Singapore kind of caught me by surprise I had been expecting it to be hilly, slightly mountainous terrain similar to Hong Kong but from the window of the taxi I saw that it was flat. Like Hong Kong though the country still has plenty of land. Hong Kong’s is mainly due to its hilly terrain that makes it unable to build upon while Singapore has pockets of forest, green lush trees which have been left there to grow their natural way.

I  could see why Singapore is known for its gardens. My wife earlier had wanted to visit Singapore’s botanical garden but on our way to our hotel The Marriott located on Orchard road, the main shopping district of Singapore. My wife said “Chris, there is no need to go to the botanical garden, the whole country is like a garden”. Even the strips of malls have lines of trees out front  helping to shade you from the heat and humidity. Lucky I’m living in Japan and it’s Summer here and I’ve adjusted to the heat so Singapore’s weather was comfortable for me but to think that the temperature is like this 365 days of the year.

Singapore known for its melting pot of ethnic groups and cultures with Chinese,Malay, Indian, Peranakan and European making up the country that their first language outside their home is English for business and education but until going there I thought it was like Hong Kong where most people can speak English but still use Chinese as their everyday language so when I first stepped into the glitzy malls along Orchard road I wasn’t expecting to hear everyone speaking English.

Singapore’s Town Hall

The Fullerton Hotel

Singapore appears to have retained more intact buildings from their colonial era than Hong Kong, which mainly demolished them to build towering skyscrapers. Singapore on the other hand still studded with old terrace houses, river side warehouses, neo gothic churches and vast government buildings all built in the colonial style.

That night as I laid in bed, the last thing I remember before falling to sleep was thinking Singapore is nothing like Hong Kong.