Благополучная экзотика Prosperous exotic

I want to write about Singapore as briefly as possible. In my opinion, only one thing needs to be said: if someday the question arises before you - where to go? - Come to Singapore! Such a trip is suitable for everyone - and ardent supporters of a prosperous and comfortable Europe (since there is an abundance of prosperity and well-being in Singapore, and safety standards are higher than European ones); and those looking for exotic - it will be presented in the most easily digestible form, but this will not cease to amaze the imagination; and beach lovers - the chic resort of Sentosa is a suburb of Singapore, in addition, this state owns the resort island of Bintan; Shoppers will not be disappointed either – all European brands are represented. The only, but, alas, significant reason why you should refuse to visit Singapore is the lack of money. I don’t mean money for the trip itself – it is, in principle, no more expensive than a standard holiday in Europe. Singapore is just a very expensive city. Very high prices in restaurants and shops. Dinner will cost at least 20 euros, breakfast - 10. Normal shoes are not cheaper than 200 euros, and so on. But really, this must be neglected for the sake of meeting beautiful Singapore! The high prices are explained simply: here everyone makes good money. Prices are fixed, no trade (except perhaps Chinatown and little India, unlike the rest of Singapore, there are not shops, but shops). Tipping is not allowed, offer - they won't take it - fantastic! Let me give you another example of local well-being. At the hotel, I asked if they would put free water in our room, as is customary in Asian resorts. The servant answered - water must be taken from the tap, from there the water in this jug. And, in case we didn’t understand, he happily demonstrated a set of water. I am a gullible person - they say that it is possible, so it is possible. So, tap water had the taste of real drinking water, without a characteristic bitter taste, that is, like from a bottle. Often mention is made of fines for throwing a cigarette butt and spitting out chewing gum. Fines, of course, are imposed, but the danger is greatly exaggerated! There are few policemen in the city at all and, of course, they do not follow where you threw your cigarette butt! You can only smoke outdoors - for example, if a restaurant has an open terrace, you can smoke on it, but you can’t smoke under the roof, and so everywhere. On the street, at open stops - please. Well, at home, of course. By the way, on the pavement, no, no, and I saw the notorious cigarette butt. This is a word about the unreal cleanliness on the streets (quite real cleanliness! ) And the fact that people are the same everywhere, only in Singapore they are not spoiled by the housing problem and other things that have a bad effect on us.
I want to describe all sorts of little things, but the city itself must be seen. It is very clean - no garbage, not a single filled urn (after Bali it warmed the soul especially), not a single drunk, not a single ragamuffin. Not one, God forbid, beggar. This does not mean that all Singaporeans look somehow very luxurious. They look like happy working people. Most of the men look like office workers, and the women dress as they please. That is, if you want - in a Muslim headscarf (but not in black, thank God), but if you want - in a miniskirt. Many Indian women in national costumes - very beautiful, like in the movies. There are a lot of young students - you can see them in folders and briefcases. They are dressed in accordance with youth fashion. The metro is similar to our rush hours. Only, unlike ours, the metro shines with cleanliness and, of course, there are no tramps in it. Speaking of young people, I saw a lot of schoolchildren of different ages in Singapore. Teachers take junior classes to lessons in the zoo, in the botanical garden. The kids are so cute - small, in bright dresses, with multi-colored satchels and albums - they sketch or write down what they see, for example, in the orchid pavilion or in the butterfly park. How I wanted to study with them! Another nice detail - the only thing that is cheap in Singapore is a taxi. For example, the road from the airport is $10. There are a lot of taxis, but you should stop them at the parking lot - there are also a lot of parking lots and it's easy to find the nearest one, just ask a passerby - a taxi, and that's it.
In Singapore, all the buildings are beautiful - old, colonial, and modern. Old houses restored, pretty as pictures. Of the new ones, many have original architecture, but, of course, there are enough ordinary skyscrapers. In other words, beauty is everywhere you look. What caused the most excitement? Zoo and botanical garden. I must say that we did not have time to see many very interesting places. If you go, look up the Internet and make a plan. Follow him and you'll be fine. It just takes at least a week. In some travel agencies (those that add Singapore to a trip to Bali - two days without a visa) they say - what can you do there for more than two days? Having been in Singapore (we took a visa and stayed for five days, but this is not enough, of course), I would like to answer - you don’t know, so be silent! Returning to the sights - the zoo delights with the absence of cages - it is a very beautiful park with wild animals in fenced areas. White tigers, white rhinoceros, mouse deer (the size of a cat), amazing species of monkeys, some even freely move around the territory. You can chat with semi-tame lemurs. And yet, especially for hot weather, there are pavilions of cold! Small pavilions with low temperature. Since we were in the hot season, they came in very handy. The Botanical Garden is as beautiful as a dream. I can't describe. I have attached a few photos, but it is better to see with your own eyes and keep in memory.

Finally, we must still say about the hotel. It is called Peninsula Excelsior (Pininsula Exelsior), 4 *. Very decent. Not luxurious, but quite decent in my opinion, on a limited budget. Very clean, nice interiors, porters in livery, good cuisine (but breakfast is not even included in the room price), two swimming pools, comfortable standard rooms. The pools are located on large terraces at the level of the seventh floor, with sun loungers and a bar, as expected. Enjoying swimming, you can admire the city along the way. Class! Why admire? Because there are no ugly views in Singapore! Let's stop on this optimistic note. See photos and please go to Singapore!