Singapore - Small tour around the city

What Singapore lacks in size and space it makes up for in complexity and interest. There is a lot happening in this small city state but some things are not all that obvious. Keep an eye on the ‘Life’ section of the “The Straits Times” newspaper for the latest local news of cultural events.

Transport – Like all the most sophisticated cities, Singapore has an excellent public transport system. There are three subway lines, an excellent network of bus routes and numerous taxis. Owning a car is not a necessity.

Language – English is spoken by everyone. On the streets you will hear lots of other languages too. Chinese and numerous dialects of Chinese including Hokkien and Cantonese, Tamil, Hindi and other Indian languages, Malay and Thai.

Expat lifestyle – There is a well-established environment for expatriate living that goes back to British colonial times. The many thousands of expatriates living in Singapore have their own clubs, associations and favourite restaurants. However there are many different subsets within the expatriate community and people living all sorts of different lifestyles. There is a wide choice of housing and schools.

Opportunities – Singapore is a very open society that welcomes people from around the world. It has a very good business and work environment.

Safety – An excellent place to live with a very safe environment for children. There is very little crime and it is safe to walk on most streets even late at night.
After September 11, an Islamic militant terrorist cell was planning to bomb Western embassies. A large number of people were arrested and the Singapore government has this security issue well under control.
There is a very good public health system that worked quickly and efficiently to control the recent SARS outbreak.