Mermaids and Lions

Singapore, best known for its ban on chewing gum, is part of the small club of cities that are also claim independence as its own country. With 5.2million residents crammed into 714.3km², it has developed into a high-rising metropolis.  One could easily feel overwhelmed by all the metal, if it wasn’t for the unique designs it has taken on. The night skyline can be observed from the Flyer, which is the largest observation wheel in the world. If you choose the right time of the week you even get a free light and sound show, with images projected onto fountains coming out from the water. The coolest thing at the waterfront is the pure aluminium DNA bridge that has bases (A, T, C and G) put in the pathway and the double helix looping around it.

CBD

Though there is limited space in the city, the town-planners have done a great job in creating green spaces, with a huge botanical gardens which you can lose yourself in (if it wasn’t so well signposted) and other protected and well maintained parkland. Even the freeway has trees and flowering bushes lining the roads both either-side and down the dividing strip, 

Orchid - Orchid garden - Botanical gardens

Getting around is mainly done by metro or bus, which arrive so often you don’t have time to look at your watch. The main shopping street is literally mall after mall after mall like nothing I’ve seen before, and probably house every clothing brand you can think of. These also contain food courts offering a range of Asian cuisine as well as their local food, which is very similar to Malay. I particularly liked the warm bean curd drinks, though the shaved ice mountains smothered in fruit syrups (a popular dessert) were quite bizarre as they included sweet-corn pieces.

We happened to be in the city whilst the Hindu’s were celebrating Deepvali, the Festival of Lights (their equivalent of New Year). As Singapore is a mix of ethnicities, this day (along with other religious festivals) figures as a bank holiday. The tradition on these days is for governmental houses to be ‘open to the public’, so we got to wander around the grounds of their parliament building, which included a golf bunker and putting green. We also visited a Hindu temple which had colourful statues all over the place and a large crowd praying and making music.

Sentosa, one of Singapore’s associated islands, figures as an adventure park, with Universal Studios, extreme sport activities amongst other attractions, including a huge Merlion. If you are scratching your head at that last word, fear not, even Microsoft word spellchecker is confused. That’s because it’s a Singapore invention. Their country mascot is a lion crossed with a mermaid, which apparently symbolises the land and sea guardians that are a part of the legend of how Singapore came to be. The modern locals seem to be as bemused with it as we are.

The Merlion

Neither the less, as a place Singapore would be an ideal place to live; with its very low crime rate, low import tax on electronics, good standing in the World Bank. However the few drawbacks are that it is very expensive to buy a car, living space is becoming shoe-boxed, and it’s so darn humid!