2022 - Singapore, Singapore

Background

Singapore is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. The country's territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet, the combined area of which has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects.

It has the third highest population density in the world. With a multicultural population and recognising the need to respect the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Chinese, and Tamil. Numerous public services are available only in English. Multiracialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.

Highlights 

The twelve highlights picked for this vacation are, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay including the Supertree Grove and Satay by the Bay, National Museum of Singapore, Chinatown, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Haji Lane, Maxwell Food Centre, Sultan Mosque, Singapore River, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Clarke Quay, and Fort Canning Park.

Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. The resort is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and at its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at USD6.9 billion. The resort includes,

• 2,561-rooms,
• 120,000-square-metre convention-exhibition centre,
• 74,000-square-metre mall, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands,
• a museum,
• a large theatre,
• the "celebrity chef" restaurants,
• two floating crystal pavilions,
• art-science exhibits, and
• the world's largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines

The complex includes three towers topped by a connecting 340-metre-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,902 people and a 150-metre infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform. The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie architects.

Figure 1 - A view of the Marine Bay Sands on a rainy day

Gardens by the Bay

The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden (in Marina South), Bay East Garden (in Marina East) and Bay Central Garden (in Downtown Core and Kallang). The largest of the gardens is the Bay South Garden at 54 hectares designed by Grant Associates. Its Flower Dome is the largest glass greenhouse in the world.

Figure 2 - A view of the Gardens by the Bay from an observatory deck

Figure 3 -  A view of the Gardens by the Bay from a bridge

Figure 4 - The Floral Clock, this is a large decorative clock with the clock face formed by carpet bedding

Figure 5 -A walk through the desert section of the Gardens by the Bay

Satay by the Bay is the place to be when you want to feast over a table full of local delights from BBQ chicken wings to chilli crabs while enjoying the views of the waterfront.

Figure 6 -  The extrance to the Satay by the Bay

Supertree Grove

Supertrees are the 18 tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.

The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees, photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees (such as lighting), similar to how trees photosynthesise, and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, similar to how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.

There is an elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, between two of the larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a panoramic aerial view of the Gardens.

There is also a newly opened attraction called the Supertree Observatory, which opened on 27 December 2019. This attraction is housed inside the tallest Supertree which is 50 metres tall. It comprises three levels, the ground floor, the Observatory Space and the Open-Air Rooftop Deck.

Figure 7 - An upward view of one of the Supertree

National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is a public museum dedicated to Singaporean art, culture and history. Located within the country's Civic District at the Downtown Core area, it is the oldest museum in the country, with its history dating back to when it was first established in 1849, starting out as a section of a library at the Singapore Institution as the Raffles Library and Museum.

Figure 8 - The National Museum of Singapore

Chinatown

Chinatown was once an enclave for Singapore’s Chinese immigrant population. This today is much-beloved for its blend of old and new, with historic temples and traditional medicinal halls sitting alongside bold new bars and trendy lifestyle shops.

This comprises Singapore’s rich, multi-ethnic culture. This age-old precinct is home to myriad different cultures and is the only Chinatown in the world to boast a Buddhist temple, a mosque and a Hindu temple along a single street. Chinatown’s diverse food offerings include both the traditional flavours of a country, and various fusions and experimentation.

Figure 9 -A view of the decorations of the Chinatown

Figure 10 - A walk through one of the side streets of the Chinatown

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a Buddhist temple and museum complex located in the Chinatown district of Singapore. The temple's monastics and devotees officially practice Chinese Buddhism.

Built in 2007, the temple gets its name from what the Buddhists regard as the left canine tooth of Buddha, which has been recovered from his funeral pyre in Kushinagar, India and displayed on the temple’s grounds. The Buddhist Culture Museum on the third floor holds an array of revered artefacts of the Buddha, such as bone and tongue relics, and the Sacred Light Hall on the fourth floor contains the temple’s centrepiece. The Buddha Tooth Relic is housed in a giant stupa weighing a whopping 3,500 kilograms and made from 320 kilograms of gold, of which 234 kilograms were donated by devotees. Only monks are allowed into the relic chamber, but visitors will be able to see the tooth relic from the public viewing area.

