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Singapore
If you go by the latest Beyond words ad campaign by the Singapore tourism board the country promises a paradise ideal for enchantment, exhilaration, friendship, romance, indulgence, inspiration, jubilation, tranquility and style sophistication. This probably is the best package in the whole world that any holiday- maker could ask for. Their official website describes Singapore as unique which it certainly is. Originally known as "Pu-luo-chung" ("island at the end of a peninsula"), Singapore is geographically located at the tip of the Malai peninsula. Later it was named as ‘Singa Pura’ from which the present name was born. A single island surrounded by 62 small islets form this magnificent country.
Home to one of the busiest port in the world, Singapore is a major centre for ship building and repairing. One of the main transportation hub of Asia, it forms a part of most of the sea and air trade routes. Today it is a thriving centre of industry and international business. From Singapore comes a majority of the world’s electronic components and the island is also renowned for its world class oil refining and distribution centres. It is the largest exporter of ornamental fishes. With almost 135 banks to its credit, Singapore is one of the major commercial centers of Asia and its currency is Singapore Dollars(S$).
The island is a multi cultural and multi religious society with a population of more than 4.5 million. Malay is their national language but the languages used for official purposes include English, Tamil, and Mandarin also. The national anthem Majulah singapura is sung in Malay. Majority of the local people speak Singlish (Singapore English), a blend of English, Malay, various dialects of Chinese and some Indian languages. Singapore’s domestic transport systems include a network of expressways and world class rail transportation facilities making moving around the island an extremely easy task.
The island’s architecture is very interesting with its display of variety. On the one hand it has towns designed for the ethnic population reflecting their origin and on the other it is the centre for post modern architecture.
::::::::::: Popular Destinations In Singapore :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Little India
Lying to the east of the Singapore River, this town welcomes you with everything typically Indian. From the overpowering scent of spices and jasmine Garlands, to the variety in silverware, brassware, silk saris and ethnic jewelry, the town has it all. Originally, this was the area kept aside to accommodate the Indian population under the ethnic segregation policy during the colonial era. You find here long streets with Hindu and Buddhist temples, churches and mosques existing in harmony with one another. Adding to this there is an array of shops offering you everything Indian that you could ask for.
China Town
Located in the district of outram, China town is a place parading elements of typical Chinese culture. More than 75% of Singapore’s population being Chinese, this is a major location and owing to its great historical and cultural significance, most parts of the city have been declared national heritage site. The temples, galleries and ethnic architecture are very typical of the place. Divided into four main districts, the heart of activity is the Smith streets area.
Geylang Serai
 "Singapore Tourist Spot")
Malays are the natives of Singapore and this was the hub of Malay culture in Singapore and here the ‘Kampung Days’ style comes to life. Quiet a contrast to the rest of modern Singapore, this city is located east of the Singapore River. The shop houses on the streets which are saved from restructuring and the cultural museum are just a few among the many attractions of the place famous for Malay cuisine, arts and crafts.
Kusu Island
Long long ago, the magical tortoise reformed into an island to save two fisher men,one Malay and one Chinese, and that land of magic is what is today called the Kusu Island. The Muslim shrine was the token of gratitude from the one of the two men and the Taoists shrine from the other. The Tua Pek Kong (The God of prosperity) and the kramats (The Holy shrines of three Malay saints) are two of the main must-sees on the island. Other attractions are its lagoons and crystal beaches, the tortoise sanctuary and the wishing well.
Pulau Ubin
Located on the north-eastern part of the mainland Singapore, the island is one of the least populated island with only about 100 inhabitants. With its rural community atmosphere, wilderness and obsolete feel maintained this is an ideal spot for anyone looking for a journey back to nature. The world’s largest bat, often called the flying fox, having a wing-span of almost 15 metres is found in this island.. A bicycle ride or a trekking walk in the island gives you an experience of rustic feel with all the basic amenities including shelters, camp sites and so on. Chek Jawa, an untouched preserve of corals and rare marine species is another major attraction on the island.
Sentosa
Sentosa is all fun and sun packed into one. With its long stretches of sand and sea, the island welcomes you with lush greenery and an array of exciting engagements. There is no end to choice of activities in this island, starting from under water world and dolphin Lagoons to Spas, Fish reflexology centers, Insect kingdoms, Butterfly parks, Historical enclaves, the list goes on and on. Palawan beach, often called Singapore’s happiest family beach is a delight for both kids and adults. With a blend of nature’s gift and the most modern amenities, this is an ideal spot for all, whether you are on business or pleasure.
Must See
Merlion
This structure, which is the most commonly used symbol of Singapore dates back to 1964. An art with with a lion head and a fish body is ideal depiction of the island, the lion reminding us of its old name ‘singapura’(lion city) and the fish to remind of its humble beginnings as a fishing community.
Singapore Zoo
Famous for its open zoo concept, in this 28 hectare space you get to indulge in the experience of a lush tropical rainforest and feast your eyes on almost 3200 odd species of mammals. Many of which belong to the endangered species are bred here.
Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
The breathtaking beauty of the fluttering butterflies, the creepy feeling at the sight of beetles, giant scorpions and other ‘not so very cute’ little ones, the safari in search of stick insects, one to one with the scorpions at the stage shows, all this and more awaits you in this special spot.
