#27 Singapore: Alien Planet / Szingapur: Idegen Bolygo

English version:

After a week of madness on Koh Pangan, we made our way with my friend to discover the emerald of South East Asia, the wonderful Singapore. This tiny country is situated in the south part of the Malay peninsula. Its territory is around 130 square kilometres, consists of one main island and 60+ small ones and its population is about 5.5 million.

Singapore was originally the trading post of the British East India Company, then got to Japan in WWII, and eventually became independent in 1963. It’s a great and very successful country now. Now question why they call it, the Switzerland of Asia. It is 5th on the Human Development Index of the United Nation and has the 3rd highest GDP per capita. Education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, safety are very strong points here.

As they say, Singapore is a “fine” country, it is totally true. There are tons of rules to regulate and control the society here. Some regulations make sense, some doesn’t but the end result is a clean and efficient mini-country.

So we had 4 days to explore the place…At first, we went to see the spectacular Gardens By The Bay which make Singapore look like an alien planet. The garden consists of a good number of 30 metres tall tree shaped steel frames which are covered by tropical flowers. Some trees are connected with a suspension bridge up on 22 metres to enable you to enjoy the panorama and shoot some fantastic photos of the bay. In the biggest tree there is a top level restaurant too with a bar to elevate the feeling even further. The place looks the best when it’s dark, because of its breath-taking lighting system.

Our second stop was the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Not to stay there which would have exceeded my backpacker budget a little (rooms start from £600 per night). We went up to the 57^th floor and took some nice photos. This hotel has a total unique shape. There are 6 towers which hold a boat-shaped roof with restaurants and a pool on the top. Very nice.

We also checked in to Little India for a nice curry and to the beautiful Botanical Garden.

Right now in Indonesia and a message to Kristof Van Den Bossche: I have found what I was looking for, sir 😀

“SO FAR” FACTS – ENGLISH VERSION:

# of travel buddies: 19
# of travel buddies murdered: 5
best meals: Thai cashew chicken curry, Fried ginger with crispy pork
best dessert: coconut rice
worst meal: some brown soup with cooked pork, blaaaaaa
# of flights: 9
# of trains: 6
# of taxies: 15
# of shared taxies: 6
# of motor-taxies: 6
# tuk tuks: 6
# of buses: 13
# boats: 8
# of waterfalls: 7
# of snakes: 1
# of big spiders: 9
# polar bears: 0
# yetis: 1
# of dives: 15
# of sharks: 1
# of manta rays: 0
# of whale sharks: 0
# of dolphins: 0

Magyar verzio:

Egy het orulet utan Koh Panganon, Del fele vettuk az iranyt, hogy felfedezzuk Del-Kelet Azsia smaragdjat: Szingapurt. Ez a cseppnyi orszag a Malaj-felsziget deli vegen helyezkedik el. Terulete mindossze 130 negyzetkilometer es 60 valahany szigetet tartalmaz, 5.5 millionyi nepesseggel.

Szingapur eredetileg a Brit Kelet India Tarsasag regionalis kereskedelmi kozpontja volt, aztan a masodik vilaghaboru alatt a Japanok iranyitasa alatt allt, majd vissza a britekhez es vegul 1963-ban elnyerte fuggetlenseget. Ez egy nagyszeru es nagyon sikeres orszag. Nem veletlenul hivjak Azsia Svajcanak. Szingapur 5. az ENSZ Emberi Fejlettsegi indexen lakosonkenti GDP viszonylatban pedig vilag szinten a harmadik helyen all. Oktatas, egeszsegugy, varhato elettartam, eletminoseg es biztonsag mind nagyon magasz szintu az orszagban.

Ahogy mondjak, Szingapur egy “fine” (egyarant jelent szepet es birsagot angolul) orszag. Teljesen igaz, ugyanis itt kb egy tonnanyi szaballyal vegzaljak az embereket. A torvenyek egy reszenek van ertelme, egy masik reszenek nincs. Az eredmeny viszont lenyugozo: egy tiszta es hatekony mini-allam.

4 napunk volt, hogy felfedezzuk a helyi nevezetessegeket…

Elso korben a gyonyoru es nem mindennapi Gardens By The Bay-t latogattuk meg. Ez a letesitmeny teszi Szingapurt idegen planetava. A kert 30 meter magas fakat formazo acel allvanyokbol all, amelyekre szepen felvezettek a dzsungelt. Telis tele vannak tropusi novenyekkel. Nehany “fa” ossze van kotve egy fuggohiddal, hogy 22 meterrel csodalhasd az obol panoramajat. Illetve a legmagasabb fan van egy etterem es egy sky bar, hogy tovabb orjitsek a kedves latogatot. Az egesz kert sotetedes utan a legszebb, amikor eszmeletlenul kivilagitjak ezeket a furcsa fakat.

A masodik megallonk a Marina Bay Sands hotel volt. Nem itt szalltunk meg sajnos, mivel ez a hely elegge tullepte volna a hatizsakos keretemet. Szobak 600 angol font kornyeken indulnak ejszakankent. Szoval mi fellifteztunk az 57. emeletre es keszitettunk par szep fenykepet. A hotel formaja teljesen egyedi: 6 darab 56 emeletes torony tart egy hajo formaju tetoszerkezetet, amin ettermek, barok es egy medence foglal helyet. Nagyon kiraly.

Elugrottunk meg az indiai negyedbe egy curryre, illetve a gyonyoruseges botanikus kertbe.

Most epp Indonesiaban es egy uzenet Kristof Van Den Bossche-nak, hogy megtalaltam, amit kerestem 😀

“EDDIGI” ADATOK – MAGYAR VERZIO: