Singapore
Posts on Singapore by Kyle the Vagabond:
Overview:
Actually comprised of 62 islands, Singapore is much larger than most tend to believe. Teeming with urban sprawl and high rise apartments, this unbelievably clean and efficient city pulses with the rhythm of its multi-ethnic heritage. Influences of
Downtown Chinatown, Singapore
Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western cultures all coalesce into an urban fervor that define this bustling city on the water. While there are a few wilderness areas to get back in touch with nature, this is Southeast Asian big city life at its finest.
Currency:
Singapore Dollar; Exchange Rate: S$1 = $1.34 (Aug. 6, 2010). For more currency conversion info visit xe.com
When to go:
Situated in the tropics only 85 miles north of the Equator, Singapore really has only one season, that being hot and wet. The humidity runs rampant and torrential downpours are possible any time of year, though they won’t last all day. November-January is rainiest and early summer tends to be the driest, relatively speaking
Travel Tip:
Check out gothere.sg when trying to find your way from point to point around the city. Taxis are double the price after 12am, buses are overcrowded from 2-4 when school lets out, and if you return your metro card at the end of your trip to an automated machine you get a $1 deposit back.
The Vagabond’s Personal Top Picks:
1. Singapore Zoo
Hang with the open air orangutans and Siberian white tigers in this literal urban jungle
2. Hit up a hawker foodstall in Chinatown
You may not know what you’re eating, but it’s cheap and tastes amazing. Gorge yourself under swinging red lanterns and frantic merchants in this bustling downtown hub.
3. Bike around Pulau Ubin
Get out of the city for a while. WAY out of the city. This island off of Singapore’s northeast coast offers pristine rainforest bike trails under the dripping hot forest canopy. Look out for wild pigs, and grab some seafood back in town before heading back to the mainland.
4. Stroll through Little India
Count all the shoes outside the numerous Hindu temples, and absorb all the lights, festivities, and open air markets of this subcontinent on an island.
Posts on Singapore by Kyle the Vagabond:
-Big City Life in Singapore (2009)
