Have you avoided traveling to Asia because it seems too foreign?  Are you apprehensive to visit a new place, where you don’t speak the same language?  If you have never considered traveling to Singapore, check out my top 5 reasons to visit Singapore.

Top 5 Reasons to Visit Singapore

1. It’s green and clean.  Singapore is by far one of the greenest and cleanest places in Asia.  To cut down on air pollution, fees have been put in place for driving downtown.  Over 5% of the island is reserved for nature.  Littering is a crime.  You can even receive a fine for forgetting to flush in a public restroom.  In addition, it is a crime to spit on the sidewalk.  With all of these factors considered, you will find Singapore clean enough to eat the m&m that you dropped on the sidewalk.
2. Everyone speaks English.  This is something to treasure as many Asian languages are difficult to learn and utilize while traveling.  With an abundance of English speakers (and the national language of Singapore being English) you can ask locals for directions and advice on what to see or do.  What a perfect place to visit in Asia!  Check out Asia for the first time, without the language barrier.
3. It is safe.  Low car accidents.  Low theft and crimes.  Singapore is so safe, a woman could walk around alone at any time of the day or night and feel completely safe, anywhere.  Singapore is a great location for independent travel, as you never need to look over your shoulder and fear for your safety.  
4. Singapore supports the arts.  The arts and entertainment are found in abundance.  Sculptures, art shows, theater, music and dance.  The Esplanade alone has loads of theater and art.  It’s easy to find a broadway show, or an up and coming musician.  Whatever your entertainment tastes are, you should be able to find a quality live show to attend.  
5. Loads of shopping.  One of Singapore’s national pastimes is shopping.  You don’t have to enjoy clothing shopping to get in on the action.  I wondered through an entire 5 story mall devoted to electronics.  Everything from computers, to cell phones, to digital media and more.  Singapore is the place to find the perfect shopping spree for anyone, even non-shop-aholics.

These are only my “Top 5 Reasons to Visit Singapore”.  It is easy to find countless reasons why Singapore is such an attractive place to visit.  It’s clean, affordable, easy to navigate with clean and reliable transportation, friendly people, and so many different areas of the city to explore.  

Many things have changed over the past few decades, causing Singapore to become an easy and enjoyable place to visit.  

However, who knows how long Singapore will remain a travel treasure.  The government is currently running a campaign to “Have Children Now”.  The population is due to increase rapidly over the next several years.  Make your visit to Singapore a priority in the next year or two, and savor the beautiful place that Singapore has become.  

You too can wonder aimlessly in a mall of 100% electronics.  Singapore has something for everyone!

You may be wondering, where is Singapore and is it a city or a country?  It is both a city and a country, located on a small island just south of peninsular Malaysia.  Although Singapore is small, it is centrally located. Its central location and modern airport make Singapore one of the transportation hubs of South East Asia

googlemap

Singapore’s government conducts extensive city planning, as every square foot of Singapore’s small size is structured to create modern efficiency in order to propel Singapore to economic greatness.  In fact, after living in Singapore for over a year, Rex and Lisa developed a great metaphor to explain Singapore. In many ways, Singapore is a life size version of SimCity the computer game.  The land will only hold a certain number of buildings and when a new element of the city is needed, such as a new housing development or a library, these buildings are strategically planned and constructed. Existing buildings are demolished to create new space.

For those who enjoy food (and seriously, who doesn’t?) Singapore is a great place to find almost any type of food.  The city of Singapore offers a variety of cultural districts including Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street (really, that’s the name of the street) and many other small subcultures offering delicious dining.  The fresh juices are incredible.  I will never forget my first Avocado juice -  green, smooth and full of potassium.  Foodies, flock to Singapore during your next appetite for adventure.

Another great aspect of Singapore is its simple public transportation system.  It is possible to hop on and off of the MRT (the underground transportation system in Singapore) and arrive in a new location within a few minutes.  Since Singapore is an island, you are never too far from the beach.  I found a few kids having fun on the shore taking advantage of the beach along East Coast Parkway.

As for the phrase ‘Asia Light’ I agree 100%, especially after my time in China.  When I was a college student, I spent a summer semester (2005) in Beijing studying Mandarin Chinese at a university.  This is the best point of reference or comparison I may offer.

A few comparisons of Singapore and China:

In Singapore the standard Western toilet bowl is typically found in most public bathrooms. In China however, at least in 2005, the squatter toilet was common.  Or my favorite, the trough style toilet, which I actually took a picture of.  They really exist.

Singapore law will fine individuals for spitting on the sidewalk and as a result, Singapore’s streets are so clean they practically sparkle.  While young children in China can be seen going to the bathroom on public walking paths.  These young children (typically 4 years old and younger) will tend to wear clothing with no fabric around their bottoms, allowing easy access to relieve themselves as desired.  Note the baby bum in the photo below.

Singapore’s street vendors (hawkers) are certified with a strict grading system.  A’s for the most clean and sanitary establishments, B’s for rather sanitary, C’s and so on.  Compare this to China’s street vendors selling mango on a stick shouting, “yi quai, yi quai, yi quai” (one dollar, one dollar, one dollar).  Who knows where the mango was pealed?  Or how long it’s been on the stick, in the sun, with flies landing on it.  But it’s only one Chinese dollar ($0.15 US) and on a hot summer day, mango on a stick sounds great!  Don’t worry, when traveling to Singapore just look for the big A and you will know your food is not only delicious but also safe to consume.  As a backpacker, you can learn to eat all of your meals at Maxwell Food Center.

Get into a Singapore cab and you will be able to  a converse in English, just like you could with a New York City cab driver.  It is humorous to compare this to my cab ride experiences in China.  With some characters scribbled onto a piece of paper and my best conversation skills after studying Chinese in college for 2 years, I would still find myself hoping to end up at my intended destination.

If you want to travel and witness intense Asian culture, as illustrated in my comparisons and the last two photographs, travel to China.  However, if you are a bit apprehensive to undergo the culture shock Asia offers, perhaps Singapore is a good way to start.  Ease in with Singapore, ‘Asia Lite’.  You can even drink the tap water.

Nomadic Matt has put together a great list of cheap things to do in Singapore.  Feel free to check it out.