Singapore is ‘shiok‘. It’s the place everybody wants to be in Asia right now, including Hollywood stars (Jet Li and Jacky Chan are two notable celebs who live here), tech entrepreneurs (Eduardo Severin, co-founder of Facebook), and even the giant otters, whose growing population has even got David Attenborough singing Singapore’s praises on the BBC for ‘rewilding’ the city and cleaning its rivers. Attenborough likes the place so much he even followed up with a documentary on Singapore’s rainforest. We lived in Singapore for 10 years. Singapore is where we met, where our journey began, and we have seen Singapore blossom and transform before our eyes. We were there before the now-iconic symbol of Singapore was constructed – Marina Bay Sands, and the incredible Gardens By the Bay next to it. We were there before the magnificent Singapore Flyer was built, Asia’s largest observation wheel. We were there before Sentosa’s Resorts World and Casino was developed, along with Universal Studios. We were there before the roof was put over the adult party playground of Clarke Quay. We were even there before the hip bohemian enclaves of Joo Chiat, Tiong Bahru, Telok Ayer and Duxton Hill became popular. The Little Red Dot has experienced incredible growth and a surge in popularity as its status as a finance, trade, entertainment and travel hub has rocketed. The Formula One night race held here is the most popular in the calendar. And remember Crazy Rich Asians? That was filmed here. It’s now shiok to speak Singlish. Though we have lived away from Singapore for 6 years now, it always draws us back. It always feels like coming home. We are big fans of the racially diverse population, reflected in the culture, architecture, and food – an exotic blend of Indian, Malay, Chinese and Eurasian. We love the hawker centre vibe, great food and beer at low prices – a visit to a hawker centre is a quintessential Singapore experience. We adore the mix of old and new, the heritage and the modern. Singapore has done remarkably well in preserving many of the old Peranakan shophouses, and even the old British colonial-era black and white bungalows still have a place and a purpose. We are fond of Singlish, we understand it even if we still can’t differentiate between the ‘lahs‘ and the ‘lehs‘ and the ‘lors‘. We absolutely love the fact that Singapore is a well-positioned hub, well-connected to the rest of South East Asia and beyond. We would spend many a weekend when we lived here in Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Vientiane…those were halcyon days of sun-kissed mornings, lazy afternoons and balmy, tropical evenings. We spent 5 weeks there recently, escaping the clutches of Covid policies in Hong Kong. Here are our top 33 things to do in Singapore (and check out places we also like but haven’t featured in this edition: Bugis Street Market; MacRitchie Reservoir; Bedok Reservoir; Sungei Buloh Wetlands and Sixth Avenue too!). Let us know your favourites!
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