Singapore

From Melaka we now go by bus to the city-state of Singapore. We both have high expectations for one of the most modern cities in the world. However, what we see from the border to our hotel does not look more modern than in other major cities we have visited.

Only when we head towards Downtown and Gardens by the Bay does everything become more modern. First, we visit an exhibition called Floral Fantasy.

The prices in the city are almost at the same level as in Switzerland, except for public transport. It is very cheap and by far the best way to get around the city. You don't even need to buy a ticket. Having a credit card is enough, and you just have to tap it on the card reader before boarding. In the six days in the city, we paid around 20 CHF for public transport. And we traveled a lot by subway. Taxis are relatively very expensive. For our 20-minute Grab ride from the bus station to the city center, we paid over 30 CHF. Consequently, there was little traffic on the streets.

The architecture is mostly very impressive. Here, you can feel that you are in a modern city. However, we expected to see more green buildings. There are individual buildings that are somewhat green, but the city does not really live up to its reputation. There are many green parks or gardens.

The Gardens by the Bay are definitely a highlight. It is something special to walk through the different gardens and see the light show under the futuristic Supertrees in the evening.

But Singapore also has countless other attractions that you can see and experience. We, for example, stumbled upon a Buddhist temple that is also a kind of museum for Buddhist culture/history/artifacts.

Singapore is an impressive city and definitely worth a visit. But it wouldn't necessarily be our first choice. We liked Kuala Lumpur a bit better.

Now we are looking forward to Indonesia and the island feeling.