Singapore: The City

I got an opportunity to visit Singapore this week. It was an official visit, hence I had to travel a lot in the city. This gave me an opportunity to see a lot of places and interact with a lot of people.

Travel
You cannot survive in Singapore without knowing how to travel in the MRTS (metro rail), unless you have tons of money to take the cab everytime. The MRTS connects almost every place in the city. It is a convenient and fast mode of travel. The signs on the station make life easier for the traveller. All you need is a small route map which is available with any Passenger Service Desk. The staff is also very helpful. Overall the city is very tourist friendly.

Food
If you are a veggie from India then you better stay near Little India. This place is full of Indian restaurants which give great indian food at reasonable prices. Most of the places in Singapore serve only Non-veg.

Shopping
Contrary to popular belief, Singapore is not a place to buy cheap electronic goods. The only place where good deals are available is Simlim Square (near Bugis MRT & Little India). Funan Centre is costly and so is Mustafa. Mustafa is one place, you can go for normal shopping; chocolates, shirts, bags & other small ticket items. Forex changes also happen in Mustafa.

Places to See
Although I could not travel much. From whatever places I saw I recommend the following:
a) Merlion - for it location, b) CBD (Raffles Place and other areas) - for its architecture, c) Clarke Quay - river and its beauty, d) Sentosa - Island Amusement Park, e) Little India - You will feel you are in India, f) Orchard... I missed the Night Safari, but heard it's great.

Other Obervations
1. One would not fail to observe that females outnumber males in Singapore. Wherever you go, you see girls, girls and more girls. The sex ratio is skewed.
2. There are no road-side hoardings. This is why the city is so presentable.
3. Drinking/Eating/Smoking inside the MRTS results in a huge fine starting from 1000 Singapore dollars (Rs.33,000!!!)
4. Smoking is prohibited in public places
5. There is hardly any dust on the road. The city is not very polluted either.
6. As land is limited, skyscrapers dot the skyline of Singapore.
7. 10% of the population is Indian, of which majority is Tamil. Sign boards in MRTS are also written in Tamil.
8. Singapore is absolutely green everywhere.

Overall, Singapore is a very cosmopolitan city. Very disciplined & orderly.