The Singapore Story

After spending a good one year in Singapore, I am back home. Do I miss Singapore? Yes. Would I like to go back? No.. well, maybe if I had truck loads of money! Would I be happy there? Probably.

Singapore is this teeny tiny island just above the equator. It is 50 x 37 kms. So basically you can cover the entire island in about a day’s time.

Who will enjoy?

People who LOVE shopping and who love everything organized and easy.

Who won’t enjoy?

Nature lovers. But there’s a ray of hope. Stay tuned.

What’s good?

Variety

If you are looking for variety, this is the place for you – beaches, hills, river, nature reservoirs, malls (lots of them), parks. But alas! A lot of the things that you see are either manmade or has a lot of man-influence.

Shopping haven

Every single major brand has a larger than life store on Orchard road. Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, Coach, Prada. You name it. Go bonkers on orchard road. If you are still not satisfied, worry not, almost every street in Singapore has a mall just for you! In fact, all the MRT (subway) stations have a mall on top. So if you are taking the MRT, you are bound to get attracted towards these shops.

Photo credit: http://living-singapore.sg/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/shopping_singapore4_chaptermain.png

Food

Every MRT has a mall and every mall has restaurants. It doesn’t stop there. Every neighborhood has a hawker center. Here’s the thing – Singaporeans don’t cook. They just don’t. In fact, don’t be surprised if some of the homes do not have a functional kitchen. Because Singaporeans do not cook! They eat their breakfast, lunch and dinner at hawker centers. I had a friend who had a monthly tie up with a hawker to make customized food for all her meals! And a typical hawker center has gazillion variety of dishes – chicken curry, crab, fish, shark fin soup(!), noodles, stir fries. If you are a non-vegetarian and can get used to the overwhelming smell of palm oil, you will be in food heaven. For dessert, try cendol or kachang!

Photo credit: http://magazine.parkhotelgroup.com/10-dishes-to-eat-in-singapore/

Personal favorite: Kopi C Kosong (coffee with condensed milk, without sugar) at ToastBox with Peanut butter thick toast!

 Photo credit: foodspotting.com

                                                    Photo credit: ordinarypatrons.com                                      Photo credit:  toastbox.com.sg

Public Transport

This is my top favourite. Singapore has one of the best public transport systems ever. Coming from India where public transport is in need of major restructuring and policy reforms, I was in transport heaven. And since I later worked in one of Singapore’s top research labs on Future Urban Mobility, I know how much effort goes into ensuring that Singapore’s transport system works without a glitch. There is a bus or MRT every 4 minutes on an average between 6am to 11pm. And there is a bus or MRT station within walking distance from almost anywhere. All major tourist attractions have an MRT station nearby.

Travel & International Connectivity – the ray of hope!

Travel freaks and adventurists, this is for you. Singapore has its strategic location to its advantage. It is extremely well connected to the nearby countries. Malaysia is right across the border, accessible by road, train or flight (take a cruise if you fancy!). Indonesia is 2hrs by flight, Vietnam is 3hrs, Cambodia is 2hrs, Thailand is 2hrs. Japan, New Zealand, Australia are slightly farther but within easy reach. And all South East Asian countries have gorgeous natural beauty. While Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia have beautiful white sand beaches and rain forests, Vietnam is famous for its lakes and bays. Ha Long bay is an absolute must visit. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Try to take a day and night cruise and wake up to the surreal beauty at 5am! Siem Reap in Cambodia is another gorgeous place. With 9^th and 10^th century ancient temples captivating you, the beautiful countryside and paddy fields will leave you mesmerized. During the monsoons, the natural beauty of this place is absolutely refreshing.

What I don’t like?

Singapore named the world’s most expensive city!

Need I say more?

Smile Singapore!

Singapore is a fast paced, never resting city. It wants to be ahead of the crowd. It wants to have a strong economy. It is committed to reform. It does not want to be left behind. But in this race, somewhere the people are overworked, underpaid and emotionally distraught.

Somewhere, the smiles are lost.

And yet, yes, I do miss Singapore and would definitely go back one day :)