HOTEL AND TOURS

Singapore may be small, but packs in quite a punch. Only about 655 square kilometers in area, it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with about 6430 people per square kilometer. Although it is one of the 20 smallest countries in the world, its economy is a world leader, and has the world's busiest port in terms of tonnage handled.
Today the financial and technological hub of South East Asia, Singapore was once a sleepy Malay fishing village, which came into its own as a British trading colony in the 1800's. The population is a mix of Malays, Chinese and Indians with a smattering of other ethnic nationalities. There are four official languages in Singapore - Mandarin, Tamil, Malay and English. The Chinese ethnic population is originally from South-east China from the provinces of Fukian and Guangdong. Immigrants from the Malaysian peninsula, Sumatra, Java and other islands of the Malay Archipelago have thronged the state. About two-thirds of the Indians are Tamil, with a smattering of Malayalis, Punjabis and Gujratis.

Singapore consists of one main island, and 58 smaller ones. The terrain is flat lowland, the highest point being Bukit Tima Hills, standing at 164 meters. Its climate is hot (ranging between 22 and 30 degrees centigrade) and muggy (humidity remains at 75%). The rainy season is from November to January, although being near the equator, intermittent rains occur throughout the year.

Although about 50% of the land is occupied by vertical urban settlements in modern skyscrapers, Singapore has a thriving agricultural economy specializing in rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables, poultry, eggs and fish. It is the world's largest exporter of ornamental fish. It has thriving industries of electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing, food processing, ship repair and other industries, with the economy heavily dependant on its electronics and manufacturing exports.

With typical Singapore control and determination, the government has made up for its lack of natural flora and fauna by building gardens and zoos, waterfalls and underwater parks. Singapore has one of the best zoos in the world, and has the world's highest man made waterfall in Jurong Park, standing at 30 meters. The Bird sanctuary in Jurong even has simulated tropical thunderstorms.

* Location: South East Asia, at the tip of the Malayan Peninsula
* Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
* Terrain: Lowland, gently undulating central plateau with water catchment area and natural preserves.
* Religions: Buddist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucians
* Country Name: Republic of Singapore
* Government type: Parliamentary republic


Singapore Tourist Guides — Events

In celebration of its multi-cultural diversity, Singapore has varied colorful festivals ranging from the deeply religious Muslim and Buddhist festivals, colorful and often boisterous Chinese and Indian festivals. National holidays marking New Years Day, Labour Day and National Day, and a whole host of secular festivals for fashion, food and shopping festivals regularly draw international attention.

The Chinese New Year festivities dominate the months of January and February. Chinatown, always a bustling hub of activity, is decorated with lights and multi-colored festoons, dragon dances are organized on the streets, fireworks, parades and roadside markets all part of the month long festival. The Qing Ming festival, held in April, is a family festival where prayers are said and feasts are observed for the dead. The Dragon Boat races held in Marina Bay in the month of May / June are competitive races held to commemorate the martyrdom of a Chinese poet. The Dumpling festival is celebrated with a huge fair selling endless dumplings and rice desserts, accompanied by Chinese dancing, operas, the ubiquitous Dragon dances and fireworks in June. The Hungry Ghosts festival in August/September sees the Chinese offering food to appease dead spirits. The Mooncake Fair, the Lantern Festival, and the Lantern Parade mark the coming of autumn. Heath and longevity are prayed for during the Nine Emperor Gods festival in November.

The Sultan Mosque, on Arab Street, is the center of activity at the end of the holy month of Ramadan during the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Puasa, which usually falls in the month of January or February. Hari Raya Haji, in March, is also an important festival, which commemorates Haj, which is the holy pilgrimage of the Muslim believer to Mecca.

Little India sees its share of Hindu festivals, of which Thaipusam, on 31st January, is the most gory, and in fact, is not practiced in India any more. Devotees of Lord Subramaniam carry out macabre rites of body piercing in repentance and appeasement of their lord. Navrathri, Deepavali-the festival of light, and Thimithi-the fire-walking festival are celebrated in October and November. During Thimithi, the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road becomes the center of attraction when scores of Hindu devotees walk bare foot over hot coals.

