles Hotel raffles.com.
The first Hotel address in Singapore. Many celebrities have slept here. The price for rooms started from 700 $ Sing per nightRaffles Hotel
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Stamford Raffle ( 1781-1826) and Singapore's history
Stamford Raffle was the founder of Singapore.
At first he was a simple clerk of the British East India Company. The British East Indian Company was representing the British colonial interests in South East Asia and was competing with the Netherlands East India company. Raffles was appointed assistant to the chief secretary of Penang/Malaysia and sent there. He started to study the Malayan culture and nature, learned their language as one of few Europeans and was quickly climbing up the career ladder. He was appointed to chief secretary of Penang and snapped Java from the Netherlands. He was raised to the peerage for that, but blamed for his efforts for better working and living condition of the indigenous Malayan people. After Britain had lost its trading post in Malacca (Java) to the Netherlands, Stamford was looking for another setting up and his choice was the deserted island Singapora, where only some fishermen were living in a small village. At the 6.February 1819 he signed a treaty for a trading harbour with the local administration there. He lived in Bencoolen/Indonesia and lived only for some times in Singapore. It was his idea to create different quarters for the Europeans, Malayans and other races, but he founded also the Singapore Institution that offered Malayans the access to European education and the Europeans the understanding of Malayan culture.
Raffles botanical collections and scientific were all destroyed by a fire on a ship during the trip from Europe. He died in London.Singapore achieved British colonial status in 1861 and was getting more and more an important trading center in this area and the harbour was extended. In the Second World War Singapore was occupied by Japanese troops, which run a terrorizing reign. After the defeat of Japan, Singapore was again under British administration and achieved self-government in 1959, but the foreign and security policy remained under British control. Singapore acceded then under a federation with Malaysia, but separated in 1965.
The independent Republic of Singapore was declared at 9.August 1965. Singapore is member of the Nato and the Commonwealth.Famous is the cocktail Singapore Sling, a cocktail that was invented there.
Singapore Sling
5cl gin, 3 cl pineapple juice, 1 cl lemon, some Angostura Bitter, Benedicte,
Cointreau, Peter Heering, shaked in a shaker with ice and served in a long
drink glass with ice cubes and soda, decorated with fruits.Orchard Road
Orchard road is the shopping boulevard of Singapore, which can stand easily with the Champs Elysee in Paris and the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. Umpteen shopping centers are lined up like a pearl necklace.Orchard Road
Shopping center
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Second day
The next morning I took a breakfast in one of the many food courts. I ate Kaya Toast with coffee (see below) and read the thick newspaper "Strait-times", which had very interesting and thoroughly recherched articles. It wasn't restricet only to Singapore contrare to most of the Philippine or US newspapers, which are restricted only to their country.
Little India
After that I walked through the quarter little India. Singapore's Indian population were living here for a long time. The quarter was spared for times being torn down for modern buildings and therefore remained intact. Now the attitude has changed, the old historic buildings were preserved and renovated. Today only the facade is old, the houses are mostly luxury apartments and not only Indian people are living there. There are many Indian shops, whichsell cheap clothes, Indian articles, herbs and junk.Have a look in the Hindu Sri Sinivasa Perumal Temple, it is Disney-like rich figured with deities from the Hindu mythology. Nearby is the Buddhist temple of 1000 Lights with a big new Buddha statue.Little India
click on to enlargeYou can eat there some Indian food, but it is sold elsewhere in Singapore.Hindu Sri Sinivasa Perumal temple
click on to enlargeSingapore Food
Singapore is the Mecca for those, who like Asian food. In every quarter you find (hawkers) food corners, where you have the choice between Chinese, Malayan, Indian or other food. Meals started from 4 Sing $ and I hardly ate so well and differently to such reasonable prices on one day than in Singapore. Hawker stalls (Hawkers) were originally mobile cooking facilities for selling food on the street. Nowadays they have a fixed place in the many hawker centres of Singapore. Today you also find air-conditioned food courts, which feature a range of different stalls selling different kind of food in shopping malls, official buildings and in big shopping centers.Food corner
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Beer and alcohol is rather expensive in Singapore, a small jug of beer started from 8-12 $ Sing in a cheaper pub.
