Singapore was one of my earliest international trips, more than twenty years ago, when I stopped here for a few days on my way to Sri Lanka. My first impression was of an intensely modern city of high-rise buildings, shopping districts and dense development. It was very different from many of the places I was traveling to at the time, and it gave me my first glimpse of a country that manages to fit an extraordinary amount into a very small area.
There is much more of Singapore that I’d like to experience when I return. Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Gelam would give me a closer look at the country’s cultural history, while Gardens by the Bay represents the futuristic Singapore that has become one of the city’s defining images. I’d also like to get beyond the skyscrapers and explore the tropical forest of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Pulau Ubin, where a quieter and more natural side of Singapore survives remarkably close to the city.
Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, yet its compact size contains an unusual variety of neighborhoods, cultures and landscapes. Chinese, Malay, Indian and other influences have shaped the country’s architecture, religious sites and especially its food, while protected forests and offshore islands preserve pockets of the tropical environment that once covered much more of Singapore.
Singapore’s skyline reflects the extraordinary transformation of the country into one of Southeast Asia’s most urbanized places. High-rise offices, hotels, shopping centers and residential towers dominate much of the central city, while development continues to share limited space with parks, historic districts and carefully preserved green areas.
Shopping was one of the most visible parts of Singapore during my visit, with large commercial districts and malls woven into the urban landscape. The city has long been a major regional center for retail and commerce, although its streets also contain older shophouses, markets and neighborhood businesses that reflect a very different period in Singapore’s history.
One building in particular caught my attention, although I never learned its actual name. Its unusual exterior reminded me of a honeycomb, so in my photographs it simply became the “Beehive Building.”
High-rise living is a defining feature of Singapore’s urban landscape. With a large population concentrated within a small territory, residential development has expanded upward, producing neighborhoods dominated by apartment towers rather than the low-density suburbs found in many other countries.
One of my more unexpected memories of Singapore came in the middle of the night. The fire alarm at my hotel went off around 3:00 in the morning, forcing everyone outside while the building was checked. Rather than wait at the entrance, I went out into the surrounding neighborhood.
I expected the streets to be almost deserted, but parts of the city were still remarkably active. People were out, businesses remained open and food was still being served well after midnight. Singapore’s late-night dining culture remains an important part of the city, with restaurants and food stalls in some neighborhoods operating into the early morning. The fire alarm ended up giving me an unplanned look at a side of Singapore I otherwise might never have seen on that trip.
