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A taste of Singapore…our first impressions, observations and a few interesting Singapore facts

A taste of Singapore…our first impressions, observations and a few interesting Singapore facts

Last Updated on May 19, 2023

Singapore was a bit of a mystery to us before our recent visit… how is that some countries in South East Asia exist in messy, varying stages of development and Singapore boasts incredible architecture, essentially no crime and one of the most resilient economies in the world?kampong glam with sultan mosqueThis stark contrast really smacked us in the face, flying straight in from Cambodia. Singapore is a city-state (like Monaco or Vatican City), but really just feels like a cosmopolitan mega-city, whereas even in Cambodia’s largest city of Phnom Penh we witnessed remaining signs of rural life. Where much of Cambodia has dirt roads, Singapore has highways. While Cambodians haul livestock on mopeds, Singaporeans haul iPads in brand new Mercedes.

The disparity was shocking, but it was not difficult to jump right in to urban life. We had always heard that Singapore was this kind of Asian wunderkind and can confirm the rumors to be true. One of our first observations about Singapore: The public transportation system is modern, clean and on time.

Another fascinating Singapore fact: 5.8 million people are successfully housed in high rises across only 272 square miles. There are no homeless people, at least none that we saw and we did some definite exploring outside of popular spots like Marina Bay in the week we were in town.singapore factsIn fact, we probably walked an average of 10 miles a day while in Singapore, not including our strolls through the twenty or so mega malls that line Orchard St. There are enough touristy things to do to keep visitors busy for weeks, including highlights such as the Singapore Flyer observation wheel, countless museums, the popular Singapore Night Safari, beautiful Botanical Gardens, Chinese Buddhist and Indian Hindu temples, and even a Universal Studios Theme Park.

We couchsurfed in a friendly neighborhood, made it out to a farm, went to the eccentric Haw Par Villa, Sentosa Island, but no matter how much we took in, many of my questions about Singapore were left unanswered. For now, we want to take you on a quick photo-tour of this magnificent city, share some of our first impressions and observations about Singapore.

Singapore facts

Arab Street, Singapore

One of our favorite neighborhoods was Kampong Glam, Singapore’s ‘muslim quarter’ – there are mosques, muslim schools, arabic cafes and along Arab Street, you can find Persian rug stores, burkah shops, Turkish cafes and Egyptian restaurants. The whole area is filled with colorful Chinese shophouses, the streets are lined with palm trees and cafes spill out on the sidewalks.kampong glam lampkampong glam street

Palm tree-lined street in Kampong Glam

singapore muslim wedding

A Muslim wedding at the Sultan Mosque

Singapore facts

Turkish influences in Kampong Glam

This neighborhood has loads of street art, colorful murals and mosaics.

kampong glam muralkampong glam street artstreet art in kampong glamWe loved that the traditional neighborhoods like Little India, Chinatown and Geylang Serai remain much the way they always were, despite more and more skyscrapers going up in downtown Singapore, billion dollar hotel projects, futuristic eco-gardens and the newly designed Marina Bay Promenade.

Singapore observations

The Marina Bay Sands Building and Singapore’s mascot, the Merlion.

singapore at night from marina bay sands

Singapore’s skyscrapers at night

singapore skyscrapers

esplanade singapore

Singapore’s futuristic Esplanade Theater

singapore esplanade theater

singapore marina bay sands

More futuristic architecture: the lotus flower-shaped Arts & Science Museum in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Casino

singapore with flyerWe loved that there were still old-fashioned ice cream vendors at Marina Bay, despite the modern buildings and the revamped promenade. We had to of course try Singapore’s special ice cream sandwich: mango ice cream in white toast.

singapore ice cream sandwichWe found that Singapore in general seems to have a sweet tooth – there are hundreds of bakeries around town – much to Dani’s delight…cream puffs singaporeStarbucks in Singapore has some of the most delicious cakes we’ve come across, better than most Starbucks cafes around the world for sure…peanutbutter cake in singaporeYes, there are plenty of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and other coffee shops, but we loved that there are just as many traditional Singaporean coffee houses, where coffee is still made the old-fashioned way.

