My Visual Travel Experience: Singapore

I first visited Singapore in 2005 on my way from Delhi to San Francisco. I got just a few hours in Singapore on my way out, and another few hours on my way back. It was enough to really whet my appetite and I was determined to return really soon. In 2006, I left Britannia and I was going to be joining Nokia; I had a week in between and I decided to visit Singapore; I stayed with my friends Meenakshi and Anubhav, who were very hospitable hosts, and I had a great time exploring the city. In 2007, I went on work a couple of times during my Nokia days, and I also attended an interesting marketing workshop at the INSEAD campus. And then in 2013, my wife Reshmi and I stopped over there on our way back from Bali. So over the years, I've spent a cumulative of about three weeks in Singapore and that has given me the opportunity to explore the city quite thoroughly!

View of downtown Singapore with the Central Business District

Singapore has a population of over 5,000,000. The city state is reputed to be one of the world's cleanest and safest places. It's a favourite with visitors, and residents rate it very highly too. The only thing that's a little difficult is the weather, because it is hot and humid throughout the year. The temperature isn't very high (it rarely exceeds 32 degrees Centigrade), but the humidity can get to one.

Till the 19th century, Singapore used to be just a small Malay fishing village. In 1819, Stamford Raffles was the first European to land in Singapore. Raffles signed a treaty with the Malays that gave the British access to Singapore as a trading port. The next few decades saw a lot of development and expansion of the city. In 1942, the Japanese defeated the British in Singapore and it came under Japanese rule for 3 years. In 1945, after the end of Word War II, the British returned to Singapore and were in power till 1959, when the People's Action Party under Lee Kuan Yew came to power. Singapore remained a part of Malaysia and then in 1965, it became an independent republic with Lee Kuan Yew as its first Prime Minister.

Raffles Landing Site is the site where Stamford Raffles landed in 1819. The site has a white marble statue of Raffles and it stands along the Singapore River, close to the skyscrapers of the Central Business District. The nearby riverside area is full of sculptures depicting Singapore and its various ethnic groups. The riverside has many popular restaurants and cafes. Nearby, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, dating back to the late 19th century, is a popular venue for concerts and performances. The structure's clock tower is a prominent city landmark. Adjacent to it, there's the Asian Civilization Museum, that has works of art from across Asia, including Hindu sculptures from India, Buddhist sculptures from South East Asia, ceramic ware from China and Mughal artefacts. The Supreme Court, with its grand dome, is another well known landmark in the area.

Raffles Landing Site with the statue of Stamford Raffles

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Asian Civilization Museum

Buddha, Asian Civilization Museum

Ganesha, Asian Civilization Museum

Mughal Room, Asian Civilization Museum

Sculpture of the River Merchants, Riverside

Supreme Court

Raffles Hotel is a colonial era hotel that was very popular with westerners in the colonial days. It is one of Singapore's most iconic buildings, and has that real old world charm. The hotel's Long Bar is famous for the Singapore Sling, a drink invented in 1915 at the hotel. Another well known Singapore hotel is the Fullerton Hotel. It dates back to 2001, but the building itself was built almost a century earlier and was initially called the Fullerton Building - it later served as the General Post Office.

Raffles Hotel

Singapore Sling at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel

Fountain, Raffles Hotel

Fullerton Hotel

Chijmes used to be the Convent of the Infant Holy Jesus and was built in 1854. It ran a women's shelter, an orphanage and a school. The convent was relocated in 1983, and the complex was turned into a series of restaurants, pubs and cafes. The old chapel, now called the Chijmes Hall, is used for events like weddings.

Chijmes

Front View, Chijmes

Merlion Park has an 8 meter tall Merlion statue, dating back to 1972. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The lion head symbolizes Singapore's name, "Singapura", which means lion city. The fish body symbolizes Singapore's origins as a fishing village.

Merlion Park

Theatres on the Bay is a performing arts centre. It has a concert hall that can accommodate 1,600 people and a theatre with a capacity for 2,000 people. The structure opened in 2002.

Theatres on the Bay

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is Singapore's oldest catholic church and dates back to 1847. The cathedral has a beautiful timber ceiling. Singapore's other well known church is St Andrew's Church, which dates back to 1861. Scottish merchants paid for the construction of the church, and hence it is named after the Scottish patron saint.

