Spending Time in Singapore

So, to conclude my series of posts about spending time outside of the United States, I thought it was only fitting to finish with my home of seven years, the wonderful island of Singapore. Singapore was previously known as Temasek or "sea town" and, between the 16th and early 19th centuries, it was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, arrived and signed a treaty to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post. In 1824, the entire island became part of the British East India Company. Many Chinese and Indian immigrants settled down in the area, coming to the city to work in the many rubber plantations.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
the 1st Prime Minister of Singapore

During WWII, the Japanese army invated Malaysia, and the British were defeated in Singapore. The Japanese occupied Singapore until the British reposessed it in 1945. Singapore declared independence from Britain to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 and, it was only in 1965 when the country gained independence as the Republic of Singapore in 1965. Lee Kuan Yew was dubbed the prime minister and, everyone present in Singapore on the date of independence was offered citizenship. In 1990, Go Chok Tong succeeded Lee as prime minister and, in 2004, Lee Hsien Loong becaume the 3rd prime minister.

If you like hot and humid climates, Singapore is the place to be. The weather rarely drops below 85 degrees, and, while there are thunderstorms that come out of nowhere, they only ever last for half an hour at the longest. And, while Singapore is mostly known as a port from which people visit other countries, it has a few attractions that it can brag about. 

some of the orchids at the Singapore
Botanical Gardens



Singapore's Night Safari



 

The White Tigers at the Singapore

National Zoo Exhibit

 

When visiting Singapore, twosites that you absolutely cannot miss (which, conveniently, are located in the same area) are the Zoo and the  Night Safari. Singapore's zoo is unique in that, instead of having cages, the animals are placed in exhibits that are surrounded by deep gorges. These exhibits are constructed to appear similar to the environment that the animals are normally found in. The Night Safari, is one of the world's first. Visitors can walk around similar animal exhibits in the night, and observe nocturnal animals, as well as other animals, in the night. There are multiple walking routes and, I recommend that, if you actually end up going, you take each of them. Singapore's botanical gardens are also definitely worth checking out, especially because of the large variety of orchids that one can find!



The Night Safari's tram, passing by grazing tapirs





Singapore is a melting pot for different cultures. The country itself has five main languages: Malay, Bahasa, English, Mandarin, and Tamil. And, each of these cultures are equally represented. Furthermore, because Singapore is also known as a major trading post in Southeast Asia, other European cultures are also prent. And, because so many cultures are present in Singapore, variety in regards to foods is immense. My personal favorite, is a dish called Laksa. Laksa is a spicy seafood curry, served with noodles and every type of seafood imaginable (with the exception of lobster). Although, I should warn you non-spicy food eaters that, this dish is not for people with weak palates.

Laksa, a local Malay dish, topped with chicken and tofu

Singapore is a hub for diversity and, if you don't have time to visit all of South East Asia, you should definitely stop by here because it really has it all. And, a nice perk is, because it's so small it doesn't take very long to really see the whole city/country.