On Vesak Day, in April / May, caged birds are released to symbolize the release of captive souls, and commemorates the life of Lord Buddha.

Apart from these religious festivals, each month sees the streets of Singapore come alive to extravaganzas promoting fashion, art, food and shopping. The Fashion Festival, in spring, the Great Singapore Sale during the months of May to July, the Food Festival in July, Christmas, are all occasions for parades, street performances, fireworks and liveliness.

National Day Celebrations are held in August with pomp and show. A display of military prowess takes center stage, with dances and festivities also held.

List of Public Holidays:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Chinese New Year (January or February)
Good Friday (April)
Labor Day (May 1)
Vesak Day May 29)
National Day (August 9)
Deepavali (November)
Christmas (December 25)
Hari Raya Puasa (January)
Hari Raya Haji (March)

Singapore Tourist Guides — Culture

Singapore is a melting pot of four distinct cultures - Chinese, Malay, Indian and European. Although the Singaporean government has actively promoted a distinct Singaporean identity, and most residents think of themselves as Singaporean, rather than Chinese or Malay or Indian, the rich heritage of various cultural influences still remains evident in all facets of life.

Although at first glance, Singapore's cityscape presents an urban uniformity, the traces of the racially segregated areas designated by Sir Stamford Raffles - Chinatown, Arab Street and Little India are still distinguishable by the cultural characteristic of their races. Singapore's colonial heritage is also evident in the architecture in many areas of the city.

English is the common language that binds the various ethic groups together - while Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are also national languages. All children are taught English, and have to also master their mother tongue in schools.

The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. The major festivals of each ethnic group are celebrated in its own traditional manner.

Singapore can be termed as the food capital of the East - the city abounds swanky specialty restaurants, each mall has eating places, roadside stalls, and food courts dot every corner. Although Chinese, Malay, Indian and Indonesian cuisines dominate, international flavors like Italian, Turkish, Spanish, Japanese and French are available. Nonya cooking is a local blend of Chinese and Malay food. Indian cuisine is distinguished by its spicy flavor, while Chinese cooking is subtler and employs a lot of seafood. Malay cooking is distinguished by a usage of coconut milk.

Chinese opera, a form of art made popular during the era of the Ming dynasty, is highly stylized and dramatic, and enjoyed by the older Singaporeans. Singapore's multifarious culture is best seen during its festivals, when street performances are at their peak. The Lion Dances during the Chinese New Year, the Indian dances during Deepavali are amongst the most popular.

The mainstay of Singaporean culture, is of course shopping. Singapore abounds in malls and shopping plazas displaying the latest international brands of fashion, shoes, jewelry, household and electronic consumer items, watches, optical goods, cosmetics, sports wear, music CDs, tapes and records.

Singapore Tourist Guides — History

Prior to the establishment of Singapore as a trading hub of the British in the 19th century, the city we know today as a bustling port and a hectic center of economic activity was once a sleepy fishing village at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Variously known as Puo-luo-Chung (tip-of-the-peninsula in the 3rd century) and Temasek ('Seatown' - 14th century), Singapore came into its own with the spread of British colonialism.

The founder of modern day Singapore was Sir Stamford Raffles, who in his attempt to get a foothold to the major trading routes to the Far East, established the East India Company here in 1919 and declared Singapore to be a free-trade port. In the short span of five years, Singapore saw an influx of Chinese, Malay and Indian immigrants all eager to make their fortune - from a small town of 150 Singapore expanded into a metropolis of 10,000, and was a port of call for traders from all over Asia, the Middle East and even the United States. In 1832, Singapore was declared as the capital of the Straits of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. 1869 saw an increased growth in trade and traffic with a new quicker trading route to the East via the Suez Canal.