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

St Andrew's Church

Singapore Flyer was opened in 2008. It is a large ferris wheel with a height of 165 meters, and offers splendid views of the city. A complete trip takes about half an hour.

Little India is an area that has a large Indian population, largely from the state of Tamil Nadu. Indians comprise about 8% of Singapore's population, and Tamil is one of Singapore's four official languages, along with Malay, Mandarin and English. Little India has a branch of the popular Saravana Bhawan eatery, and it also has two well known Hindu temples - Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and Shri Veerammakaliamman Temple.

Temple Wall, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Shri Veerammakaliamman Temple in Little India

Singapore Zoo is one of the world's best zoos. It is spread over 250 acres. There are trolley services that do a full round of the complex, and visitors can hop on and hop off at will. The zoo has an impressive Asiatic Elephant Show. The zoo doesn't have animals in cages. The animals are largely in pits and can be seen from a height without obstruction. The Night Safari is right next door, and one can get to see nocturnal animals there.

Trolley at Singapore Zoo

Asiatic Elephant Show at Singapore Zoo

White Tiger at Singapore Zoo

Cheetah at Singapore Zoo

Rhinos at Singapore Zoo

Giraffe at Singapore Zoo

Kangaroo at Singapore Zoo

Penguins at Singapore Zoo

Singapore Botanical Garden is a large garden that has attractions like the National Orchid Garden, lakes, waterfalls, landscaped fountains and manicured lawns.

National Orchid Garden at Singapore Botanical Garden

Heliconia, Singapore Botanical Garden

Sentosa Island was originally a fishing island. It later served as a British military base. Today, it is a recreation park, with numerous attractions, including theme parks, rides, museums, and wildlife. The Merlion statue there is 37 meters tall. It is possible to go to the top, for great views of the island. Underwater World has a large aquarium with a big underwater tunnel through which one can see a vast array of underwater life. There's the Dolphin Lagoon, where one can see live shows of dolphins and sea lions. Butterfly Kingdom is a great place for seeing butterflies, macaws, iguanas and tortoises. Images of Singapore is an interesting museum that has wax figures and building models depicting the history, culture, tradition, festivals and livelihoods of Singapore and its people.

Merlion Statue at Sentosa

Macaws at Butterfly Kingdom, Sentosa

Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Peking Opera at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Rickshaw Puller at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

World War Soldier at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Ceramic Dishes, Images of Singapore

Iguana at Butterfly Kingdom, Sentosa

Singapore is a shopping haven for shoppers. Orchard Road has a series of shopping malls, with a massive array of outlets. Other prominent shopping places in Singapore include Suntec City and Raffles City. Little India has Mustafa Centre, a large department store well known for its low priced electronics. Very few cities in the world can boasts of the shopping experiences that Singapore offers!

Raffles City

I was very impressed by Singapore, and I highly recommend it for visitors. It's a place that seems to have something for everyone - great shopping for shoppers, world class attractions and theme parks for children, great food for food lovers, and impressive sites for people who love history! It is also a great city to live in, and if I had to live outside India, Singapore would certainly be among the top few cities I would look at!

My Visual Travel Experience: Helsinki

Helsinki, the Finnish capital and a city with a population of about 630,000, is an interesting place. Winters aren't easy, with temperatures going well below -10 degrees Centigrade, and daylight being there from just 10 am to 4 pm! Saunas are an extremely popular way of staying warm during those cold winter days! Summers are extremely pleasant though.

The city has a rich history. It was set up as a trading town by King Gustav of Sweden in 1550. It was however, only after the Russians defeated the Swedes in the Finnish War in 1809 that Helsinki really developed. In 1812, Russian Emperor Alexander I moved the capital of Finland from Turku to Helsinki to bring it closer to St Petersburg. There was no looking back for Helsinki subsequently in terms of development.

