Continent: Asia
Official Languages: Malay, English, Tamil, and Singaporean Mandarin
Population: 6.037 Million (2024)
About: Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. Its territory comprises a main island, over 60 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet.
My Visit: I spent 5 days in Singapore at the Voco Orchard Singapore hotel. Orchard Road is one of Singapore’s premier shopping and entertainment areas (approximately 2.5 miles), featuring luxury boutiques, department stores, and a lot of dining options. The mall and train station were about a 3 minute walk from the hotel.
The city had a hop on/off bus for sightseeing, which had a stop across the street from the hotel. The full loop of the route was about 90 minutes. We rode past the Gardens by the Bay, the botanical gardens, museums, Chinatown and Little India.
During my stay, I visited the Gardens by the Bay for the nighttime light show. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleased and glad I made the trip back. After the show, there were so many people waiting for their Grab taxi (Uber doesn’t operate in Singapore). When I ordered my Grab taxi, I think the time of arrival was about 20 minutes due to the congested line with all the other taxis. It seemed chaotic but security had control of the area and kept the flow of taxis moving.
On another day, I spent some time in Chinatown after having lunch at the Maxwell Food Center. The food center is where street vendors and hawkers sell their food. This particular center has a selection of 100 top hawker stalls (as per Google). I chose to buy lunch from one of the vendors that had a long line. There were several with long lines and several with either no one or a very short line. My thought process was correct, and my food choice was very tasty. The atmosphere was crowded and loud, and none of that matters when you’re hungry.
I didn’t get a chance to visit Little India but a couple I met in the lounge mentioned that it was definitely worth a visit.
Singapore is a city with a lot of skyscrapers and some that are unique. The country is also an expensive one. I called it the Switzerland of Southeast Asia; however, Switzerland is the most expensive country in the world.
The city also has some unique rules that you should be aware of when visiting. Singapore lawfully requires order and cleanliness from all its citizens. The country enforces strict measures against practices such as jaywalking, smoking in public places, littering and eating in the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). And believe it or not, selling or importing gum and not flushing the toilet are illegal too. If you are caught doing any one of these things, you may get stuck with a hefty fine or even face arrest.
A visit to Singapore would feel more like home (United States) than any other Asian country.
