Introduction

© Richard I'Anson. Lonely Planet Images

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. A city of concrete, glass and steel, renowned for its hi-tech wizardry, Singapore also offers a taste of the great Asian cultures in a small easy-to-manage package. 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 favorite Hindu god. In the small shops of Arab St., the cry of the imam can be heard from the nearby Sultan Mosque.

Singapore may no longer be a rough-and-ready port of rickshaws, opium dens, pearl luggers and pirates, but you can still recapture the colonial era with a gin sling under the languorous ceiling fans at Raffles Hotel, dine out at the renovated quays along the Singapore River where merchant ships once berthed, and visit the numerous Victorian relics that have survived the city's relentless development. It is this carefully stage-managed combination of Western modernity and a treasured Eastern and colonial past, that makes Singapore such an accessible slice of Asia.

Budget accommodation is in 'crash pads' (dormitories) or Chinese hotels; the former are concentrated around Bencoolen St., the latter in Chinatown and on Jalan Besar and Beach Rd. There are few moderately priced hotels, but plenty of international-standard hotels--and there's always Raffles for those with bottomless wallets. For tasty budget Indian and Chinese food, try one of the hundreds of hawker centers (conglomerations of permanent food stalls) scattered throughout Singapore. Orchard Rd., the colonial district, Chinatown and Little India are the best areas for shopping.