Singapore observations

Singapore factsA well known fact about Singapore is that it is sometimes called ‘the police state of South East Asia’, or the double entrende ‘FINE city‘ and for good reason. There are many laws that are strongly enforced with huge fines, like up to $500 for eating or drinking on public transportation. Just in case you are nervous about breaking a law, don’t worry, as there will most definitely be a sign for that. Contrary to popular belief, gum-chewing is no longer illegal but you can’t buy it in the country. However, the rules do seem to actually work here: Singapore is by far the cleanest city we’ve visited in South East Asia, and where we felt the safest.

sentosa island beachWho would have thought that Singapore has gorgeous beaches like this? Sentosa Island is the perfect getaway from the city – just a short 10-minute gondola or metro ride across the bay.

Singapore observations

View towards Sentosa Island from the Singapore Cable Car

The creepiest place in Singapore? Definitely Haw Par Villa, founded by the brothers who invented the infamous Tiger Balm (read more about it here.)

haw par villa singapore 10 courts of hellhaw par villa singapore feetless ratOverall, we loved how colorful Singapore is – no matter which neighborhood we strolled through, the houses were always painted in bright colors, like here in Clarke Quay.Singapore factskampong glam bullchinatown singapore

Colorful Chinatown

colorful building in singapore

We also loved the many hawker food stalls all over Singapore and in the food markets, as well as the busy street markets.Singapore observationsSingapore observationsAuthentic Indian Idli in Singapore

dani & jess southern most point of asiaWe made it to the southern most point of Continental Asia!

 

Andrew Darwitan

Saturday 18th of January 2014

Haw Par Villa seems really interesting (a bit creepy though). I've been living in Singapore for half a decade and haven't been there myself; looks like you really did make the most out of your Singapore travel experience. And the ice cream sandwich, God I love those!

Dani

Saturday 18th of January 2014

Oh, you should totally go there, Andrew! It's a truly unique experience :)

Peter Lee

Thursday 11th of July 2013

The only and only one word which is perfect to describe Singapore is just incredible. Singapore is just out of our imaginations, Singapore is really very beautiful. Its culture, food, festivals and moreover, Singaporeans over there, everything is awesome.

Arun

Wednesday 8th of August 2012

One of the less known facts about Singapore is that there's a Thieves' Market / Flea Market on Sungei Road. Anything from second hand clothing and shoes to old coins, bags, cameras and other electronic items. We found the vendors to be very elderly people. The market is typical of any Asian city but very 'un Singaporean' :p

Thank you for those cool pics and interesting info on 'The Lion City' :)

Dani

Wednesday 8th of August 2012

Thanks so much for sharing this, Arun! We'll make sure to visit this flea market next time we're in town - definitely something we'd enjoy.. a shame that we didn't know about it before our last visit.

Scott

Tuesday 31st of July 2012

This was right before we met up, right? Yeah, sadly we only drove through Singapore ,but we did stop at a hawker center for some laksa, and it sure lived up to the hype. Definitely an intriguing mix of things going on in Singapore.

Dani

Tuesday 31st of July 2012

Yes, that's right, Scott. We had such a great time there, I hope you'll get to visit Singapore properly one day. A hawker center is a good start though ;-)

Daniel McBane

Tuesday 26th of June 2012

I love Singapore, mainly for the food. To me, it is one of the world's best food cities, second only to Tokyo. Where else can you get so many different cuisines at a very low price, while also not having to worry about sanitation?

Jess

Tuesday 26th of June 2012

Daniel, you're so right - Singapore is that coveted sweet spot of delicious street food meeting acceptable sanitary conditions - which equal maximum mouth-stuffing power!