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 Capital:
Singapore
Climate: Being near the equator, Singapore’s climate can pretty
hot. Temperatures hover around 30°C throughout the year. November,
December and January are usually the coolest and the wettest months, but
rain can fall all year round.
Singapore stands as one of the more popular, wealthy, and modern
countries in Asia. For first time travelers to Asia, Singapore is a like
a gentle transition filled with Western standards of comfort and hygiene
alongside traditional Indian, Chinese, and Malay enclaves. While its
downtown areas are dense with towering skyscrapers and gleaming shopping
malls, the island still retains an abundance of nature reserves and
lush, tropical greenery.
 A
lot of tourists may find some regulations to seem extreme: neglecting
to flush a public toilet, jaywalking, chewing gum and
eating on the subway all carry sizeable fines. Yet the upshot is
that Singapore is a clean, safe place to visit, its amenities are second
to none and its public places are smoke-free and hygienic.
Singapore is small enough to be explored in just a few days. Downtown is
known as the Colonial District where the island’s British residents used
to stroll. The city is a wealth of hidden gems ready to be discovered by
the patient traveler. From the aromatic spice stores of Little India
to the tumbledown back streets of Chinatown, where it's still
possible to find calligraphers and fortune- tellers, or the Arab
Quarter, whose cluttered stores sell fine cloths and silks, there
will always be something interesting to find.
Beyond the city, is the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the splendid
Singapore Zoological Gardens, complete with night safari
tours, and
 
the oriental Disneyworld attractions of
Haw Par Villa. Offshore, you'll find Sentosa, the island
amusement arcade which is linked to the south coast by a short causeway
(and cable car), and Pulau Ubin, off the east coast, where the
inhabitants continue to live a traditional kampung (village) life.
Must See Sights
1. Chinatown
Terraces of traditional shop-houses, impressive Hokkien architecture,
fiery red temples and venerable restaurants.
2. Little India
Ornate temples, manic markets and fine restaurants characterize
Singapore's most atmospheric quarter.
3. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Only two cities in the world enclose an area of primary rainforest, and
at Bukit Timah the experience is free.
4. Singapore Zoological Gardens
More than two thousand animals are housed here in a humane environment,
where moats are preferred to cages.
5. Sentosa Island
A theme park island where there's also a choice of beaches and an
historic fort to visit.
6. Hawker Centers
By far the cheapest and best places to sample dishes from the island's
multi-ethnic cuisine.
7. Shopping at Orchard Road
The glitzy malls of Orchard Road are prime territories to indulge in the
national obsession.
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