Singapore

1999

 

 

I went with a good friend of mine, Patrick McWilliams to Singapore on March 7th – March 14th.  We met in San Francisco to board Northwest Airlines.  We had an 11 hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. Then, a 45 minute plane change, and another 8 hour flight to Singapore.

 

The Republic of Singapore is the gateway into all of South Asia.  It has a population of 3 million people.  The city is very clean, and is billed as having the lowest crime rates anywhere on earth.  This is due to the strict government controls.

 

Here is a write up of my experiences that I had while in Singapore.

 

Brief History
of Singapore

History records that in the 14th century, the island was known as Temasek or"Sea Town". As legend has it, the place was renamed Singa Pura or "Lion City" after a visiting Sumatran Prince encountered a strange-looking animal he mistook for a lion.

 

When Sir Stamford Raffles claimed Singapore for the English East India (EIC) company in 1819, it was nothing but a swampy, thickly jungle island populated by a handful of fishermen and sea gypsies.

Raffles landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819 and on 6 February 1819 signed a formal treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Singapore and the Temenggong Abdul Rahman on the island. This treaty established an EIC settlement on the island jointly ruled by the EIC, Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong.

 

Five years later, however, the EIC took full control of the island with another treaty in 1824 with Sultan Hussein. By then, Singapore was already a successful entrepot, a port of international renown as merchants of every race, color and creed were quickly drawn to the island.

 

By 1911, Singapore had a population of 250,000 people of 48 races, mainly from China's southern provinces, Indonesia, Malaya and India, speaking a total of 54 languages.

 

For many years, Singapore was considered Britian's key defense base in the Far East. But the myth of the island's impregnability was shattered when it fell to the Japanese in 1942.

 

When the Japanese occupation ended in 1945, Singapore became a British Crown Colony. But the impetus for independence led to self-government in 1959 as part of the Malayan Federation in 1965 to become an independent Republic.

In 1998, Singapore celebrated its 33th National Day as an independent republic on 9 August. After three decades of rapid economic growth, Singapore has one of the highest standards of living in the world today, second only to Japan in Asia.

 

 

Brief Facts

Location
One degree(about 87 miles) north of the equator, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, linked to Malaysia by causeway. At Asia's crossroads with the Indonesian islands to the south, Thailand and the Philippines to the north.

 

Geography
Consisting of the main island and over 50 islets. Singapore's resort island, Sentosa, is situated a short distance south of the main island accessible by aerial cable car, ferry or causeway.

 

Time Difference
13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time; 14 hours ahead of Central and 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.

 

Population
About 2.8 million inhabitants comprising 78% Chinese, 14% Malays, 7% Indian, and 1% Others.

 

Drinking Water
Water is clean and safe to drink from the tap.

 

Driving
Minimum age is 18 years with a valid state/provincial driver's license. An international driver's license is required for visits beyond one month. Cars are right-hand drive; driven on the left-hand side of the road.

 

Flora/Fauna
With blossoming tree-lined boulevards, city-parks and lush tropical gardens, Singapore has earned the reputation as Asia's "Garden City". The national flower is the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.

 

Religion
Main religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Taoism. Places of worship welcome visitors, however, visitors are expected to be properly attired and to respectfully witness the ceremonies or rites. Please note that shoes are not to be worn in temples and mosques.

 

Tipping
Prohibited at the airport and discouraged at hotels and restaurants that have a 10% service charge.

 

 

Highlights of places we visited:

Parks

Fort Canning Park

Mandai Orchid Gardens

Mount Faber

Singapore Botanic Gardens
Places

Civilian War Memorial

CHIJMES

Kranji War Memorial

Merlion and Merlion Park

Parliament House and Elephant Statue

Raffles Hotel

Statues of Sir Stamford Raffles

Supreme Court and City Hall.
Museums:

Changi Prison Chapel and Museum

Images of Singapore Museum

 National Museum

Singapore Art Museum

Boat Quay

Singapore River

Chinatown

 

 

Day 1

 

We arrived last night just after midnight.  Worn out and dog tired, we hit the hotel looking like a pair of zombies.  Slept like a log until about 9am.

 

Getting up, we decided to do an initial walking tour of Singapore.  Not sure of how far everything really was, we picked out a few sites that were close to the hotel.

 


Raffles Hotel – This is a grand majestic white washed building with British colonial architecture. This building is one of Singapore’s oldest buildings.  Sir Raffles originally built it when he claimed Singapore for Briton. Once a ‘tiffin house’, or a tearoom, the hotel started out as the home of the British sea captain.  In 1991 it was completely renovated and reopened as a swank hotel surrounded by upscale shops.

 


It is most famous for serving the “world famous” Singapore Sling.  It is a fruity drink that reminds me of a hurricane from Bourbon Street in New Orleans.   All in all, not too bad, well worth it if you are there.  Its one of the “have to do” experiences.

