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SINGAPORE - THE LION GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
Singapore – the last stop on my Grand Tour of the East – is a city whose name originates from the native Malay name “Singapura,” which translates to “Lion City.” How appropriate for this powerhouse of a city which continues to go from strength to strength.
Singapore - The Grandest Emporium of the Far East
In the winter of 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles arrived at the island of Singapura, accompanied by colleagues from the British East India Company. Raffles took one look at this then humble island and immediately saw the huge potential to exploit its geographical position at the tip of the Malay Peninsula and deep natural harbour and turn Singapura into the “Grandest Emporium of the Far East”.
By 1824, the entire island was ceded to Britain and a shrewd policy of establishing a free trade port ensured that Singapore quickly gained prominence as a colonial capital accepting goods from China, Arabia and Europe. By the beginning of the 20th century, Singapore was the most important port in Asia with an immense wealth which was invested not only in its grand colonial buildings but also to create elegant parks and open spaces.
A River Cruise is the perfect way to take in all the major sights of the city. In 40 minutes, you will have as many photos as you need of the main attractions, which leaves you free just to enjoy the rest of your stay!
Marvel at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, complete with its rooftop infinity pool (guests only!). Admire The Merlion – a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Gaze at the Singapore Flyer, which initially rotated counter-clockwise, but after advice from Feng Shui masters, was reconfigured to rotate clockwise instead in order to bring Singapore better luck. If you have time for lunch after your river cruise, I can recommend the buffet at the historic Fullerton Hotel.
Singapore - The Garden City
Singapore achieved full independence from the British Empire in 1965 after initially joining the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. It has always been famous as a verdant, green and leafy city. The British colonial government established a Botanical Garden in the city in 1859 (as they did in other colonial cities). Post independence, urban planners ensured that green space grew in tandem with the buildings. Orchard Road – one of the main shopping streets with more than 5000 stores – was originally orchards, but even today remains green and leafy.
The magnificent Gardens by the Bay was inaugurated in 2010. Built on reclaimed land, it added 100 hectares of green space to a new downtown area. Allow plenty of time for your visit – there is just so much to see there. If you visit by day, then return at night for a completely different perspective. Take time to explore the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest and whatever exhibition is currently being staged (they change frequently). Masses of tulips took centre stage when we visited. Be sure not to miss the incredible miniature orchid section where you can see these incredible little plants up close thanks to carefully positioned magnifying glasses built into the display. An amazing sight – arguably even better than seeing the plants in their natural habitat.
Also look out for David Chihuly‘s glass sculpture which has now taken up residence at the Gardens by the Bay after the exhibition of the artist’s work there in 2021. If you like David Chihuly‘s work, a great place to see it is Seattle.
Singapore - As Harmonious Today as it Has Always Been
Singapore has always prided itself on being a multi-ethnic city. From the early days, the indigenous East Indies Malay people welcomed European settlers, ambitious Chinese entrepreneurs seeking freedom to accumulate wealth and Indians – of all creeds. Catholic churches rubbed shoulders with Hindu temples, Chinese temples and a Jewish synagogue.
Singapore today is as culturally rich and tolerant of all creeds and colours as it has always been – it is indeed a truly harmonious city. Public transport is given a very high priority to minimise congestion and pollution. It is easy to access, clean, efficient and frequent. Tourist passes can be bought on Simply Go. Cars are taxed heavily to encourage everyone to use public transport – and it works! Great efforts have been made to provide public housing for everyone who needs it. It may be tiny – but it is a roof over your head!
Singapore - Good to Know Before You Go
For a tolerant city where freedom is generally highly respected, it is something of a paradox that Singapore has so many rules and regulations. Maybe this is what keeps the city looking and feeling so good. Some of them may take you back a little though, so I think it is worth setting them out here so you are “in the know” before you go, because they carry surprisingly stiff sentences.
- No Importing or Selling Chewing Gum. Penalty for selling up to $2,000 and for Importing up to $100,000 or imprisonment up to 2 years.
- No Walking Around Naked in Your Home– it is regarded as obscene or even pronography. Penalty for breach up to $2,000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months.
- Don’t Feed the Pigeons. This one is designed to control pests and diseases and keep public spaces clean. Penalty for breach up to $10,000.
- No spitting – Penalty for breach up to $2,000 or public service.
