During my six week winter break, I decided to surprise my grandparents in Mumbai, India. But en route, I had to take a 17 hour flight to Singapore and then head over to Mumbai. So I stopped in Singapore for three days. Here are some snapshots of my 72 hour experience in Singapore and six reasons why you need to go there at least once in your life.
1. The food is phenomenal
Laksa Soup (above) and Chili Crab, Shrimp Curry, Rice, Bread w/ Coconut Water, in Jumbo Seafood Restaurant (below)
2. It’s the cleanest city in the world
Singapore is a “fine” city, meaning they will fine you if you do any of the following: chew gum ($1000 fine), go fishing ($250 fine), urinate in an elevator ($500 fine), feed a monkey ($250 fine), smoke a cigarette ($1000 fine), catch a bird ($500 fine), spit on the road ($1000 fine), litter ($1000 fine), have pets or animals ($500 fine), drink alcohol in the streets from 10:30 PM to 7 AM ($1000 fine). I got this information from the back of a keychain, so not all of it is true.. but it is the cleanest city in the world so I mean..
3. It’s one of the most diverse Asian cities
Singapore is a very multiracial city. Various Chinese linguistic groups form about 75.2% of the Singaporean residents. Malays are about 13.6%, Indians are about 8.8%, while Eurasians, Arabs and other groups form about 2.4%. The official languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. However, most locals just engage in an accented version of English called, “Singlish”.
4. It has an amazing nightlife
In Singapore, you can spend your day in it’s efficient financial and business districts and spend your nights in a plethora of clubs and bars. A little alcohol and some great tracks on the set can get an entire crowd going wild along Orchard Road and the lineup of bars and clubs in Clarke Quay. A sight to see and a big part of the Singaporean culture indeed.
Singapore's Financial District and the small house-like buildings below are the lineup of clubs, bars and restaurants.
5. Singapore has a rich history
Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles and was declared a British Colony. I made my way to the Singapore’s famous Raffles Hotel and had a sip of the “Singapore Sling”, a famous and old timer’s drink. Thus, as you make your way through the city, you’ll run across old British plantations that have been preserved over the years. You’ll surely encounter street names such as “Queens Street” that were established during the time of the British. The British Colony of Singapore became the Republic of Singapore in August of 1965. Fun Fact: the capital of Singapore is Singapore and they only have one city in the country… Singapore.
(Raffles Hotel and the famous Tiffin Room inside the Raffles Hotel)
6. It has great public transportation and Butterfly Garden in the airport
This is just a personal favorite. I plugged in my earphones, grabbed my camera and just walked around Singapore for two hours taking pictures and taking the city in. Something I noticed and used was the vastly connected transportation around the city. The “Underpass” in Singapore (also known as the “Subway” in the United States) is clean, cheap and very efficient. There are taxis available all throughout the city and are extremely safe. ALSO! In Changi Airport, there is an entire garden inside the airport dedicated to butterflies. Apparently, there’s a movie theatre in there too. Long layovers? No problem.
(Butterfly Garden, Changi Airport)
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