It was many years ago now but my recollections are still strong. One of the first things you noticed in getting off the plane and into the huge Changi airport terminal is that its hot. Once you get through the hustle and bustle of a major connecting terminus you make it to the street and then you discover how air conditioned the terminal is, like opening an oven the tropical heat hits you. Singapore is situated almost on the equator so its HOT. Getting a taxi to Orchid Avenue the main tourist Hotel drag was not hard and it takes a little while to reach your hotel bed in the busy traffic. Hey over 3 million people squeezed into a small Island your bound to have a problem or two. Like all Singaporeans the driver spoke English - what dialect I'm not entirely sure, but he ensured me it was grade A+ English - I'll have to take his word for it because I couldn't understand much of what he said.
You generally get in a Hotel what you spend. In Singapore I think they are the master of the three day stopover or less as the Hotel's seem to be set up as a place to lay your head and not much else.
Singapore hardly sleeps at all and it seems you can go out at almost any time and find thousands of people around. There were a lot of police around but we were approached by some shady characters who promised a special good deal just around the corner late at night - we were pretty sure their special good deal consisted of robbing us blind - literally - so we stayed on the main drag where you are very safe. Singapore has some very strict laws so be on your best behavior unless being cane on your rear end has some sort of sick appeal to you - though be warned people have died from this punishment, or maybe it was the heart attack from the accompanying huge fine, either way don't be stupid, don't spit or do anything you think is a huge laugh in an intoxicated state. Before we think too harshly about their laws remember tight law and order is needed on such a small Island with few natural resources which survives on hard work and being a major transit center for Asia and the rest of the world. The city is kept relatively clean considering the size of the population.
There is plenty of shopping in Singapore and you can haggle the price down but compared to places like Thailand or Vietnam you are unlikely to find a bargain. If you are going on in your travels to another part of Asia, keep your wallet in your pocket for a cheaper country. To be honest most items I could buy cheaper in Australia. The fun part of the shopping is not so much in the buying but the visiting the lots of little ethic enclaves. Little India, China Town, Malaysian and many more the different spice and herb smell alone are worth walking around the city. We walked all over the place. If your feet get tired their are buses and a mass transit railway. It can be fun to take the train to the end of the line. Even here every building is a high rise. I saw a huge section of grass and thought it was a park, yet no one what playing on it. I soon found out why, I ran across it and starting sinking half way to the knee in water. I guess I had something to learn about the tropics and drainage.
For those that love to eat Singapore prides itself in being the food capital of Asia, with Chinese, India, Malay, Thai and more it certainly offers much variety. Just be careful where you eat, least you enjoy the experiences of visiting the toilet every five seconds.
There are lots of other tourist type things to do, visit Singapore's top notch zoo, the butterfly and insect park, underwater world. There is also Sentosa Island, catch the huge cable car - its a massive drop to the water below and don't worry they have only had a cable car crash once! Here you can learn about Singapore's history in particular World War Two. Visits to the temples (remove shoes) provides colorful and interesting experience, especially the sri thandayuthapani temple.
A stop over in Singapore adds interest to any trip over seas and you can pack a lot into three days. I enjoyed my time there and will visit again.
I had the interesting experience later in the trip of passing over Singapore at night at 30,000 feet and could see the whole Island lit up below me. It looked beautiful, yet small and even from 30,000 feet it looked busy. Congratulations to all Singaporeans who through hard work have created a hub in Asia.
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