A walk through Singapore...some pics
Discussion
When I was a youngster my mental image of Singapore was as a slow Colonial outpost, sort of Somerset Maugham place in the tropics like this:
Not like this view from my hotel room:
I occasionally get to SG on business, but it has been a few years since I last visited. The info below will be very well known by those who visit regularly, but I thought it would be helpful for someone who is new to the country.
Its a unique place… as friendly as Italy, as precise as Switzerland, as safe and honest as Japan, the best planned city in the world. Everything works here - perfectly. Traffic flows smoothly,roads are perfect, and it has the most imaginative modern architecture on earth. Some of the best very cheap and very expensive places to eat. 1 degree North of the Equator , its really, really hot. Its tiny, about 280 sq miles or so for the whole country so is about the size of Edinburgh and suburbs. Third highest per capita GDP on the planet.Just been assessed as the most powerful passport in the world in that it has the lowest amount of vast requirements from other countries.
I will dispense with the usual chewing gum/caning/drug penalty stuff. It does exist but there is virtually no crime or violence, and people are well aware of the penalties.
It is all part of a larger bargain where there are many rules, but people are free to leave if they wish.In return there is little poverty, outstanding social services and excellent education. It is a bit TOO orderly for me , I think, and the climate ( less than 100 miles from the Equator) is very tropical - you will break out in a sweat outside immediately if you are not used to it.
Yet it is a glimpse of what a planned city can achieve and a pointer into the future. It is one of the very few truly global cities on Earth, ( I can only think of two others , London and New York). There are many, many larger cities but not with the huge intersection into global commerce, and with populations that so efficiently include a constantly morphing expat community with a highly educated, future oriented citizenry. Here, there is no clinging to outdated past practices but a striving to adapt the latest useful technologies and practices.
Not like this view from my hotel room:
I occasionally get to SG on business, but it has been a few years since I last visited. The info below will be very well known by those who visit regularly, but I thought it would be helpful for someone who is new to the country.
Its a unique place… as friendly as Italy, as precise as Switzerland, as safe and honest as Japan, the best planned city in the world. Everything works here - perfectly. Traffic flows smoothly,roads are perfect, and it has the most imaginative modern architecture on earth. Some of the best very cheap and very expensive places to eat. 1 degree North of the Equator , its really, really hot. Its tiny, about 280 sq miles or so for the whole country so is about the size of Edinburgh and suburbs. Third highest per capita GDP on the planet.Just been assessed as the most powerful passport in the world in that it has the lowest amount of vast requirements from other countries.
I will dispense with the usual chewing gum/caning/drug penalty stuff. It does exist but there is virtually no crime or violence, and people are well aware of the penalties.
It is all part of a larger bargain where there are many rules, but people are free to leave if they wish.In return there is little poverty, outstanding social services and excellent education. It is a bit TOO orderly for me , I think, and the climate ( less than 100 miles from the Equator) is very tropical - you will break out in a sweat outside immediately if you are not used to it.
Yet it is a glimpse of what a planned city can achieve and a pointer into the future. It is one of the very few truly global cities on Earth, ( I can only think of two others , London and New York). There are many, many larger cities but not with the huge intersection into global commerce, and with populations that so efficiently include a constantly morphing expat community with a highly educated, future oriented citizenry. Here, there is no clinging to outdated past practices but a striving to adapt the latest useful technologies and practices.
Seeing Singapore
The entire island is only about 280 sq miles, and everything is accessible, with the downtown area walkable if you can handle the heat.
Marina Bay
The major central hub, Marina Bay, has the iconic Marina Bay Sands Complex with what looks like a ship on top. I am not sure if it open any longer to other than hotel guests, but I have been there before and am including some older pics of the amazing infinity pool, 58 floors up over
the edge of the roof.
Every evening there is a free lightshow in front of the complex…well worth a look
Gardens by the Bay
Behind the Marina Bay Sands are two enormous greenhouses.
One holds a wild variety of topical and warm weather plants, and is a fascinating place to visit. At time of visit it was featuring its
Autumn theme with may pumpkins, not one of which would likely grew in Singapore.
For those Londoners familiar with Pollen Street Social. An excellent restaurant, , there is a branch here:
The place seemed to be selfie central:
The Cloud Forest
The second greenhouse contains a rain forest, complete with a waterfall and clouds. Walkways lead up into the forest canopy. At the top there is a quite imaginative Lego flower pond.
The Sky Trees
Giant artificial trees (slightly Triffid like),are covered by natural plants and incorporate an aerial walkway from where you can see over to the port during the day.
At night the area transforms into another lightshow, also free. There are two shows every evening, about 15 minutes each,
The Financial District
This is a fairly dense area and has some nice high rises, but not really a tourist zone:
Clarkes Quay
This is a lively waterfront area in which to sit outside and have a beer, with endless variety of places. I did not visit it this time but it seems to be unchanged:
The entire island is only about 280 sq miles, and everything is accessible, with the downtown area walkable if you can handle the heat.
Marina Bay
The major central hub, Marina Bay, has the iconic Marina Bay Sands Complex with what looks like a ship on top. I am not sure if it open any longer to other than hotel guests, but I have been there before and am including some older pics of the amazing infinity pool, 58 floors up over
the edge of the roof.
Every evening there is a free lightshow in front of the complex…well worth a look
Gardens by the Bay
Behind the Marina Bay Sands are two enormous greenhouses.
One holds a wild variety of topical and warm weather plants, and is a fascinating place to visit. At time of visit it was featuring its
Autumn theme with may pumpkins, not one of which would likely grew in Singapore.
For those Londoners familiar with Pollen Street Social. An excellent restaurant, , there is a branch here:
The place seemed to be selfie central:
The Cloud Forest
The second greenhouse contains a rain forest, complete with a waterfall and clouds. Walkways lead up into the forest canopy. At the top there is a quite imaginative Lego flower pond.
The Sky Trees
Giant artificial trees (slightly Triffid like),are covered by natural plants and incorporate an aerial walkway from where you can see over to the port during the day.
At night the area transforms into another lightshow, also free. There are two shows every evening, about 15 minutes each,
The Financial District
This is a fairly dense area and has some nice high rises, but not really a tourist zone:
Clarkes Quay
This is a lively waterfront area in which to sit outside and have a beer, with endless variety of places. I did not visit it this time but it seems to be unchanged:
Edited by RDMcG on Saturday 28th October 16:39
The Neighbourhoods
As mentioned the downtown consists of a wide variety of tall buildings of very high quality.
Orchard Road is renowned for shopping and SG has stores from every major luxury organization on earth..fashion, jewellery, watches etc. I have previously visited it and if you like shopping it is world class. Not being much of a shopper I did not visit it this time.
However, there are remaining areas where the older buildings, the shop houses ( people living over their shops) and temples are still lively and populated. The most important of these are Chinatown and Little India and very good places to take a walk.
Interesting mosques
Further out
Not visited: Singapore has an excellent zoo, and a famed Night Safari as well as very nice beaches on the islands.
Orchid Centre
Near the Corner House restaurant is the worlds largest display of Orchids.. about seven acres. Very rare to see these growing in the open air as against in Greenhouses. If this is your thing then this is about as good as orchids get.
Aviary
I have always had an interest in birds. This Jurong Park aviary is huge, with many parts of it with birds flying free…huge nets high above are barely visible. Sadly, the raptors must be kept in large enclosures and looked a but miserable compared to their free flying cousins.n They have another huge artificial waterfall here and abundant dense plant life.
As mentioned the downtown consists of a wide variety of tall buildings of very high quality.
Orchard Road is renowned for shopping and SG has stores from every major luxury organization on earth..fashion, jewellery, watches etc. I have previously visited it and if you like shopping it is world class. Not being much of a shopper I did not visit it this time.
However, there are remaining areas where the older buildings, the shop houses ( people living over their shops) and temples are still lively and populated. The most important of these are Chinatown and Little India and very good places to take a walk.
Interesting mosques
Further out
Not visited: Singapore has an excellent zoo, and a famed Night Safari as well as very nice beaches on the islands.
Orchid Centre
Near the Corner House restaurant is the worlds largest display of Orchids.. about seven acres. Very rare to see these growing in the open air as against in Greenhouses. If this is your thing then this is about as good as orchids get.
Aviary
I have always had an interest in birds. This Jurong Park aviary is huge, with many parts of it with birds flying free…huge nets high above are barely visible. Sadly, the raptors must be kept in large enclosures and looked a but miserable compared to their free flying cousins.n They have another huge artificial waterfall here and abundant dense plant life.
Accommodation:
Mandarin Oriental has superb service and very good food. Great room views over Marina Bay , and a first class breakfast buffet.
On the other hand, the Fullerton Bay hotel and been misbooked by my travel agent ( should have been the Fullerton which is the senior hotel), and the room overlooked a construction site and was pounded by loud disco music, The place is mainly an event site with constant weddings, engagement parties, graduation events and so on and has the frenetic air of a package tour site. Got the room changed for something a lot better, and the facilities were fine with a nice rooftop bar.
