SINGAPORE 2025

 INFO and DIARY                             

As Singapore is the hub for flights around this part of Asia, I will once more have the chance to explore this fantastic city - or actually country.

SOME FACTS (Re-cycled from the first visit; 2009). [Jump to Diary]
The Republic of Singapore is a city-state (like Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Vatican City) located 137 kilometres north of equator at one large and 58 smaller islands just south of the Malay Peninsula, covering 710 square kilometres. The population is a little less than five millions, mainly with Chinese background (77%) some Malays ( 14%) and Indians (7%). The living standard is high, the GDP is among the highest in the world. Half of the landmass is urban, 40% parks, reservoirs, military and farmland. Only 4% of the originally vegetation have been preserved, most of this is squeezed in in the centre of the island at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

 It is tropical climate, ranging form 20C to 30C with a humidity around 75%. There are, more or less, only one season in the year, although I arrivals in the wettest with 250 mm rain a month (180 mm in the "dry" months).

 The earliest known settlement is as late as the 2nd century AD. The following years, it was an outpost for the Sumatran Srivijaya empire. Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore islands was part of the Sultanate of Johor. Meanwhile, in 1613, the settlement was set ablaze by Portuguese troops who held the island until the Dutch took over in the 18th century.

 In 1819, the British East India Company, led by Sir Stamford Raffles, established a trading post on the island, and it became the hub of British power in Southeast Asia. It was captured by the Japanese during World War II, but got back under British flag in 1945. It 1963, the city merged with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form Malaysia, but  on the 9. August, 1965 it got its independence, but remained a member of the Commonwealth.

 Although it is a rather limited area, there are several sights I would like to see: Singapore Botanic Gardens covers 67 hectare and includes the National Orchid Garden, which has a collection of more than 3,000 species of orchids. Singapore Zoo is a resort compared to most zoos. It covers 28 hectares, containing 2500 animals from 315 species.

 Then there are the wild nature which can be explored in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, MacRitchie reservoir park and Southern Ridges. In the urban areas, Little India with Mustafa should be worth seeing.

 If the time allows it; Jurong Bird Park with its 8000 birds from 600 species and the nearby Reptile Park along with the Chinese & Japanese Gardens, Mandai Orchid Gardens and Chinatown might be options. Besides from that, I have to admit there might not much else to see, given the limited time, unless you are a compulsive shopper.

 THE DIARY. Well, it turned out I only had a short time here, and I did not really experience anything particular.