Conveniently linked by a kilometre-long
causeway to the southern tip of
Malaysia, the tiny city-state of
Singapore
(just 580 square kilometres) makes a
gentle gateway for many first-time
travellers to Asia, providing
Western standards of comfort and
hygiene alongside traditional
Chinese, Malay and Indian enclaves.
Its downtown areas are dense with
towering skyscrapers and gleaming
shopping malls, yet the island
retains an abundance of nature
reserves and lush, tropical
greenery.
Singapore is a wealthy nation
compared to the rest of Southeast
Asia, with an average per capita
income of over US$15,000. At the
core of this success story is an
unwritten bargain between
Singapore's paternalistic government
and acquiescent population, which
stipulates the loss of a certain
amount of personal freedom, in
return for levels of affluence and
comfort that would have seemed
unimaginable thirty years ago.
Outsiders often bridle at this, and
it's true that some of the regulations
can seem extreme: neglecting to
flush a public toilet, jaywalking,
chewing gum and eating on the subway
all carry sizeable fines. Yet the
upshot is that Singapore is a clean,
safe place to visit, its amenities
are second to none and its public
places are smoke-free and hygienic.
Of more relevance to the millions
of visitors Singapore receives each
year is the fact that improvements
in living conditions have been
shadowed by a steady loss of the
state's heritage , as
historic buildings and streets are
bulldozed to make way for shopping
centres. Singapore undoubtedly lacks
the personality of some southeast
Asian cities, but its reputation for
being sterile and sanitized is
unfair. Much of the country's
fascination springs from its multicultural
population : of the 3.87 million
inhabitants, 77 percent are Chinese
(a figure reflected in the
predominance of Chinese shops,
restaurants and temples across the
island), 14 percent are Malay, and 7
percent are Indian, the remainder
being from other ethnic groups.
The entire state is compact
enough to be explored exhaustively
in just a few days. Forming the core
of downtown Singapore is the Colonial
District , around whose public
buildings and lofty cathedral the
island's British residents used to
promenade. Each surrounding enclave
has its own distinct flavour, from
the aromatic spice stores of Little
India to the tumbledown
backstreets of Chinatown ,
where it's still possible to find
calligraphers and fortune tellers,
or the Arab Quarter , whose
cluttered stores sell fine cloths
and silks.
Beyond the city, you'll find Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve , the
splendid Singapore Zoological
Gardens , complete with night
safari tours, and the oriental
Disneyworld attractions of Haw
Par Villas . Offshore, you'll
find Sentosa , the island
amusement arcade which is linked to
the south coast by a short causeway
(and cable car), and Pulau Ubin
, off the east coast, where the
inhabitants continue to live a
traditional kampung (village)
life.
Singapore is just 136km north of
the equator, which means that you
should be prepared for a hot and
sticky time whenever you go; temperatures
hover around 30ฐC throughout the
year. November, December and January
are usually the coolest and the
wettest months, but rain can fall
all year round. July usually records
the lowest annual rainfall.