View from room
Mandarin Oriental has superb service and very good food. Great room views over Marina Bay , and a first class breakfast buffet.
On the other hand, the Fullerton Bay hotel and been misbooked by my travel agent ( should have been the Fullerton which is the senior hotel), and the room overlooked a construction site and was pounded by loud disco music, The place is mainly an event site with constant weddings, engagement parties, graduation events and so on and has the frenetic air of a package tour site. Got the room changed for something a lot better, and the facilities were fine with a nice rooftop bar.
View from room
Dining:
There is an amazing variety of food here at widely varying price points. Singapore has long traditions of Malay,Chinese and Indian food reflecting the varying ethnicities of its population.
At the cheaper end, the Hawker Courts have incredible varieties of inexpensive food. Hygiene is absolutely impeccable here so you can eat anything. Great fun too .
Hawker Chan
One of the hawkers (Hawker Chan) made the decision to move a fraction upmarket and enclose a simple restaurant and add air conditioning. The result is the world’s cheapest restaurant to get a Michelin Star. You still line up for your food, it is still very, very cheap, and it is made to order. Hard to believe you can get a first class meal for less than $20.
At the high end the restaurants are truly world class with prices to match.
If you want a view and a great meal, then there is one table that I would rate highly;
Jaan
Jaan is on the 70th floor of the Swisshotel and over looks Marina Bay. There is one table on the right had side that has a wonderful view. The pics below from the same table about seven years ago and not show how quickly things change. Food here, continental, is excellent but like everywhere in Singapore, wine is staggeringly expensive, well over twice the price for the same wine I would get in Canada.
Corner House
If you visit the Botanical Gardens there is a restaurant in an old house that was once the home of a British administrator. Best food I ever had in Singapore. The Corner House is comfortable, a young chef by then name of Jason Tan is turning out absolutely brilliant,original,complex food. Booking here is very difficult so you need to plan for it.
WhiteGrass
Set in a former church, this downtown restaurant has an engaging Australian chef and has a very good tasting menu. In such cases the accompanying wine tasting is a much cheaper alternative to the wine lists. I did check the price of wine in a wine store, and it is not restaurant making major markups..its just the cost here. A comparable bottle of ( say ) a regular NZ Sauvignon Blanc is over twice as expensive as Canada in a store.
There is an amazing variety of food here at widely varying price points. Singapore has long traditions of Malay,Chinese and Indian food reflecting the varying ethnicities of its population.
At the cheaper end, the Hawker Courts have incredible varieties of inexpensive food. Hygiene is absolutely impeccable here so you can eat anything. Great fun too .
Hawker Chan
One of the hawkers (Hawker Chan) made the decision to move a fraction upmarket and enclose a simple restaurant and add air conditioning. The result is the world’s cheapest restaurant to get a Michelin Star. You still line up for your food, it is still very, very cheap, and it is made to order. Hard to believe you can get a first class meal for less than $20.
At the high end the restaurants are truly world class with prices to match.
If you want a view and a great meal, then there is one table that I would rate highly;
Jaan
Jaan is on the 70th floor of the Swisshotel and over looks Marina Bay. There is one table on the right had side that has a wonderful view. The pics below from the same table about seven years ago and not show how quickly things change. Food here, continental, is excellent but like everywhere in Singapore, wine is staggeringly expensive, well over twice the price for the same wine I would get in Canada.
Corner House
If you visit the Botanical Gardens there is a restaurant in an old house that was once the home of a British administrator. Best food I ever had in Singapore. The Corner House is comfortable, a young chef by then name of Jason Tan is turning out absolutely brilliant,original,complex food. Booking here is very difficult so you need to plan for it.
WhiteGrass
Set in a former church, this downtown restaurant has an engaging Australian chef and has a very good tasting menu. In such cases the accompanying wine tasting is a much cheaper alternative to the wine lists. I did check the price of wine in a wine store, and it is not restaurant making major markups..its just the cost here. A comparable bottle of ( say ) a regular NZ Sauvignon Blanc is over twice as expensive as Canada in a store.
Bar:
Atlas Bar
Singapore probably has the best bars in Asia.
There is one, however that is so over the top that I am still marvelling.
A skyscraper called Parkview Place is known locally as the Gotham Building. A Chinese developer who loved the Art Deco period , especially that of Manhattan, constructed his own Art Deco office building. It is a magnificent place with a great sculpture court. Inside is a huge, comfortable Art Deco bar. For the life of me I have no idea how there could be any business case for this place. Its jaw dropping.
