Singapore, an island, a city, a state

Most of the income comes from the service sector (70%), where the port represents the largest share. It’s the second busiest port in the world, and fifth by the number of cargo containers that go through it. Other services feature the banking sector and tourism (also shopping tourism). The other 30% of income comes from industry, with agriculture representing only about a part of one single percent. The GDP can easily describe the economic success of Singapore, as it’s higher than 62.000$ per capita, making it the seventh riches city in the world. 3.5% of GDP is spent on the military, which places it on the 15th place in the world (with investments into military). This shows that they are prepared to defend their sovereignty and welfare. Along with the strong army, they also feature very strict laws – especially against drugs. For production, as well as smuggling or even possession, there is a death sentence. 15g of heroine is enough to get you a death by hanging. Some other prohibitions will probably seem even stranger! In Singapore chewing gum is forbidden! Yes, it’s true. Since 1992 the usage and selling of bubble gum is forbidden. The law was slightly changed in 2004, when they allowed for use of bubble gum for special health purpose (such as a helpful tool to stop smoking), but such gum can only be bought by the pharmacists or at the doctors’. Littering is also forbidden and can get you a high fine of 500 SG$ for first offence, reoccurring offences can cause you to end up in forced labour of cleaning public spaces. Similar punishments are also for smoking outside of clearly marked smoking zones. But by the end of the day, these rules seem to work, as Singapore is among the cleanest and safest states in the world. Yes, they were not able to abolish all crime, but the crime rate is so low, it’s safe to walk any street any time of day or night. 

 

With all the mentioned strictness you might ask yourself, why even visit? Therefore I’ll present the famous landmarks of Singapore that will convince you this metropolis is well worth your time. 

Sentosa is an island, which is part of Singapore, and is dedicated to fun and relaxation. It offers a series of accommodation, among which I’d like to point out the high class Youth Hostel Costa Sands Resort, which is only a few steps away from the beach and has its own swimming pool. In Singapore, which has higher prices than surrounding countries, it’s hard to find a bungalow for four people including breakfast, for the price of 80€. And a two bedded room with its own bathroom at the price of 86€ is a barging. 

By accommodation at the Sentosa Island you will be right in the centre of happening – day and night. Being a seaside resort, it’s nice there all year around. Apart from the beach, there are also other attractions, which can make your stay nicer.

 

The attractions are so varied it’s hard to decide where to start, so let’s go high first! The slogan under which you can experience this, is "Fly with the SUPER HEROES." You can take the cabin cart from Sentosa Island to Mt. Faber, and super heroes from comics and cartoons will follow you all the way. Each of the carts is made in a special theme, with a QR code, that places the virtual hero in there with you. 

 

So this unusual character you’ll be sharing your ride with is only to accompany you to the top, where you’ll enjoy a wonderful view and a great park… but above all, you’ll visit the bell of luck. Mt. Faber is a place where you should bring a bell from your country and tie it along with countless other bells, which make up this attraction. Mt. Faber is also a great place for a romantic diner, or just a nice drink with the view of the Sentosa Island. The cable cart also always has ideas, how to make things more attractive. In 2004 they have locked 33 couples into the carts, allowing them only 10 minutes daily to visit the toilet and gave them 3 meals a day, enough water, a pillow and a blanket. And no, it was not some organized terror attack, it was part of a competition, where the winning couple got a cruise in the Mediterranean and 20.000 $ (Singaporean) as a price (about 12.000€).

 

At the bottom stop of the cart you can also see the Images of Singapore, where you get to know the history of the city and the museum of the cable cart (where you can follow it from the construction phase forth).    

 

The Sentosa Island also offers the Universal Studio amusement theme park (just like the ones in Hollywood, Orlando and in Japan), where you get to enjoy the adrenalin rides and relaxed walks with your favourite characters. The ticket is quite expensive though, but if you visit with children this will make it very memorable. 

 

There are also over a dozen other attractions on Sentosa Island, from the butterfly park and the insect kingdom, to the ride with sagway and the visit to the largest aquarium in the world, with the first ever hydro-magnetic slide in Asia that offers different packages of tours. You can see them here, as the offer different attractions at different prices https://store.sentosa.com.sg/main/. 

Despite many attractions, that justify the island’s name - "The State of fun " – is this still just a small part of Singapore, which has many different attractions at the main island.

 

If you want to get a glance of the colonial Singapore, you should visit the Long Bar in Raffles hotel, which makes its famous refreshing cocktail – the Singapore Sling. The Bar is also known for the endless supply of peanuts, which you can eat (just through the shelves on the floor), which is a special attraction of Singapore (especially knowing such behaviour would cost you 500G$ or 300€, if done anywhere outside the bar). 

 

Singapore is among those countries that have a rich past, but also very rich contemporary life, so you can enjoy the mighty modern architecture, which is best experienced from the cabin of a carrousel that takes you amazing 165 high up, offering you a stunning view of the most of the city. The cabins move slowly, so you will have plenty of time to enjoy the view – and if you want you can have a romantic dinner or a social diner in a cabin as it’s large enough to have a table for 10 set inside. With the great view form the cabin, you’ll also be able to see the next two attractions, which are the statue of Merlion, who symbolizes Singapore and a very special botanical garden “Gardens by the Bay", which hosts over half a million different plants. The covered part is among the 10 largest covered parks in the world and leaves a great impression on any visitor. The experience is partly to the riches of plant life it holds inside, but much more also to the unique arrangement, as you get to see the gardens by the bay from different levels. The visit is especially magical in the evening, when the richness of the plant life is accompanied by the symphony of thousand lights and the garden rhapsody, which is on between 19:45 and 20:45, when the colours are accompanied by sound as well. 

 

The gardens are also the proud owner of the prestigious award of the world architecture festival – “The building of 2012” which was the great recognition for an investment of 183G$.

 

There are also numerous shopping centres in Singapore, but we’ll skip those, as we should probably spend an entire article just on them, so let’s skip to the attraction, which is also the symbol of Singapore - the Merlion.

 

Merlion stands in the heart of the park, with the same name. The Merlion is a mythological beast, with the body of a fish and the head of a lion. It’s a 8,6 meter tall and 70 ton heavy statue, symbolizing the city, as its name in original means – the lion city. The Merlion statue was erected in 1972 and moved in 1997 for about 120m not to fall in the shadow of the newly built bridge Esplanade. The sculpture is made of concrete, the skin of china plates and the eyes from red china cups. 

 

It would be easy to write for pages on about Singapore, but I hope I’ve already convince you with descriptions and pictures, that you should stop for a few days in Singapore, or maybe even have it as the final destination of your voyage. 

Most people simply fly to Singapore. The airport is also among the bigger ones in the world and it was 13th in 2013 according to number of passengers. It’s the second most frequented airport in South-Eastern Asia – right after Jakarta, and it is connected to many neighbouring countries with cheap flights, having special deals to attract more passengers.

 

Singapore is also connected to Malaysian capital by rail, with three trains running daily. I suggest the night connection, with great sleeping carts and a great offer of leaving one metropolis at 11 in the evening and reaching the next at 7 in the morning. But the morning train is an adventure of its own!

 

So let’s give some more tips about your accommodation, which will not completely drain your budget. As most countries in the world, Singapore also has an association of Youth Hostels, which offer safe, clean and budget friendly stay, which is of great importance in Singapore, where prices can get astronomical.

 

Despite the small size of Singapore you can decide to stay at the hostel on Sentosa island, where you can get a bed (in a shared room) for just over 20€ a night, or for about the same price in the hostel Hangout@mt.emily, that offers privacy even in the shared bedroom.