Perched out on the very tip of the Malay Peninsula, the autonomous Republic of Singapore has long commanded the trade lines of the Malacca Straits, making it one of the world’s richest and most thriving post-colonial port towns. Today, that affluence pokes through at every turn, from the pristine pavements of the high-rise banking district, to the eye-watering architecture and nouveau riche bars of the harbour.
But despite its wealth and comely appearance, there’s no question that Singapore has its visceral, wholly Asian side too. First off, there’s the districts of Little India and Chinatown, where the convergence of bubbling Balti dishes and steaming dim sum stands as testimony to the intense plethora of cultures and creeds that now call this city state home. Then there’s the bubbling mix of mosques, Buddhist temples and Christian churches to explore, not to mention the jungled outback of thickets and swamps that’s typically Southeast Asian in every respect.
Ask any Singapore tourist guide and they’ll tell you that most first-timers kick off their visit with a tall Singapore Sling in Raffles, or a trip to the boutique eateries of the harbourside, none of them leaving town without at least a short jaunt through the magnificent exhibitions of the city’s world-class zoo!