South East Asia has always been renowned as a tourism destination with almost every country promoting their brand in their own unique ways and Singapore is no exception. Singapore is a hotly contested location for job seekers and tourists alike, but what can you expect when you get there? Read on and find out…
A little about Singapore
Singapore is an island nation made up of 63 small islands (most of which are uninhabitable) and lies south of Malaysia. The English name Singapore is derived from its Sanskrit roots – Singh Pur, meaning Lion City which is aptly reflected in the country’s Coat of Arms and National Symbol both of which depict Lions. The population of Singapore is a diverse mix of Chinese (63%), Malay and Indians.
Singapore is a leader in certain industries; it is the world’s 4th largest financial center, it has significant experience in oil refining, it is the second largest gambling destination and is a major ship repair center. As a country, Singapore is highly developed and has the largest percentage of millionaires against its population in the world. It also boasts of a GDP of 327.5 billion and a per capita income of $61,046 (meaning on an average, a Singapore resident makes $61,000 in a year).
Getting around in Singapore
Traveling within Singapore is fast and cheap; the place has one of the world’s best public transport facilities; the Mass Rapid Transport Train System (MRT) as
it is known there covers the entire island and can get you to almost any place fairly quickly. You can purchase an EZ Link Card which are stored value cards; and redeem the stored credit in a card for a train or bus ride within Singapore. These cards can be easily topped-up at MRT/Bus stations, AXS stations (Multipurpose transaction terminals), ATMs and Seven Eleven convenience stores. Most cards are sold at a value of S$ 12 with S$ 5 being the cost of the card and S$ 7 being preloaded in it.
Taxis are also an option if you are in a hurry. Taxicabs as they are known in Singapore are metered and charge on a per kilometer basis.
Sights and Sound of Singapore
Singapore’s tagline is “Uniquely Singapore” and it truly represents a unique blend of diversity in life that the nation is built on. You can go shopping in Marina Bay, Little India, China Town, Geylang Sarai and Orchard Road. The locations are filled with malls, hotels, restaurants and shopping lanes offering an endless variety of shopping and dining experiences. The Singapore Tourism Board holds the Great Singapore Sale every year which is a haven for bargain shoppers.
Singapore also has a variety of sightseeing and amusement destinations, including Sentosa Island which offers recreational facilities, a laser light show and an underwater world which showcases marine life. Other major attractions of Singapore are the Zoo and Night Safari. Singapore’s Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in Asia and is designed in an open style where animals have more space to roam around. The Singapore Botanical Garden is also a place you can check out if botany interests you. The garden is spread out over 52 hectares and has over 3,000 types of different orchids.
Finally we have Singapore’s nightlife which is said to rank in the top 5 in the world. Two of Singapore’s most prominent nightlife avenues are Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. Boat Quay is located upstream on the Singapore River’s mouth while Clarke Quay is situated a little further up. Both the places have fantastic bars, pubs, discos and restaurants for you to sample.
While Singapore is one of the best places that you can visit, it is also more expensive than most other tourism destinations in South East Asia. Having said that, it is definitely worth going their once just to see the raw variety of life that you can find. Such a large number of different ethnicities have created a very unique culture which is hard to find anywhere else. Singapore truly is unique in every sense!
Team DainikDisha