Fodor's Singapore, 10th Edition: The Complete Guide to the Garden Isle, with Dining, Shopping and Tours of Ethnic Enclaves

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Destination Singapore

A City of Many Faces

Ever since Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, it has been a standing joke among Singaporeans that if you turn your back for a second, you won't be able to find your way home, the streetscape will have changed so much.

Demolition, development, and renewal rotate in endless cycles on the 646-square-km (249-square-mi) tropical island, contributing to the underlying nervous tension of the place.  Singapore's history, pocked with the turbulence of the World War II Japanese Occupation and postwar communist insurgency, has left a residue of anxiety.  The vulnerability many feel is heightened by the former British colony's geographical situation as a predominately Chinese island surrounded by the more traditional and conservative Malayo-Islamic cultures of Malaysia and Indonesia.  Hypersensitive to perceived danger and to criticism from without and within, Singapore's government has waged feisty battles with both the foreign press and local liberals.

Most foreigners in Singapore (including about 300,000 "guest workers," mostly construction laborers and maids, who do the dirtier work most Singaporeans will not do anymore) are mere birds of passage, but some have found reason to linger.  They find it hard to put their finger on what it is that has made them stay: "It's just a certain something."  But when pressed, many point to an underlying gentleness bordering on innocence, or a childlike enjoyment of simple, often material, pleasures that together typify the Singaporean.  Others relish the vibrant multicultural street life of a tropical city.  Still others cite the energy of the place, the constant sense of being busy and purposeful, of going somewhere.

You have to learn to love Singapore, it is not a love-at-first-sight place.  And as the old song goes, to know it is to love it.  It only takes time.


Pleasures and Pastimes
Dining

Eating is an all-consuming passion among Singaporeans, and you'll soon discover why.  There's a stunning array of cuisinefrom around the world, particularly from the three major cultures that make up the island nation: Chinese, Malay, and Indian.  It also won't take you long to discover that Singaporeans love spices.  But spicy doesn't necessarily mean hot.  It can also mean tastes that are mellow, as in thick, rich coconut gravies; pungent, as in Indian curries; tart, as in the sour and hot tamarind-, vinegar-, and lime-based gravies of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore; or sweet and fragrant, as in Indian desserts and beverages.


Gardens and Parks
  
You can escape from the concrete and glass that is modern downtown Singapore to visit orchid farms or the wonderfully kept Botanic Gardens.  If you have a lot of energy, you can hike the trails of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve -- the tigers have long gone, but the sounds and smells of the jungle are still here.  If you want to see a tiger or two, as well as animals from as far away as the North Pole, check out Singapore's pleasant zoo, designed on the open-moat concept.  And because many animals are nocturnal, there's another zoo, the Night Safari, where tigers and rhinoceros wake up at dusk to feed.


Lodging

Although Singapore isn't the same indulgent retreat it once was, it's hard to match the standard of comfort, efficiency of staff, and level of services that Singapore hotels offer.  The luxury establishments cater to every whim -- and so they should at more than S$300 a night -- but you can find good service, freshly decorated rooms, cleanliness, and modern facilities for around S$200. For less money, there are simple, clean hotels (often more personal than the larger ones), with rooms for about S$90.  For those on a tight budget, the youth hostels are spotless, cosmopolitan, and cheap.


Theme Parks

No other country of Singapore's size has put so much effort into creating attractions for both its citizens and tourists. Singapore may have spent millions destroying its heritage buildings, but private enterprise has also spent a fortune re-creating the old at theme parks, usually designed to educate and entertain.  Haw Par Villa emphasizes Chinese mythology, and the Tang Dynasty Village displays life in ancient China.