Soft drinks and fruit juice are in comparison very inexpensive (1-2 $ Sing).to top
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The Chinese Quarter
The former dilapidated ancient Chinese quarter was almost torn down in the seventies, but some buildings were saved and affectionately restaurated. There is hardly any exotic flair, but anyhow very touristy. Some hawkers, which were previously banned, are now the attractions of the quarters for selling Singapore food.Chinese Quarter
click on to enlargeIn Chinatown is worth a visit the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple and the Daoist Thiang Hock Keng Temple, which is the eldest temple in town. Next to these temples is also an unpretentious mosque.Thiang Hock Keng Temple
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Singapore River
Riverside Promenade
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There is a beautiful riverside promenade (Boat/Clark Quay), which pass the skyscrapers from the financial district. You will meat "People of the River" Sculptures, which depict scenes from the history of Singapore River. From the end of the Boat Quay (Clarke Quay) you have a superb view to the skyscrapers of the financial district (see photo on top). There are many restaurants and pubs on the promenade, where you can sit outside in a beer garden for dining or drinking with nice views to the river and its seven bridges.Across the river is the Parliament House, the Supreme Court and the impressive Empress Place Building that is now the Asian Civilisations Museum and other noble large buildings in white with red roofs. You find there the Raffle statue, just at the Landing Site, where he should have entered Singapore's ground firstly.
From Merlion Park you have great views to the town, so to the splendid built former General Post Office Building "Fullerton House" today a grand hotel. In the park stands also the magnificant statue of the Merlion, the mythical half lion, half fish icon of Singapore.Parliament
click on to enlargeto top Crossing the river bridge you get to the Esplanade - Theatres of the Bay a new and very modern theatre complex in stunning architecture.
Legal matters
There are a lot of things forbidden on pain of punishment in Singapore:
Forgetting to flush the toilet: Fine is150 Sing. $,
Spitting out your chewing gum on the street: Fine is 1.000 $ Sing.
Pissing in the elevator: Fine 600 $ Sing (that is controlled by video cameras and many fines were actually imposed! )
and, and ... the list is longPolice is ubiquitous, friendly towards tourists, but hard, if you get caught being loutish.
The pursuit of drug traffickers is merciless. More than 15 gr heroine or more of some 100gr Marihuana and you will be executed by hanging.
The execution of Johannes van Damme
Johannes van Damme was a businessman living for some years in Singapore. He was caught after an anonym telephone call with more than 4 kg heroin at the airport that was hidden in a prepared double bottom in his suitcase. He pleaded being innocent and claimed that this was revenge from his Nigerian business partner, who had conection to the Nigerian Mafia. In fact van Damme had lived in Nigeria some years before. Some month before another Netherlands women was acquitted by more incriminating facts; she also had lived in Nigeria before, but van Damme and her didn't have known each other. Though the telephone call, his previous live and the Nigerian connection were odd and therefore exonerating circumstances (whereas the double bottom was a burden fact), he had had no chance. After the acquittal of the woman, it was time for making an example of him; to show that even foreigners were not spared from execution after getting caught red-handed with drugs. He was hanged though the Netherlands Queen Beatrix has asked for clemency for him.
Later there were some rumours that his Algerian wife had wanted to get rid of him.More luck had a German girl recently, after some hundreds of grams of Marihuana were found in her apartment. Killing that nice young lady would have been a bad image for Singapore and the down calculated quantity of drugs was suddenly enough only for a prison sentence of some years. But don't trust that they won't hang young ladies; maybe it is time for finding a female scapegoat to demonstrate that no one, even foreign women, is spared from execution, when getting caught with drugs in Singapore.
Be careful, don't deal with drugs and watch your luggage that no one can stick drugs in it !
Other things I will do next time:
Sentosa Island sentosa.com.sg
A leisure island with beaches, fun parks, food outlets and exciting attractions. You can reach it via cable car from the Mount Faber and Harbour Front center or by bus or foot across the Sentosa Causeway. The entrance is about 8 $ Sing that included the use of the monorail in the park. The attractions had to be paid, too. There is a package for 35.90 $ Sing (Children 24,90), which includes the island admission, Merlion (view point in a lions head), Sky tower, Fort Silosa (History of Singapore), Cable Car and 2 rides in the high recommended Cinemania (cinematic roller coaster). There is also a Disney like water park with water chutes (fantasy island), an Orchid garden, a fountain garden, a butterfly and insect museum, a volcano land, an aquarium (Underwaterworld).
Singapore Zoo
The Singapore Zoo is one of the world's finest. The animals are not penned in narrow cages but are shown in natural styled spaciously preserves.Attraction is the Night Safari by tram or guided tour. The admission to the Night Safari is $ 18 Sing (child 9 $ ), the tram is 6 $, the guided tour about 23 $ with meal (see free leaflat map) Link: nightsafari.com.sg
There is also a famous Bird Park in Singapore.
Some links:
newasia-singapore.com , visitsingapore.com, strait-times.com , straittimes.asia1.com (newspaper),
mail me:
What can I add? Questions? Links? Feedback, correction, news, critics, and other suggestions are welcome !!Excuse my English, thanks!
It would be kind to mail me 1-5 mistakes you found, if you think this side is helpful for your trip. Thanks!
