Singapore - intro

NOTE:  If you would like less narrative and more pictures, please visit my website. 

Singapore is many things.  It is an island.  It is a city.  It is a nation.  It is polyglot, It is apparently safe.  It is neat, clean and orderly.  It can seem harsh, thanks to laws unheard of elsewhere, such as a ban on chewing gum, and stern penalties for littering.  It is also cosmopolitan, beautiful, open, and mysterious.  Impossible to describe, really.

Our first day in Singapore was hot, humid, and threatening rain.  Later, the threat became real.  We decided to use the Hop-0n, Hop-off bus to see as much of the city as possible in the time we had.  It soon became apparent that this is a city that contains large ethnic groups who live together in peace while retaining the distinctive ways of their individual cultures.  I wouldn't say Singapore is a melting pot.  But it is definitely interesting!  Each group has its own neighborhood where residents live much as they would at "home" while still functioning in this new culture.  In addition, there is a large central business district that seems quite European.

The four-pronged monument is affectionately known as The Chopsticks, and the four "sticks" symbolize the four ethnic groups that dominate Singapore--Chinese, Malay, Indian, and "other".  The monument is actually a war memorial, built to honor the people of all ethnicities who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation in WWII.

As you can see, we are on the open top deck of the Hop On/Off bus, heading into the central business district.  It's still a pretty nice day, but those clouds are building.

I have no idea what this is supposed to represent, but it is large, colorful, and right in the center of the business district.  It looks to me as though it symbolizes the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural nature of Singapore.

So typical of this area--a building dating from the early days of European influence surrounded by modern skyscrapers.

Love the name of this hostel!

It's right on the edge of Chinatown.

Such a clean, modern city.  And that rain cloud is looking more ominous by the minute!

We spent pretty much the entire day on and off the bus tour, dodging rain, and eventually sheltering in the enclosed lower level of the bus to avoid getting drenched.  We had lunch in one of Singapore's many food courts that feature an array of small food shops offering fare of all ethnicities, from the ubiquitous chicken and rice that is supposed to be the national dish but comes in a hundred varieties, to curries, sandwiches, and much more.  Good beer, too.  We're becoming fans of Tiger beer, and starting to realize that American beers really ARE watery and bland by comparison with beer made almost anywhere else.


After lunch, we returned to the bus, but that's when the rain really set in.  We were happy that our ticket included another morning on the bus, and even happier when they gave us a full-day extension to make up for the rain of the first day.


There is so much diversity and so much to see in Singapore that I think I will continue this by sections.  Right now, let's look at a few photos I took of Muslim and Malay sights.

We didn't really get inside Little Arabia on the bus, but we did see a couple of things as we passed by.

The second afternoon, John walked through the Arab/Muslim district, but by that time, I was tired and decided just to go  back to the hotel, so I don't have more photos of that part of Singapore.

This is the entrance to a charming little space honoring early Maylasian settlements here.  If you click on the photo, you may be able to read the explanation.

This was once a fishing village.

Such a nice oasis in a busy modern city.

In future posts, I'll share my photos of Chinatown, a gorgeous Hindu temple, and more of the business district.