World War II saw Singapore being briefly controlled over by the Japanese - a period made infamous by the incarceration of Allied forces in humiliating conditions in the Changi prison camps. After the Allies won the war, Singapore was briefly handed back to the British, but movements towards self-government were growing. The first Prime Minister of Singapore was Lee Kuan Yew of the People's Action Party, who assumed the post in 1959 and subsequently held the reigns for 31 years. Lee engineered a union with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak in 1963 to further Singapore's economic ends which lasted a short 23 months - Lee's ambitions in furthering his own party's political agenda was not acceptable to Malay leadership, and the union disintegrated. Not that this hindered Singapore's economic status - the city-state grew from strength to strength and remains one of the strongest economic centres in the world.

Lee's governance saw a long period of political suppression and rigid social order, factors that only contributed to Singapore's economic growth. However his successor Goh Chok Tong, who became prime minister in 1990 was far more liberal, and a period of one-party rule is slowly coming to a close, with opposition parties beginning to rear their heads in the government.

The economic recession of the 1990's merely dented Singapore's economy, as did the effect of the spread of SARS, a highly virulent form of flu, and the Iraq war of 2003. However, its strong social order and military style working of the government keeps Singapore on its course as the economic power center of South East Asia.

Singapore Tourist Guides — Activities

Shopping is the main activity in Singapore. Some of the main shopping areas are:

Chinatown
Chinatown has a multitude of shops ranging from the starkly modern selling international brands of eyewear, makeup, fashion wear and electronic items to the colorful traditional selling porcelain, jade, waxed-paper umbrellas, wooden clogs, and even spittoons and opium-smoking pipes.

Pacific Plaza
One of the newest shopping complexes with fashion houses, international music outlets and sophisticated eating places.

Clarke Quay and Boat Quay
These are major tourist attractions on the banks of the Singapore River, with almost two hundred shops selling anything from pottery to clothes and souvenirs.

Other shopping complexes include the Tanglin Mall, Raffles City Complex, and major shopping plazas located on Orchard Road and its surrounding areas.

Eating Out
For the connoisseur, Singapore offers a range of international cuisine at its best. Restaurants and food courts abound, offering traditional Chinese, Indian and Malay food, whilst the best of French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese and Korean cuisine is available in specialty restaurants all over the city. Most eating places are open throughout the day, and the dress is smart-casual.

Chinatown, of course is the best place to sample traditional Chinese cuisine.

The Cherry Garden, at the Oriental Hotel has a choice of Cantonese, Hainanese, Hunan and Sichuan food.

The Lau Pa Sat located at the junction of Robinson Street and Boon Tat Street, offers a food mart like no other - Thai satay sellers jostle with South Indian Dosa carts and various exotic food, all available at very affordable prices.

Clarke Quay and Boat Quay have dozens of restaurants. The best Thai food in Singapore is available at Thanying in Clarke Quay.

Outdoor activities
For the outdoor enthusiast, cycling is an interesting way to explore Singapore. Cycling paths wind their way through the island. Cycles can be hired at all the major parks. For the more adventurous, mountain and dirt biking is also available.

Singapore has a horseracing track at the Singapore Turf Club, where live racing, and telecasts from Malay racing are weekly events. A semi formal atmosphere is maintained, and tourists need to be dressed in smart-casuals.

Scuba Diving is promoted and taught by the NAUI and PADI, two internationally acknowledged scuba diving associations. There are golf courses and tennis and squash courts. Canoes are available for hire at Changi Point, East Coast Park and Sentosa Island.

Singapore Tourist Guides — Attractions

Singapore River
Strolling along the banks of the Singapore River, or taking a river cruise, one sees some of the famous landmarks of Singapore. Clarke Quay and Boat Quay are filled with shops and restaurants, and houses of government, temples and museums can all be viewed from the comforts of a luxury boat.

Museums
Singapore has a number of museums for the historically and intellectually inclined tourist - the Singapore History Museum, the Arts Museum, the Philately Museum and the Asian Civilizations Museum are some of these.

