Four years back, when I first went to New York, what struck me about the city was its incredible energy. It’s a city that never sleeps. I experienced a similar joie de vivre when I recently visited Singapore. Apart from the regular sight-seeing which most tourist places offer, Singapore has an amazing night-life. The city is all lighted up, bustling with people at night and looks splendid.
The main tourist attractions in Singapore are the Singapore Zoo (with night safari), Jurong Bird park, Sentosa island, the Chinese-Japanese gardens and Science centre. The Singapore Zoo and the Jurong bird park happen to be one of the best in the world. The Fish SPA at the Singapore Zoo was a unique experience and should not be missed.
Sentosa island has three beaches which are a good spot for dining and relaxing. The island offers many fun rides, games and 3D/4D shows which are a major attraction for children. The underwater world at Sentosa did not appeal much, though many school kids are brought here on trips to experience the aquatic life.
The Science centre was also not much impressive, but nevertheless my husband was too keen to visit it. We didn’t get enough time to visit the Chinese and Japanese gardens.
In the evening we went for city walk. The center of Singapore which has the Merlion statue with the enormous Marina Bay Sands resort overlooking it, offers an excellent spot for photoshoot. Singapore is also called the “Lion City” and statue of the Merlion symbolizes the same.
The night-life can be enjoyed at the casinos in Sentosa Island and Marina Bay Sands. They provide free entry, snacks and drinks for tourists. The casino at Marina Bay Sands is the world's second most expensive casino after Las Vegas!!
Singapore happens to be a shopper’s paradise. While the Orchard street offers a wide range of luxury malls with luxury brands, the 24-hrs shopping centre at Mustafa is what attracts tourists the most. The LCDs/LEDs and electronic gadgets are just too cheap here and this makes the outlet bustling with tourists in the morning as well as throughout the night. Tourists get an additional 7% GST refund on all the items purchased from here. This is also the best place for foreign currency exchange as it offers the best exchange rates in Singapore. There are many restaurants outside Mustafa, so dining is not a major problem here.
The locality adjacent to Mustafa is “Little India”, which as the name suggests is indeed little India. The lanes crowded with Indians, the shops, the indian music and bhajans, the eat-outs and the hoard of indian sweets and vegetable market made us forget that we are in a foreign country.
Though there are many tour packages available to guide the city tour and sight-seeing, but the city is so well connected with Metro trains and city buses that we can very well manage without a tour guide. Overall, Singapore is a small tourist place and if planned well, the entire city tour can be completed in 4-5 days. The sweet memories and suitcase full of gifts that returned with us are forever to cherish!
