Singapore for the tourists and the revheads

The Republic of Singapore sits 1 degree north of the equator with a population exceeding 5 million people living in only 400 square kilometres. 77% are Chinese and only 14% are indigenous Malays.

Singapore got its’ name in the 14^th century when a Srivijayan Prince, who was just passing, got a fright when an animal that looked like a lion ran past him. He seemed to have the delegated authority for naming things so he renamed the island to Singa Pura, the lion city. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles, who was just passing, claimed Singa Pura as an outpost of the British East India Company and dutifully bastardised the local name into Singapore. 

The peace loving Malays flourished as a coastal trading post but got a fright in 1943 when the Japanese, who were just passing, decided to stay longer than visitors should so the Malays asked the Japanese and the British to leave. After the guests had left and the dishes were done Singapore became the Federation of Malaysia in 1959. Several sub-committees and working parties later Singapore became an Independent Republic in 1965. 

Singapore today has a world-class approach to its city planning with amazing structures that exude style rivalling Melbourne and Dubai in the final milieu of architectural excellence. The city is as clean as my mothers lounge room, except when the cat vomits, due to strictly enforced rules on building sites, littering and no chewing gum.

Today we visited the Singapore Flyer at Marina Bay that is the world’s largest Observation Wheel over 165 metres high. It is 35 metres larger than the London Eye, which is substantial. Each observation car is a mini restaurant at night. The views back over Singapore are not to be missed.

After the heights of the Flyer we jumped aboard a WW2 Amphibious vehicle (duck), left by the Americans who were just passing, and toured the harbour by water. I must say that Singapore Harbour, albeit small, rivals Sydney Harbour for waterfront entertainment and access by its’ citizens. The waterfront buildings, their design and symbiotic interaction with each other is breathtaking.

Views from both the flyer and the duck allowed us to take in the key features of the Singapore waterfront; Marina Bay Sands - a three-tower hotel with a gravity defying huge ship like structure on top of it (see pic below), the Merlion that is the symbol of Singapore City, a stunning botanical garden under glass that is much larger than the Sydney Botanical garden Pyramid, the Art Science Museum in the shape of a Lotus which must be as architecturally significant as the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and the Sydney Opera House and the Esplanade Theatre (see pic below) that some say is in the shape of a microphone and others the eyes of a fly……

Of course, shopping was third on the agenda. Singapore is not a cheap duty free port as legend has it. The Aussie dollar gets $SG1.25 at the moment so its not amazingly cheap. Thailand and HongKong are cheaper if shopping is your thing.

Singapore for the rev-heads (car racing enthusiasts)

The International SingTel Formula 1 race is held in September in Singapore City. The whole city is turned into a large racetrack. I had a quick look at my bucket list, added driving a super-car, and hired a Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster to tour the city and check out the race track.

The Roadster is an all wheel drive mid engined super-car. With an exceptionally low-slung body, the highest point of the roof is just 1 metre above the ground. As a part of the deal I was given access to the F1 track for a few laps. Much of the track weaves through the city so this was part race and part city commute. Driving a 580+hp Lamborghini at 20kph is as difficult as driving it at 200kph. 

The Murciélago Roadster is primarily designed to be an open top car, it has a soft roof as cover from adverse weather, but a warning on the windshield advises the driver not to exceed 160 km/h with the top in place. Given the insurance excess and the speeds I was hoping to achieve, I decided to leave the roof off which led to some moderate sunburn but a big, big smile.