Jurong Bird Park
When it comes to the number of birds, this is the largest bird sanctuary in the world and if you go by the area, it’s the second largest. The winner for the 2007 best ASEAN new tourist atteaction, this sanctuary is placed on the Jurong hills spread over an area of about 2,02,000 square metres and is home to more than 9000 birds of about 600 different species. The Pelican cove with its panorail monorail train, the flamingo Lake, the lorry loft, wetlands waterfalls ( the world’s largest man-made waterfalls) and many other attractions makes the visit to this park a very unique experience.
Kampong Glam
The seat of the Malay royalty in the olden days, this spot of cultural importance has been restored and maintained with all its royal glory to give it an ethnic and historic feel. The Sultan’s palace of the old times, Istana Kampong Glam has been transformed into Malay heritage centre showcasing The culture and historical milestones of the Malay community. The Arab street, the Kampong Glam walk, the Sultan’s mosque( the largest in Singapore which can house more than 5000) are some of the main attractions that no holiday maker should miss
Theatres and Museums
Singapore is home to a large no: of world class theatres, museums and heritage centers. The Singapore National museum with its architectural excellence is the biggest and the oldest of the lot and is almost 120 years old. Other must visit spots under this description include Esplanade - Theatres On The Bay, Art Retreat Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, Changi Chapel & Museum, Chinatown Heritage Centre, MINT museum of toys, Malay Heritage centre, Images of Singapore, Hua song museum, Nei Xue Tang, NUS museum, Red dot design museum, Republic of Singapore airforce museum, Republic of Singapore Navy museum, Royal Selangor Pewter Museum, SGH Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore Mint Coin Gallery, Singapore Philatelic Museum etc.
If that doesn’t satisfy you, here goes on the list of must – sees, adding some more like the Bideford junction cross walk, Carlsburg sky tower, Cineblast, DHL balloon ride, the entertainment district- Down town east, the hawpar villa( designed after the structures in Chinese folklore), the NEWwater visitors centre, Singapore science center, the snow city. Even now you much more left to see.
Must Do’s
Night Safari
A unique experience of night adventure, this is the first of its kind in the whole world Spread over an area of over 40 hectres, the zoo houses over 1000 nocturnal animals from over 100 different species. In the skillfully placed lights, the live experience of spotting animals in this nocturnal wilderness is an adventure not to be missed.
Underwater world
At Sentosa is this unique experience of becoming one with the under water world while you are safely and firmly grounded on the land. The different attractions like the ray of fun, the jewels of the reef, the magic T, the fish foot reflexology centre, marine sdiscovery, dive with the sharks, Dive with dugong, swim with the dolphins etc makes this experience a memorable and an adventurous one.
Asia paranormal Investigators
May be spooky feeling you get out of ghost hunting is really your cup of tea. To find out for sure, book yourself on to this eerie trip along the deserted streets and cemeteries of Singapore, reportedly the most haunted cities in the world.
Foot reflexology
Normalize the activities of your body’s internal organs by indulging in the comfort of the ancient Chinese natural remedy of foot reflexology. Singapore has more than 200 centres with experts in this method of stimulating the nerve endings on the feet to regain health .
Shopping
If you are on a shopping spree, it would be ideal to go to a shopping mall. With many such enterprises in the city, only the ‘Mustafa’ is open 24/7. On the contrary, if you have in hand a very relaxed shopping schedule, you can have the luxury of hunting for the best quality and price, with the help of catalogues available. Looking out for some artifact items??? Head for china town, Little India. Get your carpets from some place like Bras Basah road .Cosmetics from some department stores and so on. For the best possible price, head to the island in the month of June for the great Singapore sale. Local souvenirs would include handcrafted model of the national flower of Singapore, the Risis orchid, special unique cutlery items like the piece with two chopsticks cleverly inserted into a bowl, aromatic Indian spices, Batik sarongs, trinkets or so from one of the heritage gift shops, t-shirts and postures with prints of old Singapore on it etc are some of the souvenirs that one can buy in memory of the sunny Singapore.
Cuisine
Like its diverse culture, Singapore cuisine is also a paradigm of diversity with influence from western, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese and Malaysian cuisine. It is this richness that makes this one of the many attractions as a tourist destination. Although it holds much resemblance to the Malaysian cuisine, there are differences too. Popular dishes are mainly sea food and the vegetarian dishes. Apart from this the island offers a long list of desserts, fruits, tea, coffee and other such delicacies for you to choose from. Irrespective of which part of the world you come from or what pleases your taste- buds, Singapore promises a treat to your palette.
Festivals
Having a cosmopolitan population with people from diverse ethnic origin, religions and culture, every calendar month hosts some festival or the other in the island. Though most of the fests are religious in nature, festivals are celebrated in great color and splendor with people from all religious backgrounds in harmony with one another. They also have other cultural festivals like the Chinese New Year, the moon-cake lantern festival which is said to be the most beautiful of the Chinese festivals, the festival of the hungry ghost etc. No matter which time of the year you find yourself in this island, be sure to come across some festival or the other because they always have one just around the corner.
Climate
Singapore is said to have a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasonal division. It is very humid with abundant rainfall and the temperature and pressure are quite uniform across the year. If you want lots of sun hit the place in the months of June and July when it is the hottest and if you wish to be drenched as the heaven opens up try to make it in the months of November and December when it is monsoon.