Visions of Singapore

Singapore is stitched together by air-conditioned ambition, gleaming steel and a relentless desire to be something more than just a dot on the map. And it pulls it off, with style. The skyline isn’t just modern, it’s surgical. Clean lines and corporate confidence, like the city was designed by a team of German architects on a Red Bull binge.

The skyline of Singapore, as seen from Marina Bay Sands.

By extensive use of landfill with sand bought from Indonesia and Cambodia, the bay area has expanded greatly in the last few years and tall buildings pop up everywhere. One of the most eye-catching is Marina Bay Sands, rising like a spaceship that crash-landed on three glass pillars, now serving overpriced cocktails and a rooftop view so good it feels like a bluescreen. Hell yes, I’m staying here.

Marina Bay Sands is dominating the bay area.

From the rooftop, sipping on an overpriced beverage, I look down upon Garden by the Bay. This lush area features a flower dome and cloud forest “supertrees” which looks like something from a sci-fi movie. While the population of Singapore has doubled during the last 25 years, the green ground cover has increased from a third to nearly half of the city state.

Supertree Grove in Gardens by the Bay.

Quite unsurprisingly, there is a downside to the fairytale. While Singapore is immaculate clean and safe, it has been described as Disneyland with a death penalty. Big brother is always watching and freedom of speech is questionable at best.

Waterfront in Marina Bay area.

But some things never change. In Little India, the neon and steel feels far away. Less a district, more a sensory ambush filled with incense and diesel. Bollywood posters fighting for wall space with fading colonial paint. Food poisoning is included in the bill, no extra tip needed.

Singapore Sling was invented in the Long Bar at Raffles hotel in 1915. For exactly one hundred years people have come here to sip on the overly sweet drink, bearing a whopping price of $36 SGD, while throwing peanut shells on the floor under the traditional roof fans. Most likely the only place in Singapore where littering is actually encouraged. Last time I had a Singapore Sling in Singapore was almost a decade ago, so it’s about time to refresh the memory.