I decided to have a G&T.
The gin list arrived. 950 gins. Could not be real of course, I thought. I looked at the Canadian gin section to see if it was real. Yes…35 Canadian Gins alone . In Singapore.Had an excellent Tanqueray Malacca gin, which I had never heard of before.
This is a place where I felt I should have pulled up in a Duesenberg while wearing a long scarf and smoking jacket,. I have been in real Art Deco bars and this is not so much a copy as an expression of the period. As with every establishment here service was friendly, hyper-efficient and very smooth. It is not prohibitive expensive…as basic G&T is about Sing $16.
The wine fairy, however, was not operating when I was there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVMlJXWX4k
There are many places and I did not have time to do more than one , but the new 50 Best Bars in the World lists a number of Singapore places including Manhattan,in the Regent Hotel, which was voted best bar in Asia and #7 in the world. Have not been there but it might be worth a visit.
Atlas Bar
Singapore probably has the best bars in Asia.
There is one, however that is so over the top that I am still marvelling.
A skyscraper called Parkview Place is known locally as the Gotham Building. A Chinese developer who loved the Art Deco period , especially that of Manhattan, constructed his own Art Deco office building. It is a magnificent place with a great sculpture court. Inside is a huge, comfortable Art Deco bar. For the life of me I have no idea how there could be any business case for this place. Its jaw dropping.
I decided to have a G&T.
The gin list arrived. 950 gins. Could not be real of course, I thought. I looked at the Canadian gin section to see if it was real. Yes…35 Canadian Gins alone . In Singapore.Had an excellent Tanqueray Malacca gin, which I had never heard of before.
This is a place where I felt I should have pulled up in a Duesenberg while wearing a long scarf and smoking jacket,. I have been in real Art Deco bars and this is not so much a copy as an expression of the period. As with every establishment here service was friendly, hyper-efficient and very smooth. It is not prohibitive expensive…as basic G&T is about Sing $16.
The wine fairy, however, was not operating when I was there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVMlJXWX4k
There are many places and I did not have time to do more than one , but the new 50 Best Bars in the World lists a number of Singapore places including Manhattan,in the Regent Hotel, which was voted best bar in Asia and #7 in the world. Have not been there but it might be worth a visit.
Edited by RDMcG on Saturday 28th October 16:52
Further out
Not visited: Singapore has an excellent zoo, and a famed Night Safari as well as very nice beaches on the islands.
Orchid Centre
Near the Corner House restaurant is the worlds largest display of Orchids.. about seven acres. Very rare to see these growing in the open air as against in Greenhouses. If this is your thing then this is about as good as orchids get.
Aviary
I have always had an interest in birds. This Jurong Park aviary is huge, with many parts of it with birds flying free…huge nets high above are barely visible. Sadly, the raptors must be kept in large enclosures and looked a but miserable compared to their free flying cousins.n They have another huge artificial waterfall here and abundant dense plant life.
Cars and driving:
Traffic is uncongested and roads are superb, though car ownership is staggeringly expensive. There is a quota as to the total number of cars allowed in Singapore. You need a certificate to be be able to even buy a car, and these are issued by auction every two weeks. They are expensive.
I was hosted by some wonderful Singaporeans from the Porsche Club of Singapore for dinner one night ad found out the question as to where you can drive a Porsche in Singapore, ( which has no permanent race tracks).
The answer is- every where else. They drive up to the F1 track at Sepang in Malaysia next door, and mentioned that the roads there are fairly open, and sometimes organize much longer drives to Thailand or Vietnam. This sounded very good to me.
For fun, I tried pricing a Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo in Singapore..(Singapore dollar and Canadian dollar are very close to par)
With the same spec:
Almost 4X Canadian price. Yet, SG is a very prosperous place with relatively low marginal tax rates, so there are most certainly people here who can afford the tab.
Of course, the Singapore GP is a street race and the pit and starting grid are permanent and can be walked through…right beside the large Ferris wheel which is the same size as the London Eye:
P1:
This is Anderson Bridge which the F1 uses as part of the track:
Traffic is uncongested and roads are superb, though car ownership is staggeringly expensive. There is a quota as to the total number of cars allowed in Singapore. You need a certificate to be be able to even buy a car, and these are issued by auction every two weeks. They are expensive.
I was hosted by some wonderful Singaporeans from the Porsche Club of Singapore for dinner one night ad found out the question as to where you can drive a Porsche in Singapore, ( which has no permanent race tracks).
