At the beginning of this year we went to Southeast Asia; within the metropolises of Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur that have been on my “target list” already since a long time.  SINGAPORE in particular.  Known in Germany as a rich mega-metropolis, international financial center and not least famous for the hotel of superlatives, the Marina Bay Sands (click here for the article).

The city itself lives up to its reputation.  It comes across as clean, huge, young and modern, with a skyline that at first glance impresses with its architectural diversity.  I was spontaneously reminded of Dubai and Monaco.  Not only because it is so strikingly clean and cameras hang everywhere, but also because both also belong to the metropolises that grow upwards and into the sea.

In order to get an overview of the 2.5 days that we had planned for Singapore, we started the morning with the yellow route on the panorama deck of the Big Bus (ticket price per adult / day: 47 Singapore dollars. Do you live in  Marina Bay Sands you get another day for free you get the voucher in the MBS at the concierge).  The subtropical wind grabs you in a warm moisture that quickly covers the skin and grows the joy to the next shower.  The regular short showers that are common at this time of year give come on top.

Click on the map to go directly to the Big Bus homepage

 

With undisturbed joy we let ourselves be chauffeured “sticky” through the “inner circle” of the 5.7 million metropolis and enjoyed the view of the streets, the countless high towers and the many sights at temperatures around 30°. The audio guide in our ears could tell more to my taste, but it does leave interesting information, which I structure, summarize and add as follows:

Population

Total population around 5.7 million plus an estimated 1.5 million guest workers (are not statistically recorded  or not published).  Of which approx.  77% Chinese, 14% Malays, 8% Indians and 1.5% others.

Religions and Holidays

I believe it makes no sense at this point to list the individual religions and beliefs in their percentage distribution.  Important is, that they can all be lived in absolutely peaceful coexistence, equality and with mutual respect.  The numerous “places of worship” are testimony to this. Regardless of whether Hindu or Buddhist temple, Islamic mosque or church – everyone can take their own space for their own religion. Equal rights are therefore also the distribution of religious holidays that take into account all common religions.

History

The friendly voice from the Audio Guide mentions Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) from time to time, because the statesman is considered the founder of modern Singapore, and the noble Raffles Hotel, which was built in 1887, is named after him. The British researcher with visions had set his sights on turning the once poor island state, which once counted five hundred villagers, into a modern, lively city with a free port. No wonder: today Singapore Port is the world’s most important container handling center.

Considered to be visited

The 4 routes (yellow, red, green, blue) of the Big Bus bring you along all important places. We have often chosen the hop-off, hop-on option and walked through the streets.  Chinatown and Little India as well as the shopping street >Orchard Rd.< are particularly recommended.

The numerous temples, mosques and churches are also worth seeing.

If you don’t want to eat expensive, the food courts are good and cheap (around 20 EUR for 2 people including drinks).  One of the best can be found in the basement of Marina Bay Sands.  In the evening, don’t miss the light and water show in front of Marina Bay Sands.  From the opposite Merlion Park (with the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore) you have a wonderful view of the 15-minute show, which takes place every evening at 8:00 p.m. 

To the left over the Helix Bridge (it is supposed to emulate a DNA strand),

you can then experience even more light spectacles (daily at 7.45pm and 8.45pm) in the Gardens by the Bay.  This 101-hectare, heaped-up, futuristic-looking park with its huge supertrees is not only a feast for the eyes at night.  What I worry about with all the greenery and the numerous man-made gardens is that there are very few insects around.  Not that I missed the mosquitos, but I didn’t see butterflies and bees either.  And so the perception stayed with a few reddish ants, which seemed to me very little for the subtropical climate.

The changing play of colors underlaid with classical music is extremely fascinating and is one of the impressions that you will not forget.

A ride with the Singapore Flyer (Ferris wheel) is certainly an experience, but we couldn‘t due to technical reasons.

Finally, one last tip: Be sure to visit the building directly opposite Terminal 1 before departing from Singapore Airport.  It bears the name Jewel and is actually a jewel.  Inside, in addition to shopping, a waterfall awaits you, which falls down through the roof structure and a huge garden / park area on the upper floor with a number of attractions.

To sum up: Singapore impresses enormously in many ways and those who have not been there still have a wonderful travel destination ahead. To get more information about Singapore and especially about the entry requirements, read my next post Singa-pure Inside.

Don’t miss a “Singapore Sling” – you have to taste that longdrink known all over the world. The receipt you find in my Post >The Marina Bay Sands<.
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