 

We came upon the Raffles quite suddenly on out walking tour.  On the map is was a few blocks away, turns out to be a scant 5 minute walk from our hotel.  The hotel covers several city blocks.  It is lined with thick white columns and an intricate brick sidewalk that runs its perimeter.

 

Inside the walls of the Raffles complex is a series of courtyards.  Some have large fountains as the centerpiece and other courtyards have small tables scattered around.   A mix of hotel rooms and upscale shops surround the courtyards.

 

Covent of the Holy Infant Jesus – A very charming Victorian style church.  Old tiled roofs, thick pillars.  Seen from a distance, it is a remarkable building.  But as we got closer, the church was under renovations.  It was closed.  Sigh looked nice from the outside.

 

Singapore Art Museum – A restored school house for the all-boys Catholic St. Joseph’s Church.  Built in 1852 and recently renovated as an art museum.  Only the bottom floor was open.  They were still assembling the upper galleries.  We did get to see 4 galleries of art.  The current show was highlighting the local Singapore artisans. 

 

National Museum – This building was litterly just across the street from the Art Museum.  A grand colonial building topped with a silver dome.  It was originally opened in 1887 as a Raffles Museum.  The governtment acquired it and now it houses many historical documents and artifacts from Singapores history.

 

While we were there, the current special at the museum was a 3D movied titled “The Singapore Story”.  It was a 30 minute film that explained the history of Singapore and its role in WWII.  It showed a very positive face towards the British rule, and down played the Japanese invasions and consequent 2-3 years of communism.  Singapore was portrayed as the hapless victim of the war with its only desire was for peace and growth.

 

That wrapped up out 1st day in Singapore.  Pat and I returned to the hotel worn out and ready for some sleep.

 

Day 2

We were up early today!  We had a scheduled half day driving tour of Singapore.  The bus was scheduled to pick us up at 8:00am.

 

Sites we saw: 

Hindu Temple in Chinatown –

This ornately decorated temple was right on the edge of Chinatown.  We piled out of the tour van and wandered to the front entrance.  It allowed visitors inside.  It was mostly an open air style.  Large roofs supported by painted columns.  Lots of beautiful paintings and grottos on the ceilings.  The whole sanctity of the temple was a bit degraded with the sheer number of tourists present.  And the local worshippers were selling trinkets inside the temple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinatown –

Oh wow!  The sights and sounds.  Tons of small street vendors all crammed together.  Each selling their wares.  Each stall had a little bit different selections.  Bartering was highly encouraged.  Lots of silk clothing and lacquered wood trinkets for sale here.  I als was able to wander into a traditional Chinese herbal shop.  It had a wall of wooden drawers filled with herbs and spices, jars filled with greenish liquid and preserved things floating inside.


Mt. Faber –

Highest point in Singapore.  From this vantage point, we were able to see the a good portion of the island.  The view was spectacular.  On one side, there was the main port of Singapore with cable cars slowly making their way across.  On the other side of the port was the main city of Singapore.  We could see a few buildings of public housing and catch a glimpse of downtown through the mist.

 


Gem Factory –

A pure tourist trap.  It was billed as a tour through a gem factory.  The entire factory consisted of a few artisans working on small pieces.  We were then led upstairs to a huge showroom.  Filled with gaudy carvings and gem creations.  There were ready to make a sale!

 


Botanical Gardens / Orchid Gardens

One of the best botanical gardens in all of Asia.  The views were breathtaking.  The walk through the flora were mesmerizing.   Thousands of type of tropical plants that I have never seen.  Flowers, trees, plants with bright colors on their leaves.  Very peaceful.

 

 


After the tour, Pat and I went back to the hotel to rest and cool off.  We then took a taxi to the Boat Quay (pronounced ‘ KEY ’ ) .  Here were 50-60 small pubs and restaurants all lining the water front.  We ate dinner here and drank a few beers.  The whole area is a great night life hang out.  Lots of people to watch and good conversations were had all evening.

 

 


For the rest of the trip, Pat and I would go out on small excursions into town.  We visited a few local malls and ate in street side cafes.

 

One trip we made was to the Changhi PWO camp.  This was a concentration camp run by the Japanese during WWII.  It housed a great number of RAF and Australian military officers.  The atmosphere was very somber and reflective.  A stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.

 


One of the high lights we did was having a personal tour of the Singapore parliament building.  This was the only place that was not wheelchair accessible.  We met with the Sargent-At-Arm for the national government.  He took me on a tour of the inner parliament chamber, national archives and the reception room where foreign dignitaries are entertained.  The government is similar to the British house, but simplified.  Instead of two houses of parliament, it had only one house of elected officials.  Total number of parliament members is 83. 

 


This tour occurred on the last day of our trip.  We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the various government buildings.  We visited a few more memorials and returned to the hotel to pack and get ready for the trip home.