- No littering – Penalty for breach up to $2,000 or public service, which may involve you cleaning the streets wearing a bib that says “I am a litterer”.
- No jaywalking – Penalty for breach up to $500. You had better take this one seriously and cross only on the designated pedestrian crossings – there are undercover agents in place to enforce this law.
- No drugs – Penalty for breach up to $20,000 fine, caning and even the death penalty. If you have consumed drugs legally in another country and still have traces on you, you may well be considered a drug trafficker and treated accordingly.
- Don’t connect to someone else’s WiFi. Penalty for breach up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 3 years. It is regarded as hacking in Singapore.
- No Smoking in Public Places. Penalty for breach up to $1,000. This includes E-cigarettes.
- Don’t eat or drink on public transport. Penalty for breach up to $500.
- No Graffiti. Penalty for breach up to $2,000, caning and up to 3 years imprisonment.
- Do flush the toilet. Penalty for breach up to $1,000. Goodness knows how they enforce this one?!
- Don’t Urinate in Elevators. Penalty for breach up to $1,000. There are sensors in the lifts that can detect urine, so if you fall foul of this law, expect the doors to lock on you and wait until the police arrive. You are unlikely to breach this one – but it is interesting to know that public hygiene is take this seriously in Singapore?
- Don’t drink alcohol in public spaces between 10.30 pm and 7am. Bars and restaurants will serve you until midnight – but don’t take it outside or you risk a penalty of a fine and imprisonment for up to 3 months.
- Don’t sing offensive songs in public. Penalty for breach a fine and imprisonment for up to 3 months.
- Don’t let your dog cause a nuisance to other people. Penalty for breach is a fine up to $5,000. I really like this law!
- Don’t obstruct the traffic. Penalty for breach is a fine up to $5,000. This includes playing ball games in the street and flying kites.
- Same Sex marriage is still illegal in Singapore.
- Suicide is still illegal in Singapore.
- Last – but definitely not least – however delightful you find staying in Singapore is, DO NOT OVERSTAY YOUR VISA! The penalties for breach are hefty and you may face a caning as well.
Singapore - The Lion Goes from Strength to Strength
Singapore aims to be self-sufficient for its nutritional needs by 2030 and is going to great lengths to be creative about how it achieves that. One of Singapore‘s main challenges is water provision – it still remains dependant on Malaysia for that. It is “work in progress’ at the moment, but desalination and prevention of leaks are being taken very seriously here and there is a collective will to succeed.
You can tell you are in a city that is prospering when you enter Jewel Changi Airport which has the HSBC Rain Vortex Waterfall running right thorough its centre. The waterfall originates from the glass oculus on the concave roof of the building and drops 7 storeys down to the basement, where the catchment area is. If you have a few hours to kill before a flight, you will have no problem finding something to do at Singapore Airport!
My Grand Tour of The East Comes to an End
I have been travelling for a month now through the Far East and Singapore is the end of my road. I have learned so much and have a whole new appreciation for what the West can learn from the East.
We travelled with Silversea – see links to earlier posts below. Travelling by ship made visiting Japan very doable in just 2 weeks because it is a country made up of islands surrounded by water and all the main cities are easily accessible from the coast. If you made a land trip to Japan, you would have to spend quite a bit of your precious holiday time packing and unpacking, trying to decipher Japanese signs and waiting at stations for your connecting train. Travelling by ship took all that hassle away. We unpacked just once, hopped on shuttle buses whenever we wanted to visit tourist sights and were looked after in Silversea’s customary luxurious style en route.
Combining two cruises back to back enabled us to travel back through Asia too which added a lot of interest to the trip for me at a very economical price. Wherever we could, we opted for “explore on your own” land excursions which meant we had all the freedom of travelling independently, but without any of the hassles.
Japan is a country to which I would love to return one day, but I feel I have seen enough of it now for a return trip to be quite a way down my bucket list now. Singapore is also a place I would like to revisit one day – perhaps as a stopover en route to exploring a little more of Asia. I never did get to sample a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel, so I will just HAVE to go back one day?!
For now though, it is time to settle into what promises to be a lovely Summer back home and reflect on all I have experienced in my first venture into the Far East.
Travelling broadens the mind, so they say – well it works for me. I am reminded of one of my favourite poems about travel, remembering that the journey is as important as the destination. Here is Ithaca – by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy -so beautifully read by Sean Connery. Happy Travelling – until we meet again …
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