Singapore

Singapore. Now, and perhaps for us unexpectedly, this city is one of our most favorite places in the world. Shanghai, of course, and Hong Kong, too. But we were less sure what to expect in this place, and we were really overwhelmed. Our list of superlatives simply does not do justice to the city we walked and walked and walked, and enjoyed unendingly. Pack your bags – go to Singapore.

 

Not only does Singapore have a fascinating, difficult and complicated history. Not only does Singapore have a reputation as a place with very tough social constraints (Jaywalk? Immediate fine. Chew gum? Immediate fine. Litter? Immediate fine. Graffiti? None. Crime? Almost none). Singapore is gorgeous, amazingly diverse, green in every sense, and possesses the friendliest and most helpful citizens one could imagine.

 

As for the public and civic realm, Mayor Daley should have made a visit (perhaps he did). Singapore’s streets, parks, sidewalks, riverwalks, boulevards, subways, and parkways are spotless, lush, rich.

 

But first things first. As we entered Singapore harbor early in the morning, the shipping traffic was intense. Singapore is either the second busiest port in the world, after Shanghai, or the busiest, before Shanghai, depending on who you ask.

 

As usual, because the QM2 is so big, we docked at Juron Port, a container port well west of the city. We then hopped a shuttle to a nearby MRT station – Singapore’s Metro. The system is spotless, intuitive to use (though many locals were eager to help), and features very wide and comfortable cars.

We left the Metro at the Little India station, and began our walk to the south, towards Chinatown some hours away. Little India is a great place to stroll – the streets are arcaded, and the shops teem with the most wonderful, intoxicating odors imaginable.

We strolled past the Abdul Gafoor mosque. It was Friday, Islam’s holy day, and so the mosque was a busy place.

Across Rochor Canal and we ambled through the central part of the city. Past Raffle’s Hotel (named after Thomas Raffles, who arrived in Singapore from Britain in 1819, and was a major figure in shaping the city)

And on past the Padang, an open playing field central to the city and home to the Singapore Cricket Club. Adjacent to the Padang is St. Andrews Cathedral, and then we continued south to the old parliament buildings, now home to or being renovated to house various arts museums and centers.

Which led us to Boat Quay, the river, Thomas Raffles’ landing spot in the city, and what is now central Singapore.

From here it was on to Chinatown, past this particularly wonderful spot.

After exploring Chinatown, and after a long stroll, we reboarded the Metro, got to the shuttle, and headed back to the port.

We barely scratched the surface of this place, but we saw so many locales that deserved much more time and investigation. And what we saw was bustling, lively, exciting, and really beautiful. This is a place worth much more time and energy, and we’re grateful to have encountered this great, great city.

On to Phuket.