The Land Of The Lion And The City Built On Sand
Observations from Singapore and Dubai
This is a two-part post about my visits to Singapore and Dubai. The first part will be about Singapore, the places I visited and my overall thoughts and impressions.
So without much further ado, here’s my write up about visiting Singapore.
Singapore: Land of The Lion
On August 9th, Singapore celebrated its national day. It was a day to celebrate their independence from Malaysia on 9th August 1965. Throughout the city, there were Singaporean flags displayed from apartment buildings and billboards while there were preparations and rehearsals being made for the celebration.
I’ve been interested in visiting Singapore for a while. Last year, I planned to travel there especially when I discovered that Ghanaian citizens could visit Singapore without a visa.
Unfortunately, plans fell apart and I had to postpone.
So this year, I made early plans and got a package deal with Abton Crafters to take trips to both Singapore and Dubai.
What’s my overall impression of Singapore? Very impressed!
First Impressions
I couldn’t help but notice this once I was out and about in Singapore: The air is so breathable! I can’t overemphasize this. The air feels so clean and everywhere around the city is green.
This is not an accident. This was all planned. In 2012, Singapore set a deadline to achieve cleaner air by 2020. They’re doing this through initiatives such as a carbon tax, lowering vehicle emissions and setting standards and improving public transportation.
Singapore is literally one of the “greenest” city I’ve seen. There is greenery everywhere.
On the roads, near sidewalks…. It’s all green.
Roads are clean, sideways are clean, stores are clean….Everything is clean. I think I’m going overboard with the cleanliness thing but it’s definitely something you will notice when you pay close attention to the surroundings.
On this trip, I was a tourist and had an itinerary which included visits to some of the tourist attractions in Singapore.
And oh boy, does Singapore have lots of tourist attractions!
Singapore Zoo
I can’t remember the last time I went to a Zoo. But after my visit to the Singapore Zoo, I don’t think there’s a lot of other places that could top it.
Here’s some background about the Singapore Zoo:
- The zoo was built at a cost of $9 billion (Yes, with a giant “B”) granted by the government of Singapore.
- It attracts 1.7 million visitors each year (Glad to know I’m officially one of those 1.7 million)
- Funny story: At the time, the prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, was not a fan of the zoo but eventually became a frequent visitor. One time, the prime minister was so upset about the escape of 6 deers from the Zoo that he threatened to close down the zoo if they were not found in a specific amount of days. They were eventually found.
The Singapore Zoo employs the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, ‘open’ exhibits with hidden barriers, moats, and glass between the animals and visitors.
Here are some pictures of some of the exhibitions:
(I can’t post everything but here’s a shared folder of full-screen pictures with some videos from the trip to the Zoo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uudbRUY8XQg832eEA)
Garden By The Bay
I once saw the above picture online for a wallpaper/background. Fast forward and I was literally looking at it through my camera phone. And it’s incredible to look at in person.
These “trees” are found at the Garden By The Bay, a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres).
It has a Flower Dome which is the largest glass greenhouse in the world (and it’s very, very pretty!)
The Garden By The Bay project cost $1 billion (another big “B”) and has about 34 million (!) visitors annually.
I would have to post another blog to talk about the Garden By The Bay visit. There were lots to see including the artificial waterfall.
Pictures speak louder than words here so here’s a couple of pictures from that trip (For more pictures and video, check out my shared folder: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8dyihJqpmAu76Qth9)
Sentosa Island
(Honestly, being a tourist is really tiring. How do some of you do all this?? Lol. I have never taken so many pictures in my life…)
Next on the itinerary was a visit to Sentosa Island, specifically Madame Tussauds and also a “light show” event later on in the evening.
Small Facts:
- Sentosa Island was once used as a British military base and a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.
- In 1972, the island was renamed Sentosa and was planned to be a popular tourist destination.
- It receives more than 20 million visitors per year.
To get to the island, we went by cable car.
The Cable Car Ride…wow….I can’t even describe it. If you are afraid of heights, I wouldn't suggest using this to get to Sentosa Island but the views from the ride are spectacular. (See more pictures in the link I’ve posted below)
If you’re familiar with Madame Tussauds, you would know that it’s basically wax figures of popular celebrities and personalities but what I rather enjoyed was the interactive storytelling of the history of Singapore by human actors. I couldn’t take any pictures or video during the tour but it was definitely very informative. (For instance, I had no idea Japan attacked Singapore during WW2).
After a long day of walking, lunch, and more walking and sightseeing, the day was done. Here are more pictures of the trip with some videos of the cable car rides and a great light show at the end of the day: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aUz9ASVnvR9S97DX8
Universal Theme Park + Jewel At The Airport
The next trip on the itinerary: Universal Theme Park on Sentosa island (There are so many side attractions to Sentosa Island, you have no idea…)
Rollercoasters, 4D rides, expensive food, more rides…Everything you would expect at a theme park.
After having my adrenaline drained, I decided to take a walk across the park to a nearby mall. The views from the boardwalk were so calming….Sigh.
Here are some pictures from the Theme Park: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KUkzQNXSToLeChdB6
It felt like a short trip (technically it was 3 days if we’re being honest) but the last attraction on this trip was the airport.
Yes. The airport. I never knew an airport could actually be an attraction but here we are….
Known as the Jewel, it’s a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex at the Changi Airport. It’s actually linked to three of its passenger terminals. The main attraction of the Jewel is the centerpiece which is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, named the Rain Vortex, which is surrounded by a terraced forest setting.
Unfortunately, the indoor waterfall was turned off when we got there (sad face) but everything else inside was great. The forest setting is amazing. Again, Singapore is really green.
For more Hi-Res pictures and video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iNK9ezD9e4T1or3G8
Lasting Impressions
Singapore made a lasting impression on me for various reasons. From city planning efforts, tourist attractions and use of technology.
I barely got to talk about smart city aspect of the city.
Three days is not enough to fully review a city/country but just from the observations, Singapore gets a lot of things right.
Car Ownership
One of the interesting facts I learned about Singapore was about ownership of a car: Firstly, Singapore uses the right-hand drive (Similar to the UK). Secondly, in order to even own a car, you need a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) (which is very expensive!). A COE allows a person to own and use a car for only 10 years. After 10 years, the vehicle must be scrapped or another COE needs to be purchased.
The reason? Easing congestion on the roads. Remember when I spoke about Singapore being a green city? Why have large amounts of vehicles on the road when Singapore has taxis, ride-sharing, buses and trains to get around?
Also, ownership of a car is very expensive. On average, you will pay S$1,473 a year on car insurance, S$621 for servicing/maintenance costs, S$742 in road tax, and S$2,341 in petrol costs. (All are Singaporean Dollars).
All this factors into why Singapore is considered an expensive city.
But aside from that, this is what makes it unique. All the taxes and costs go into making the city great.
I wanted to go into a whole rant about how Ghana could learn from a city like Singapore but right now, I’m kind of disillusioned into thinking we can ever get to this level (sorry to burst your bubble).
How can Ghana become close to Singapore? If elected leaders actually cared, citizens held elected officials accountable, laws were enforced and planning and design were strictly adhered and more technology was implemented to cut out waste and corruption.
Almost 60 years ago, Singapore was nothing more than a fishing village with little to no resources. In 2019, they’re in the future setting high benchmarks and being a great model for other cities to follow.
I can’t say the same for Ghana, unfortunately. It is what it is, but it shouldn’t be.
Next post is about Dubai, a place that I think shouldn’t exist but is somehow one of the best designed and well-planned areas I have ever seen.
