I had to be careful how I spent my money.
Story from Mogo66
The queen of clean, king of hygiene, siren of the spotless – you get the jist, regularly lauded for its cleanliness, Singapore is often dubbed both the cleanest and the safest city in the world. This comes as a result of its many strict urban policies, which has earned Singapore the tongue-in-cheek title of ‘the city of rules’.
I loved Singapore! From the minute I stepped off the plane into the most beautiful airport I’ve even been in, I was impressed with this city/country. The taxi ride to the hotel passed lovely green trees, lawns and high rise living quarters.
Everything was very clean. There are a lot of rules in Singapore which are meant to keep this country clean and safe, and they do that. I realized in the taxi that I had already broken a rule! I had possession of a package of chewing gum. That isn’t allowed there. But no one ever steps onto a piece of chewed gum on the street and has it stick to their shoes. I stayed at the Hotel which was a ten minute walk to the main shopping area of Orchard Ave, and the mass transit station. The hotel was wonderful, with very helpful employees and a lovely room. The shopping was great. Even though the Great Singapore Sale was on –from mid-June until the end of July, I had to be careful how I spent my money. The Sing dollar was .73 to the American dollar, but many items in stores were priced high anyway.
I had the best luck with deals at the Lucky Plaza and the Harbourfront Center.
Many clothes items I could have easily gotten far cheaper in the rest of the world. But it was fun shopping. The mass transit system (MRT) and the buses were reasonably priced and easy to use. I never felt I needed a car in Singapore. I walked or took public transportation, which was clean inside and always on time.
Singapore is one of the cleanest and safest countries we have ever visited, the MRT (underground) is not only a very efficient and cheap way of seeing Singapore City, it is a pleasure to be able to move about in a foreign city without fear of crime.
The architecture is magnificent from the very old to the ultra modern, both sitting side by side and a photographer’s dream.
A great place to visit is the Botanical Gardens, which is free to enter. I saw Swan Lake with swans and large turtles in it, and Symphony Lake where they do have symphonies play while visitors sit on the large green sloping hills near the lake. It was totally peaceful in the gardens and all the plants were trimmed and lovely to see. I took a cable car to Sentosa Island and saw the view of the harbour. Once on the island I went to the Songs of Singapore light show over the water at night. That was very pretty, although a bit commercial.
Food is available everywhere from street vendors to good restaurants (one revolves through 360 degrees whilst eating your meal to give a panoramic of this great city.
I ate dinner at Clarke Quay which was beautiful at night–sitting outside right next to the river and all the lights of the stores and restaurants. I took the boat trip along the river at night and it was serene and pretty. I didn’t have enough time in Singapore to see all I wanted to see. I need to go back to see the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Night Safari, and a few more shopping areas. I’d like to see more of Sentosa Island and Mt. Faber also. What a fantastic place to visit, this must be the place to go if you want to see a society where respect still exists.
If you are traveling to the east, I definitely recommend a trip to this wonderful city/country.
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