狮城 - The Lion City

In the year 1299 Sumatran Prince Sang Nila Utama landed on the shores of a dark and densely-jungled island. Leaving his home in Sumatra, his ship was caught in a terrible storm, and the prince threw his own crown into the stormy waves as an offering to the sea. Upon safely arriving on the shores of this new land, legend says that he saw a mysterious animal. His advisors told him that it must be a lion, although lions had never been seen in that part of the world. Seeing this as a sign of prosperity, the prince gave the island the name Singapura, which means "Lion City." The kingdom, Singapura quickly developed into an important trading port between China and Sumatra.

 Singapore has developed a long way since 1299, and has become one of the "Four Little Dragons," Asia's four small countries with rapidly growing economies (Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore). I had always wanted to visit Singapore, and planned on going there on my October holiday ever since I returned from Hong Kong last year.

Singapore is a place unlike any I've ever seen. It's one of the world's smallest, richest, and most developed countries, and is a powerful and influential voice in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). I already knew that Singapore was a very clean place (chewing gum is illegal and littering can carry a fine starting at S$300 (about $250 USD). I discovered very quickly that Singapore is also a very orderly little city-state. Everyone stands in proper lines and even queues up on the left side of an escalator politely letting people walk up on the right. The transportation is quick and efficient and the metro essentially covers the entire country (at least on the island of Singapore itself). Even the currency was made of plastic! Everything seemed too perfect. My first impression of Singapore was very surreal, but in the week that followed I got to see more of (hopefully) the "real" Singapore, and I really liked what I saw of this tiny republic!

I spent my first evening viewing Singapore's iconic modern skyline at Marina Bay. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel puts on a light show several times per night, lighting up Marina Bay with lasers, lights, and fire. It's really spectacular! I got there a bit early, and had a good seat on some steps leading to the bay next to Singapore's guardian and symbol, the Merlion.

the Merlion

It's half-fish and half-lion. I have no idea how this creature came to be or came to represent Singapore, but the people love it. All of the tourists visiting had to take their picture with this statue (the main one of several in Singapore), and it even appears on some of the currency. 

Marina Bay Sands

Singapore is a very logically laid-out city and is incredibly easy to navigate. That's all due mostly to one man: Sir Stamford Raffles, the British East India Company representative who founded and planned modern Singapore in 1819. For the most part, the city-state is still laid out according to his plans. In Singapore, Sir Stamford is a national hero. It seems strange that an independent Asian republic (despite its colonial heritage) was founded by a British man. Although independent from Britain since the 1960's, Singapore does not shy away from its colonial roots.

Sir Stamford Raffles

It's an interesting convergence of culture, where East and West coexist in one of Southeast Asia's most important economies. It's a place Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European cultures converge. Old colonial buildings, new modern skyscrapers, temples, churches, and mosques built side by side epitomize modern Singapore, at least to a short-term visitor like me. And of course, you can't visit Singapore and not enjoy the diverse cuisine with influences from all corners of the map. They said Hong Kong was "Asia's World City," but Singapore challenges this.