What to know about traveling in Singapore – Part 1

Singapore

The country I live in is called Singapore. It is only presented by a small dot on the world map, slightly above the equator at the Southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia and north of the Indonesian Island, Java.

A small tropical country, summer all year round, we have a population of about 4 million currently. Multi-racial as we are called, the main races of Singaporeans staying here consist of the Chinese who are the majority, the Malays, Indians and other minority groups. We are a diverse group of people, each with our racial difference and culture, yet living together in religious and racial harmony. We were taught by our leaders about harmonious living, though in the midst of many fundamental differences.

As a country, we lack natural resources. Human capital is all we have and depends on. Our leaders believe in having an educated and continually upgraded workforce to propel the country economically.

Singapore is a modern and organized city, with a central district where many business and shopping activities are carried out and numerous satellite towns surrounding the central and further to facilitate housing and daily needs of our residents. If you visit Singapore, you will find modern, tall high rise buildings peculiar here as compared to our neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

English is one of the main languages spoken widely here, though you may find a tinge of colloquialism, as we call Singlish’. This phenomenon came as a result of language contact with many other different local languages like Chinese, Chinese dialects e.g. Hokkien and Cantonese and even Malay. Many times, words and articles like ah’, er’, loh’, ma’, meh’, seep into the English language that we speak here subconsciously. However, the Standard English is taught in schools.

Sure enough, Singapore has much to offer as a tourist spot. Though you don’t really get to see scenic, pristine beaches, we have a place of uniqueness to offer. Food glorious food is what we often boast about and enjoy. Inexpensive hawker food is available at nearly everywhere you go in Singapore. We offer a variety of specialty foods from Chinese, Malay, Indian to a mixture of hybrid style from various racial groups e.g. Peranakan. I encourage anyone to try from our local food outlets, hawker stalls Better still, if have someone local to bring or guide you around to taste from the best. You will not regret it!

We have many places of interest for the tourist or traveler. Must visit places include our resort island, Sentosa, Zoological Gardens, Jurong Bird Park for appreciation of nature and wild life, Orchard Road, Chinatown for shopping and retail and of course, island wide for food sampling, best through recommendations.

If you are looking for something special for your wedding needs, we can help you make special arrangements, from booking and decorations of wedding venue, bridal gowns, and make-up to photography and others. You may want to consider to be wedded overseas in Singapore and proceed with honeymoon destinations to our neighboring countries. You can expect something special and memorable for your special day. There are numerous resort styled, idyllic and relaxing destinations nearby ideal for further honeymoon or holiday getaways.

Further inquiries about wedding arrangements can be forwarded to: kim_eleanor@yahoo.com

In short, if you wish to visit Asia, visit Singapore.