We’ve all seen plenty of images of this modern and cosmopolitan country, considered one of the “Four Asian Tigers” due to its economic success. And despite being the smallest country in Southeast Asia, and even reclaiming land from the sea, it’s still one of the most important commercial and financial centres in the region.
But the most attractive thing about this young country is its cultural richness thanks to its diverse population including Chinese, Malayans, Indians and Eurasians. This combined with its past as an English colony have shaped a strong character of modernity and luxury, interwoven with the essence of each of its cultures that add to its intriguing and fascinating society.
A weekend in the city-state gave us just enough time to admire the breathtaking views, multiple colours, aromas, flavours, and sounds.
In the morning we went up to the Hotel Marina Bay Sands Observation Deck to admire the panoramic views of the city and its spectacular infinity pool, the jewel in the crown of this audacious architectural design.
After coming back down to earth, we took a walk over to Little India, home to a large Indian community in Singapore, and visited the Sri VeramaKaliamman Temple, the city’s oldest Hindu temple, founded by the first Indian workers who arrived here in 1881. It was because of the activities that arose around the temple that the area around Serangoon Road became defined as the Indian sector. After visiting the temple we took some time out to enjoy a Sweet Lassi, a delicious Indian yoghurt drink.
Already fascinated by the display of colours, we continued on toward Chinatown to discover the area’s charm, with its red and gold colours and hoards of people speaking Cantonese and Mandarin. Here, we took the opportunity to sample some of its delicious dishes. My personal favourites were the dumplings stuffed with chicken, meat or prawns.
After lunch, we went for a short stroll along Marina Bay, the site of the world-famous Merlion statue, and the national personification of Singapore.
We decided to go into the beautiful lotus-shaped building that is actually the ArtScience Museum, and to our surprise, at 8pm, we were able to enjoy the audiovisual show that’s projected on a water screen and enhanced with music and fire effects.
Ready for dinner and feeling surprisingly lively, we headed over to the vibrant and colourful Clarke Quay, the nightlife quarter. It’s also the name of the road that runs along the river and is full of bars and restaurants that at night is lit up with colours to receive both locals and tourists.
On the second day, we decided to start with an early morning walk to the Sultan Mosque and the area around Arab Street where we took some incredibly beautiful photos. And from there, we headed over to Sentosa Island to relax for a while and enjoy the sunshine.
We could have stayed more time on the island and visited the Universal Studios Park but we wanted something more characteristic of the city, and as we knew about the vast variety of botanical gardens we decided to visit the Gardens by the Bay. It’s an impressive futuristic park with two conservatories and some interesting trees that come alive at night with an exhilarating display of light and sound to create a surreal atmosphere.
At night, and feeling reluctant about leaving the following morning, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at a nice Asian restaurant and spoiled ourselves at the Akashi Restaurant with a delicious serving of grilled mackerel. The restaurant is in the city’s entertainment hub, Orchard Road, where hundreds and hundreds of shopping centres light up the wide streets giving them an air of sophistication.
We awoke the next day with a feeling that there was still a lot more to see and do in Singapore but said farewell to the city knowing we would return again very soon.
