a detail in the facade of the Sri Krisnan Temple
so we are heading there for an Asian lunch
But there is also a strong Indian presence, like the Sri Krisnan Temple
The waterfront at the Singapore River opposite Raffle's statue houses many restaurants and shops
The statue at Raffles Landing site. Yes, it's him
Singapore has one of the world's busiest harbors
we will do a harbor cruise and have dinner on this boat
There are many Chinese influences
Singapore is a prosperous city state, sandwiched between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is located less than 150 km north of the
equator and has a hot and humid climate. Its strategic location makes Singapore one of the world's busiest seaports.
The city
started in the second century under the name of Temasek, and was part of the Sri Vijaya Empire from Sumatra until the TamilChola Empire laid its heavy hand on it.
Sir Raffles himself arrived in 1819, noticed the strategic position of the natural harbor
and made it a British trading post. A few years later Singapore formally became a British colony.
During WWII the Japanese
took hold of Singapore, and immediately carried out a premeditated culling of ethnic Chinese, the socalled Sook Ching massacre.
In
1965 Singapore became independent after a short but unsuccessful merger with Malaysia. Under Lee Kuan Yew's heavy handed
rule Singapore became the most prosperous of the Asian Tigers.
In February 1998 we used a stopover in Singapore
to explore this interesting mini-state.
Singapore sits at the southern tip of Malaysia
this is Merlion ,the famous Singapore lion aka fish
an typical street in the Indian Quarter
in 1998 Singapore had already several skyscrapers
