Merlion – the national personification of the state
The name is a combination of MER (meaning a sea) and LION (meaning a lion). The body of fish is the origin of Singapore as a fishing village, and the lion’s head is the original name of Singapore.
Global trade, financial and transport node spread over 63 islands. It represents many superlatives – it is also helped by the fact that it is also highly rated in terms of health care, education, length and quality of life, housing and personal safety. Sometimes it is also referred to as “The Garden City” due to a great effort to ecology. Urbanization has contributed to this theme because 95% of the historic forest of Singapore was destroyed and nowadays natural fauna and flora are only present in nature reserves. Even on the road, there is a limited number of passenger cars to reduce pollution and traffic jams.
When I´m in the traffic situation, the “SHORTCUT” of one company providing public transport is for us Czechs a little funny 🙂
As far as we are concerned, we have chosen the most ecological way of transport – the bicycle. You have the chance to choose what you want on the street. Download the app to your mobile, upload credit, and then unlock. If you do not need a bike, just park and lock it somewhere. Once, we didn´t have the bike fully functional after the wheel was unlocked. Fortunately, we reported the problem through the application and didn´t pay any money.
And when I talk about the money, I’ll introduce you to the local currency – the Singapore Dollar (SGD). On the reverse side of all the banknotes is depicted the first Singaporean president, Yusof bin Ishak. Singapore coins and banknotes have the same nominal values as Brunei coins and banknotes.
Marina Bay
Gulf is located in the central area of Singapore, which is linked to several stories. And I will start the most attractive for the male population – the Singapore Grand Prix, which is part of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. It is on the Marina Bay Street circuit. Part of the circuit where the riders drive, we saw during our visit after we crossed Helix Bridge. The construction of this bridge was inspired by double helix DNA.
Marina Bay Sands
2561-room luxury hotel with a 150-meter swimming pool located at the top of the largest public console platform. And as Kazma said in his One Man Show video called “Yes Man”, you can swim in it if you are staying at this hotel. The current price per room per night is approx. 8000 CZK – it is great, right? 🙂
ArtScience Museum – The world’s first museum of Artscience
The building reminds of the shape of a lotus flower. It has 21 galleries. An interesting feature of the building is that it uses rainwater (which flows through the roof to the pond to the lowest point of the building) for use on restrooms. Ecology first!
Esplanade Bridge
A 261-meter-long bridge was built for faster access from the Marina Center to Shenton Way Financial Square. Since 2008, the bridge has also been a part of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix circuit and must be closed for the whole weekend.
War Memorial Park
The memorial was named as a Civil War Memorial. The four pillars are of significance – they symbolize the four main races of people living in Singapore. At the base of the monument, words were written in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil). The words “Memorial of Civil Victims of the Japanese Occupation 1942-1945“.
Summer Olympic Games for Youth 2010
The first year of the Youth Olympic Games hosted Singapore, which defeated Moscow in the final vote. It is an international multi-sport and cultural event of youth in the spirit of the Olympic Games. The most successful nation was China.
Supertree Grove
They are tree-shaped constructions dominated by Garden by the Bay. It measures 25-50 meters and fulfills a variety of functions such as planting, shading, but also the work of ecological engines. The buildings are home to the enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vineyards, orchids and extensive collections of bromeliads. They are equipped with ecological technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees. There is the music light show at night and it is called OCBC Garden Rhapsody.
What to say in the end: If you are traveling and you saw several cities with super modern skyscrapers, the city may come a little dull. But you have to find a way how you can enjoy this place. In the evening, it is amazing when lights begin to light.
I have a couple of photos where you can see the super light chandelier and the river in the business center. For some countries, it is something unbelievable, for others, quite common things.
