Compass Whistlethe musings of two whirled travelers

I expected Singapore to be much cleaner.  After years of reading about how clean and modern Singapore is, I had expected a city-state that resembled more of a hospital ward than the bubble and pop of a 5-million person melting pot. To be fair, our initial interaction with the city-state was the Changi International Airport, a hyper-modern, world-class travel hub that makes getting into the downtown area almost as easy as collecting luggage from the carousel. This airport and much of the CBD is just as pristine as everyone claims. But when we arrived in Little India, location of our hotel, the hot, sweaty air filled our noses with an exotic mix of diesel fumes and curry spices. Trash littered the street and, yes, the remnants of illicit bubble gum marked the sidewalk. The sudden change from the air-conditioned, driverless train of the subway assured us that we were, officially, in Asia.

Eating Chili Crab for the first time

Singapore is a great introduction to the in-your-face mass of humanity that is Southeast Asia.  It provides a rich mix of cultures while allowing for quick escape into the sterilized, air-conditioned safety of the western world when a break is required.  The city-state boasts some of the world’s most modern hotels, entertainment and shopping while also providing vibrant cultural districts with markets bustling with vendors and shoppers.  In Singapore, you can buy a SG$3 meal at a hawker stall that will fill you up and leave your wallet and stomach full, or you can spend hundreds of dollars(or more!) in fine-dining establishments enjoying the world’s finest delicacies.  You can buy a cheesy Merlion T-shirt in Chinatown for SG$5 or you can break the bank shopping at Prada and Louis Vuitton in Singapore’s world-famous shopping malls.  You can sleep cheap in Little India or you can max out your credit card to stay at the ultra-modern Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino.  Singapore offers visitors the opportunity to experience Asia at their own pace.

In fact, it might almost be possible to visit Singapore without ever leaving the air conditioning.  Many of the Orchard Road shopping malls and much of the CBD is connected underground by food courts and multi-level shopping districts making it possible for residents and visitors to efficiently arrive at their destinations without having to set foot in the heat of the city above. (Sitting just 1.4 degrees north of the equator, Singapore is always hot).  But seeing Singapore from underground would be to miss the best parts of one of the world’s liveliest and most exciting cities.  Some of the highlights of our visit included:

• The Merlion: This designed-by-committee monument is a must-see.  The 28-foot half-lion, half-mermaid statue symbolizes the power and commerce of the water-oriented Lion City and spews a constant torrent of water from its mouth.  The city has built a small pier that makes getting a photo in front of the statue possible, but be prepared for crowds at almost any time of the day or night.  Also be sure to check out the Mercub, a four-foot miniature of the Merlion just a few steps away that makes for some fun photo opportunities.  This park is a great place to take stunning photographs of the iconic three towers of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.
  

  Good thing we didn’t read this before we left

• Chinatown: When 70% of a city’s population is ethnically Chinese, it’s difficult to segment a particular area of the city as “Chinatown.”  However the historical importance of the district as the location for Chinese workers during Thomas Stamford Raffles’ tenure as Singapore governor while it was a British territory makes this Chinatown one of the oldest in the world.  There is cheap shopping and eating to be had here.  The Chinatown Heritage Centre is well worth the entry fee and shouldn’t be missed for its realistic recreation of a mid-20th century shophouse. The existing modern facade of Singapore belies the fact that people were living in tenement conditions as recent as the 1960s.  Also be sure to visit the Maxwell Food Centre to taste some of the best (and cheapest) hawker stall food in Singapore.
• Little India: Try to visit on a Sunday evening when half-a-million residents pour onto the streets for their day off to eat, drink, shop and socialize.  You’ll feel like you’re walking through the streets of Delhi.  Also, Mustafa’s is a department store where you can buy a computer hard drive, an umbrella, high-end camera equipment and hair clippers all in the same visit (we did!).  No need to bargain here as the prices are fixed.  Electronics cost the same or slightly less than at home, but quality is good with recognizable name brands.  Other goods are inexpensive but quality varies.
• Botanic Gardens: A wonderful green space to escape the craziness of the city around you.  Large enough to spend several days exploring if you love plants.  The National Orchid Garden requires an entrance fee, but is worth a visit just for the air-conditioned “Coolhouse” where you can get some relief from the relentless heat and explore the botanic delights of tropical highland forests at the same time.
• Asian Civilisations Museum: An expansive museum that covers the history of much of Southeast Asia, with an obviously Singapore-oriented focus.  There are many interesting exhibits including one about the Clean River Program in the 1980s to clean up the riverfront and another that follows the life of a Chinese businessman via his passports from the 1920s through the 1940s.  The exhibits about other Asian countries are also quite large, and you will need more than a few hours to navigate the entire museum.  Admission is discounted on Friday evenings after 7 P.M.
• Marina Bay Sands Casino: If you’re a gambling man, this new and modern casino is the place to spend time and money.  There are free drinks here for gamblers. Bring your passport as you will need it to get in.  Also, this is one of the only times in Asia you, as a foreigner, will not have to pay to get into a point of interest while locals must.
• Orchard Road: World-famous center of shopping glitz and glam, however those on a budget will be hard-pressed to find much they can afford here.  Window shopping in the air-conditioned malls is free, however.  We were initially shocked at how many of the stores were dedicated to selling winter jackets, fur coats and Ugg Boots but the explanation came in the large percentage of shoppers speaking Russian, Japanese or German.
  

  Is this the beginning of squat toilets?!

• Singapore’s Public Transport: There are taxis everywhere, but why use them?  The outstanding, efficient and blessedly air-conditioned subways will get you just about everywhere you need to go.  And many sites connect directly with the subway stations via air-conditioned underground shopping malls.  If you think you’re going to be in Singapore more than a few days, it’s probably worth spending the money to get the EZ-Link card which gives you a discount on train trips. You spend SG$12 up front, of which SG$5 is the non-refundable cost of the card.  You can add money to the card to avoid queueing for individual tickets and the card can be used for other services like buying food or even shopping at certain locations that accept it.