Figure 11 - An outside view of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Figure 12 - An inside view of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Haji Lane

Haji Lane is in the Kampong Glam neighbourhood of Singapore. Young people frequent the shophouses along this lane for independent stores and cafes. Haji Lane got its name because of the businesses here. There were many Arab pilgrim-brokers who would arrange the Hajj for Muslims in Singapore and from the nearby islands such as Java.

Figure 13 - Street arts across the Haji Lane

Figure 14 - Street arts across the Haji Lane

Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre is home to some of Singapore’s best hawker stalls. It’s lauded by both locals and tourists as the hawker centre to go to if you want to savour true blue Singaporean food.

The food centre originally started in 1929 as a wet market built on top of Chinese burial grounds. It lasted through the Japanese Occupation and housed a community kitchen that fed the poor and displaced after the war. It was renovated into its current form and opened in 1987. Today, the hawker centre is home to numerous popular stalls, some who have been there for decades.

Figure 15 - The Maxwell Food Centre

Figure 16 - An inside view of the Maxwell Food Centre

Figure 17 - A famous Hainanese shop in the Maxwell Food Centre

Sultan Mosque

Sultan Mosque is a magnificent landmark at the heart of Kampong Glam – Singapore’s ‘Arabic Quarter’. The impressive complex boasts a series of giant golden domes topping off the main prayer hall, and the outside is adorned in vibrant pastel shades of orange, cream and green, helping it shine even brighter in the strong Singaporean sun.

Along with Chinatown’s Buddha Tooth temple, Sultan Mosque is definitely up there with Singapore’s most impressive religious buildings, both in terms of appearance and sheer size. The main prayer hall can hold up to 5,000 worshippers, while the mosque’s dome base can also be accessed, formed out of hundreds of glass bottles that were donated by devotees as part of the building’s reconstruction.

Figure 18 - The Sultan Mosque

Singapore River

The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the western part of the watershed is classified under the river valley planning area.

Singapore River planning area sits within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The planning area shares boundaries with the following – River Valley and Museum to the south, Tanglin and Bukit Merah to the west, Outram to the south and the Downtown Core to the east.

Figure 19 -  A river cruise by the Singapore river

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Ya Kun Kaya Toast, often colloquially known just as Ya Kun, is a Singaporean chain of mass-market, retro-ambience cafés selling toast products, soft-boiled eggs and coffee. The chain has over fifty outlets, mostly franchised, across 14 countries, and is a Singaporean cultural icon, known for its traditional brand identity and conservative, people-centric corporate culture.

Figure 20 - One of the traditional stores of the Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Figure 21 -  A view inside of one of the traditional stores of the Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay.

It's a beautiful riverside quay in Singapore home to a clutch of historic warehouses. In the 1800s, this was one of the centres of trade, when barges would transport goods upstream for storage. Today, the warehouses have been restored and painted in rainbow hues, making this a great photo spot. Instagram-worthiness aside, Clarke Quay has also become one of Singapore's food, drink, and entertainment hubs—the whole area has been converted into an open-air pedestrian precinct filled with restaurants, bars and clubs.

Figure 22 -  The Clarke Quay

Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park, an iconic hilltop landmark has witnessed many of Singapore’s historical milestones. The hill once sited the palaces of 14th-century kings and served as the headquarters of the Far East Command Centre and British Army Barracks. The decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942 was also made on the hill, in the Underground Far East Command Centre, commonly known as Battle Box.

Today, this park features nine historical gardens. The park is a venue for celebrations. Its expansive, sprawling lawns play host to concerts, theatre productions and festivals such as Shakespeare in the Park, Ballet Under the Stars, Shakespeare in the Park and Films at the Fort, while weddings, parties and gatherings are a regular sight in the park's venue spaces.

Figure 23 - The Fort Canning Park