AGIFORS Annual
Symposium 2004
Singapore Information
Sightseeing &
Entertainment
At first glance, Singapore appears shockingly modern and
anonymous, but this is an undeniably Asian city with Chinese, Malay
and Indian traditions from feng shui to ancestor worship creating
part of the everyday landscape. It's these contrasts that bring the
city to life. One day you're in a hawker stall melting over a bowl
of Indian curry, the next you're enjoying high tea in whispered
environs complete with air-con, starched linen table cloths and
gliding waiters.
Arab
St
The Muslim centre of Singapore is a traditional textile district,
full of batiks from Indonesia, silks, sarongs and shirts. Add to
this mix rosaries, flower essences, hajj caps, songkok hats,
basketware and rattan goods, and you have a fair idea of the
products haggled over in this part of the city. The grand Sultan
Mosque is the biggest and liveliest mosque in Singapore, but the
tiny Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque is the most beautiful. There's
fine Indian Muslim food along nearby North Bridge Rd and the
foodstalls on Bussorah St are especially atmospheric at dusk during
Ramadan.
Chinatown
 Chinatown
is Singapore's cultural heart and still provides glimpses of the old
ways with its numerous temples, decorated terraces and its frantic
conglomeration of merchants, shops and activity. Gentrified
restaurants and expensive shops are gradually overtaking the
venerable incense-selling professions.
Colonial
Singapore
The mark of Sir Stamford Raffles is indelibly stamped on central
Singapore. By moving the business district south of the river and
making the northern area the administrative centre, Raffles created
the framework that remained the blueprint for central Singapore
through generations of colonial rule and the republican years of
independence. Places of interest include: Empress Place Building, an
imposing Victorian structure, built in 1865, that houses a museum,
art and antique galleries and a chic restaurant; the incongruous
Padang, where flannelled cricketers once caught, bowled and batted
in the searing heat; Raffles Hotel, a Singaporean institution which
has become a byword for oriental luxury; and any number of imposing
churches, such as St Andrew's Cathedral and the Cathedral of the
Good Shepherd.
Jurong
Jurong Town, west of the city centre, is a huge industrial and
housing area that is the powerhouse of Singapore's economy. This
might seem an unlikely spot for a number of Singapore's tourist
attractions but it is home to the Haw Par Villa (an incredibly tacky
Chinese mythological theme park), the beautifully landscaped Jurong
Bird Park, Chinese Garden and the hands-on Singapore Discovery
Centre
Little
India
 This
modest but colourful area of wall-to-wall shops, pungent aromas and
Hindi film music is a relief from the prim modernity of many parts
of the city. This is the place to come to pick up that framed print
of a Hindu god you've always wanted, eat great vegetarian food and
watch streetside cooks fry chapatis.
Orchard
Rd
 Dominated
by high-class hotels this is the playground of Singapore's elite,
who are lured by the shopping centres, nightspots, restaurants, bars
and lounges. A showcase for the material delights of capitalism,
Orchard Rd also possesses some sights of cultural interest where a
credit card is not required.
Sentosa
Island
The granddaddy of Singapore's parks, Sentosa Island is the
city-state's most visited attraction. It has museums, aquariums,
beaches, sporting facilities, walks, rides and food centres. If a
day isn't enough to take in all the sites and activities, the island
has a camping ground, hostel and luxury hotels.
Other Information
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