The answer is- every where else. They drive up to the F1 track at Sepang in Malaysia next door, and mentioned that the roads there are fairly open, and sometimes organize much longer drives to Thailand or Vietnam. This sounded very good to me.
For fun, I tried pricing a Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo in Singapore..(Singapore dollar and Canadian dollar are very close to par)
With the same spec:
Almost 4X Canadian price. Yet, SG is a very prosperous place with relatively low marginal tax rates, so there are most certainly people here who can afford the tab.
Of course, the Singapore GP is a street race and the pit and starting grid are permanent and can be walked through…right beside the large Ferris wheel which is the same size as the London Eye:
P1:
This is Anderson Bridge which the F1 uses as part of the track:
And now for something completely different:
I thought that the only place with lurid descriptions of Hell was Ireland, where I grew up. However, in China before Maoism there was a vivid fold art depicting the very bad things that happened to people who transgressed the rules. All of this folk art was destroyed during the Great Leap Forward and the sole surviving example is in Singapore, by a wealthy Chinese who had n example built in 1937. It luridly illustrates the horrible fates of sinners.
Makes the Singapore rules look positively benign..
There are so many small things that make the city work well..for example, senior citizens have a card that when pressed against a crossing sign causes the lights to change much more slowly than for people who can walk faster…
Theft is almost non existent, and the following sign would have to posted thousands of times where I live. In Singapore I saw it only once:
The rules of behaviour are in no way onerous..just demands civil behaviour. Just don’t fish in Marina Bay
I thought that the only place with lurid descriptions of Hell was Ireland, where I grew up. However, in China before Maoism there was a vivid fold art depicting the very bad things that happened to people who transgressed the rules. All of this folk art was destroyed during the Great Leap Forward and the sole surviving example is in Singapore, by a wealthy Chinese who had n example built in 1937. It luridly illustrates the horrible fates of sinners.
Makes the Singapore rules look positively benign..
There are so many small things that make the city work well..for example, senior citizens have a card that when pressed against a crossing sign causes the lights to change much more slowly than for people who can walk faster…
Theft is almost non existent, and the following sign would have to posted thousands of times where I live. In Singapore I saw it only once:
The rules of behaviour are in no way onerous..just demands civil behaviour. Just don’t fish in Marina Bay
Did Singapore at Xmas on the way to Australia,staying 3 nights at the mandarin to get the most of the ‘Amex benefits’! As well of corse breaking up long long flight.
Eat at that cheap Michelin rated place, well actually left every piece of complete nasty that was presented.
However loved singapore and if going that way again would do it again. In the mall just down from the mandarin had probably the best oysters ever. All over Singapore wine is outrageous though.
Yes the ‘ship’ bar is open, great views and great vibe.
As usual great pics and have so many of my own in many of your locations, including many in the USA !
Eat at that cheap Michelin rated place, well actually left every piece of complete nasty that was presented.
However loved singapore and if going that way again would do it again. In the mall just down from the mandarin had probably the best oysters ever. All over Singapore wine is outrageous though.
Yes the ‘ship’ bar is open, great views and great vibe.
As usual great pics and have so many of my own in many of your locations, including many in the USA !
Edited by David Beer on Saturday 28th October 17:44
es.Yipper said:
Good photos.
Not a huge fan of Singapore. It tries a bit too hard and lacks the effortless buzz of Hong Kong. All feels a bit artificial.
Not a huge fan of Singapore. It tries a bit too hard and lacks the effortless buzz of Hong Kong. All feels a bit artificial.
Only been to HK once and wouldn't bother again, in all honesty. Each to their own. When I was there the weather was crap to be fair, and we were trying to find our way around but didn't find much to recommend it, especially for a leisure break.
What do you like about it, where do you stay?
What does that mean 'Singapore tries a bit too hard'?
Thanks for the photos and write up, really interesting. I spent a couple of days in Singapore about ten years ago and even in that short time it's changed a lot.
The night safari was a neat twist and really well thought out. In fact, there was the definite impression that they really thought about things there before executing them. The transport infrastructure was years ahead of anywhere else I've been (and most major cities have copied it since).
Oh yeah, I also distinctly remember paying £9 for a pint! I don't know if that's typical but it was the best we could find and I still remember agonising over decision to order a second
The night safari was a neat twist and really well thought out. In fact, there was the definite impression that they really thought about things there before executing them. The transport infrastructure was years ahead of anywhere else I've been (and most major cities have copied it since).
Oh yeah, I also distinctly remember paying £9 for a pint! I don't know if that's typical but it was the best we could find and I still remember agonising over decision to order a second
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