Lush Urban Luxury: Singapore
Lush Urban Luxury
Lush urban luxury. These three words sum up Singapore.
Singapore is tropical with abundant rainfall, high humidity and two monsoon seasons. I hate the sun, but I love the tropics. So I opened my umbrella and started walking around. This shot, below, typifies my experience.
As if there isn’t already enough vegetation growing on the ground, Singaporeans love to add it to their buildings.
I chose the title image for the trees growing on the cut-out spaces. Trees in and on buildings are everywhere.
One of the fantastic advantages of walking around a city like Singapore is that I was in a constant cloud of smells. The air wafts with spices from cooking and fragrant flowers and bushes. Get off the Big Bus, people, and walk around!
Speaking of which, a stop at Lau Pat Sat ‘Hawker Center’ is in order. Here, below, is what I’d call ‘truth in advertising’:
Throughout my travels, I’ve discovered that I also love architecture. This pair fascinated me from the start.
The one is the foreground is a G. W. Marriott. The one in the background is an office building. The entryway looks like this:
Do we really need TVs everywhere?
For more modern and colonial era buildings, see Singapore: It’s a Place To Go.
Lush Urban Luxury: Ethnic Neighborhoods
Singapore is justly famous for its many distinctive neighborhoods, reflecting its diverse population.
Chinatown:
Thian Hock Keng Temple was built for the worship of Mazu, the Chinese sea goddess
The neighborhood is near downtown, so when you look up, this is what you see:
Little India:
No Little India is complete without its temple:
Arab Street:
Lush Urban Luxury: The Botanical Garden
Me, I’m a fan of botanical gardens, ever since I was a kid. So, Singapore’s was a must for me. I was not disappointed. Talk about lush and luxurious! It’s 60 acres of one emerald green vista after the next:
Lily pads:
The occasional critter:
A gorgeous walkway
And lots of botanical information:
Some ginger plants:
This tour of Lush Urban Luxury Singapore would not be complete without showing you the Raffles Hotel whose Long Bar is famous for the Singapore Sling:
When I was in Singapore, the hotel was closed for renovations. It will reopen in August 2019
Okay, my pun with the alcoholic ‘lush’ isn’t great, but it will have to do.
Historical note: Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1781-1826) founded Singapore and British Malaysia.
Check out: Singapore Sling recipe
Final note: Keeping it lush and luxurious
Singapore has managed to keep the city livable, traffic-wise. High vehicle import taxes exist. The number of new cars are severely limited. And this city is the first to have instituted driving tolls. Rates depend on location and hour. Taxis adds those charges to the fare.
You see these Electronic Road Pricing signs all over the city.
Similarly, London also has Congestion Charge Zones.
See also: All Julie’s Asia Blogs
Categorised in: Adventure, Blog, East Asia
This post was written by Julie Tetel Andresen
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