Ethnic Quarters
The ethnic quarters of Singapore provide a true picture of the cultural diversity that goes to make up the unique character of Singapore. Little India is a colorful area of shops selling everything from saris to freshly ground spices. Chinatown has quaint shops selling ethnic products, and every corner has the distinctive architecture of decorated temples and buildings. A range of exotic textiles is available in Arab Street, the heart of the Malay quarter, including batiks from Indonesia, silks, sarongs, and shirts. There are two mosques for the areas predominantly Muslim population - the spectacular Sultan Mosque and the tiny but beautiful Jama-at Mosque.

Isles of Singapore
Apart from the main island, the smaller islands of Singapore state provide interesting getaway spots for the tourist. These islands can be reached by taking a ferry from the World Trade Center or hiring a boat form the Changi Jetty or the Clifford Pier. The island of Pulau Ubin still retains early 20th century rural life. St. John's island has a resort with water sports and quiet bungalows, while snorkeling and diving are popular on Lazarus and Sisters Islands.

Orchard Road
Orchard Road is the center of tourist activity - luxury hotels with exotic malls selling the latest international brands, specialty restaurants alongside wine bars, coffee bars, and lounges and multiplexes filled with movie goers till the wee hours of the morning.

Jurong town
The heart of Singapore's industry, Jurong also has tourist attractions such as the Jurong Bird Park, Chinese Garden and Singapore Discovery Centre.

Sentosa Island
No visit to Singapore can be complete without a trip to Sentosa Island - an amusement park like no other. Accessible by road and cable car, a tourist can spend a whole day exploring the museums, aquariums, beaches, bird and butterfly parks, walks, rides and food centers.

Singapore Tourist Guides — Environment

Singapore lies at the southern-most tip of the Malay Peninsula, close to the equator. It consists of Singapore Island, measuring approximately 42 km wide and 23 km long, and 58 other small islands. It is about 655 square km in area, just about three and a half times the size of Washington D.C.

Singapore's climate is hot and steamy. The temperatures range between 22 degrees Centigrade and 30 degrees Centigrade, and humidity at a high 75%. Singapore's rainy season is from November to January, with its drier months being May to July. Intermittent, short showers, however, can be expected through out the year.

About 50% of the Singapore is urban area, with the main city area concentrated in the south along the banks of the Singapore river. The central business district is at the river mouth, and is conjoined by Chinatown. Singapore's colonial districts lie north of the business district, and further north one encounters the multi-ethnicity of Singapore with its Arab Street and the distinctive area of Little India. Jurong is an urban concentration on the west, comprising mostly of an industrial district. Its older residential districts, the international airport, and a major beach park make the East Coast remarkable. Huge complexes housing Singapore's mushrooming population lie in the northeast. Singapore is connected to the Malayan mainland by two causeways, the older of which is a 1 km causeway to Johor Bahru.

The remaining 40% of Singapore's miniscule land mass is taken up by forestland, developed parks, plantations, reservoirs and open military areas. To compensate for its lack of natural space and flora and fauna, a number of parks and natural reserves have been developed, which house flower gardens, zoos, bird sanctuaries, beaches and even rainforests. Most of the zoos and parks simulate the natural environment and avoid confining the animals in cages as far as possible.

One of the few primary jungle spaces left on the island is in the Botanical Garden, which also has the world's largest display of orchids, and over 60,000 plants.

The Bukit Timah Natural Reserve, one of the world's few rainforests within city areas, has more plant species than the whole of North America, and is home to such rare specimens of animals such as lemurs, pangolins, long tailed Macaques, mouse deer and thousands of others. East Coast Park, South City Park and Fort Canning Park have many tourist playground attractions. The world's largest bat, the flying fox can be found on Pulau Ubin, one of the islands off the mainland.

Singapore also sees thousands of migratory birds. The Jurong Bird Park exhibits over 8000 birds of 600 species.

Singapore's zoo is one of the worlds most famous, with its unique Night Safari. It houses over 2000 animals, including 40 endangered species.