 Conveniently
linked by a kilometer-long causeway to the southern tip of Malaysia,
the tiny city-state of Singapore makes a gentle gateway for
many first-time travelers to Asia, providing Western standards
of comfort and hygiene alongside traditional Chinese, Malay
and Indian enclaves. Its downtown areas are dense with towering
skyscrapers and gleaming shopping malls, yet the island retains
an abundance of nature reserves and lush, tropical greenery.
Singapore
may have traded in its rough-and-ready opium dens and pearl
luggers for towers of concrete and glass, and its steamy rickshaw
image for hi-tech wizardry, but you can still recapture the
colonial era with a gin sling under the languorous ceiling fans
at Raffles Hotel. It is this carefully stage-managed combination
of Western modernity and treasured Eastern and colonial past
that makes Singapore such an accessible slice of Asia.
Lying
almost on the equator, Singapore is a thriving city-state that
has overcome its dearth of natural resources to become one of
the juggernaut economies of Asia. In the crowded streets of
Chinatown, fortune tellers, calligraphers and temple worshippers
are still a part of everyday life. In Little India, you can
buy the best sari material, freshly ground spices or a picture
of your favourite Hindu god. In the small shops of Arab St,
the cry of the imam can be heard from the nearby Sultan Mosque.
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Local Travel Agent(s): |
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Golden Travel Services Pte. Ltd |
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Address:
20 Temple Street 2, Singapore
058565
Phone: +65 3232558, 3232886, Fax:
+65 3232993
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Qodariyah Travel & Tours Pte Ltd |
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Address:
5A Jalan Pinang A Singapore 199137
Phone: +6562941562, Fax:
+6562941563
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Ecentral Reservation |
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Address:
47-B Temple Street Singapore 058592
Phone: +65 63233751, 63232094, Fax:
+65 62279273
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Mandarin World Holidays |
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Address:
1 Maritime Square World Trade Centre #02-17A Singapore
Phone: +65 2766041, 2738878, Fax:
+65 2738867
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Oriental Travel Pte Ltd |
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Address:
501, Orchard Road #05-13/14 Wheelock Place Singapore
Phone: +65 62383836, Fax:
+65 62354465
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Visa
Requirement |
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| SINGAPORE
Map |
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Calendar of Events*:
Full
country name:
Republic of Singapore
Area: 683 sq km (266 sq mi)
Population: 4.1 million
People: 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, 8%
Indian
Language: English, Malay, Mandarin
and Tamil
Religion: 42% Buddhist, 15% Muslim,
14% Christian, 9% Taoist, 4% Hindu
Government: Parliamentary democracy
Business Hours: Shopping Centres
open daily 10am-7.30pm ; Banks open at least Monday
to Friday 10am-3pm, Saturday 9.30am-1pm ; while Offices
generally work Monday to Friday 8.30am-5pm and sometimes
on Saturday mornings. In general, Chinese temples
open daily from 7am to around 6pm, Hindu temples from
6am to noon and 5 to 9pm and Mosques from 8.30am to
noon and 2.30pm to 4pm
Major
industries: Manufacturing, electronics, chemicals,
trade, business and financial services, shipping,
tourism, construction
Major trading partners: US, Malaysia,
Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea
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Calendar of Events*: |
January/February:
1st - New Year's Day
Chinese New Year (two days)
March/April:
Hari Raya Haji
Good Friday
May:
1st - Labor Day
Vesak Day
August:
9th - National Day
November:
Deepavali
December:
Hari Raya Puasa
25th - Christmas Day |
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