I was fortunate to visit Helsinki several times between 2008 and 2010 during my stint in Nokia, as the headquarters of the Finnish telecom company were in Espoo, on the outskirts of Helsinki. Subsequently, I have visited Helsinki several times - Finnair has extremely reasonable prices for trips to Europe, and almost every time I have flown to Europe, it has been via Helsinki, and I have made it a point to stop for at least a day. There has been the added incentive of having several of my Indian ex Nokia friends there, a couple of whom were still there on my most recent trip in the summer of 2017. A special thanks to Geetanjali Sharma, Aditya Pratap Alur and Anupriya, for making this trip special. And a big thanks to Bhavna Talwar and the rest of the gang for their hospitality on my previous visits!

Helsinki Cathedral is a prominent city landmark at Senate Square. The white neo classical structure has a large green dome, and four smaller domes. It was completed in 1852 as a tribute to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The cathedral's high altar has a painting depicting The Descent from the Cross, and the cathedral has life size statues of four religious leaders, including Martin Luther. The Senate House and the University of Helsinki also lie along Senate Square, close to the cathedral.

Helsinki Cathedral

High Altar of Helsinki Cathedral

Organ at Helsinki Cathedral

Statue of Martin Luther at Helsinki Cathedral

Pulpit at Helsinki Cathedral

Market Square lies near the harbour. The Baltic Sea lies just south of it, and there are ferries to places like Stockholm and Talinn from there. The square buzzes with life during spring and summer, when vendors set up food stalls. The square also has the Town Hall, the Market Hall, the Empress' Obelisk, and the nude statue of the mysterious Haavis Amanda surrounded by statues of seals.

The Town Hall at Market Square

Haavis Amanda Statue at Market Square;
no one knows too much about the
mysterious woman depicted in this statue

Empress' Obelisk at Market Square

Old Market Hall at Market Square

Esplanade Park is a park in the heart of the city, that starts from Market Square. It has several statues and fountains, and the streets around it have numerous fashionable stores and restaurants.

Capelli, a popular restaurant at Esplanade Park

Esplanade Park, J L Runeberg Statue

Uspenski Cathedral is a Russian orthodox cathedral completed in 1868. The cathedral has several precious icons, and is the largest orthodox cathedral in western Europe.

Uspenski Cathedral

Interior, Uspenski Cathedral

The National Museum, with its castle like exterior and 53 meter high tower, was opened in 1916 and has exhibits featuring archaeological finds, medieval religious sculptures, porcelain and ceramic works, period furniture, and portraits of Swedish and Russian rulers.

National Museum

Crucifixion Painting, National Museum

Drawing Room of Jakkarila Manor, 
National Museum

Peasants' Fur Bag, National Museum

Porcelain Figures, National Museum

Aleksanderinkatu is the city's main shopping street, with several department stores, including the famous Stockmann Department Store. The street also has many restaurants. It also has the prominent statue of the Three Smiths.

Statue of The Three Smiths

The Summer Olympic Games were held in Helsinki in 1952. The Olympic Village is certainly worth a visit. One can see the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Museum. There's also a statue of the legendary Finnish athlete, Paavo Nurmi, who won several medals for his country at the Olympic Games in the 1920s, with his amazing skills at distance running.

Statue of Paavo Nurmi

Helsinki Railway Station is a prominent city landmark. The building has a soaring clock tower, and the walls are lined with interesting sculptures near the entrance.

Helsinki Railway Station

Sculptures, Helsinki Railway Station

Tempelaiokiu Church is a unique underground church, built under a large rock. It is worth a visit for its sheer uniqueness.

Tempelaiokiu Church

The National Theatre is another one of the city's landmarks. In the winter months, the area in front of it is converted into an ice skating rink.

National Theatre

Soumenlinna Island Fortress is a short ferry ride away from Market Square. It was built by the Swedes, who protected the city from there. It is an interesting visit. On another nearby island, there's Helsinki Zoo, also accessibly by ferry.

The Church at Soumenlinna

Good places for food include the stalls at Market Square (in spring and summer), the fashionable restaurants near Esplanade Park and along Aleksanderinkatu, joints at Kampi, or food courts at some of the stores like Stockmann. For food lovers willing to experiment with food, Helsinki is a place where one can have reindeer meat, and even bear meat!! I couldn't get myself to have either!

All said in done, Helsinki may not have the buzz of a London or a Paris, but it is a pleasant town that can easily keep visitors happily occupied for 3 to 4 days. I recommend it strongly, but with a rider that one should probably go in the summer months!!