SINGAPORE
Uniquely Golf In The Uniquely City

  What to see
Singapore has one of the most active tourism boards (STB) to manage a creative communication " Uniquely Singapore " towards its multimillion visitors and prospects featuring an attractive website and documentation, presence on the five continents, and small Visitors Centres spread out in the city. And for flyers on transit at Changi Airport, the STB offers free tours to give visitors the opportunity of an overview of the city. Uniquely!

There is so much to see! From Bugis place, on a 10 minute flight on a tethered balloon, at 150 m high (40 storeys) enjoy a 360° panoramic view over Singapore . It is a good way to put the pieces (places) of this amazing puzzle (the city) in their appropriate geographical places:
• the Singapore River is the cradle of the city discovered by a legendary Sumatran sultan who saw a lion and called it in Sanskrit: ' singa ' lion, ' pura ' city. It is also where Sir Stamford Raffles landed in 1819 and the first Chinese in 1821. Both are at the origin of the success of the city: one was a good trader but not a community solidifier; the other was a good diplomat and organizer, and divided trades, races and groups in different villages. In 1970, Sir Raffles was declared the official founder of Singapore (probably to neutralize rival claims by Malays or Chinese). His statue stands prominently in front of the Victoria Theatre .
•  the Merlion , half lion, half fish, has become Singapore 's icon designed in 1964 to be the Singapore Tourist Board's emblem. First placed at the Merlion Park adjacent to the Fullerton Hotel (which was the post office), it has been moved to the other side of the Esplanade Bridge in front of the modern buildings of Central Business District (CBD);
•  Boat Quay is the southern side of the Singapore River where the first Chinese settled for their port business until the cargo centre moved away to the modern harbour in the 1960s. The old shop houses have been saved and restored (brightly painted) in an entertainment district with many bars, restaurants and shops. Coloured bumboats stay there waiting for passengers. A short cruise is another way to discover the heart of the city;
•  on Clarke Quay , on the opposite side, there used to be the old warehouses. They have been transformed in a (controversial) modern art covered shopping centre with restaurants, hotels (Novotel) and some hot spots like the "Crazy Horse", a true copy of the Paris original cabaret and its famous topless girls;
•  the Colonial District and the three Quays are the heart of the city. There stands a treasure of authentic British colonial buildings which now house more museums than official services. This is the place to find the Parliament House (old and new), the Supreme Court (old and new), the St Andrew's Cathedral, the Padang and the Raffles Hotel;
•  Padang was the centre of the former colonial life where residents came to promenade and exchange gossips at the Scandal corner. On the green open field in front of the Cathedral, the (old) Supreme Court and the City Hall, the members of the select Singapore Cricket Club still play on weekends in the tropical heat;
•  the Raffles Hotel has been saved, in 1987 becoming a national monument which has been restored. It is one of the last greatest 19th century hotels and has inspired Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Charlie Chaplin. (Continues )

View of Padang, CBD and port

Keppel Terminal


Sir Stamford Raffles

Padang in front of colonial and modern buildings

Boat Quay at night

Ckarke Quay turtle cover

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