SINGAPORE

The island's history dates back to the XI century. In XIX century, it became the commercial center of India and China as the British colony, and later became the warehouse center of South Asia. When the Federation of Malaya was founded in 1895, Singapore had declared its independence in 1965.This is after being a British Colony. The population is around 5 million. The inhabitants are Chineese, Malay and Indians throughout the island. The official language of the island is English. However, the accent is slightly different from the English we know as they speak with a dialect of "Singaporean English".

Main industries for Singapore are shipbuilding, oil refineries and electronic equipment. Tourism and fishing are also the country's largest source of income. The currency is the Singapore dollar and is known as SGD. There are different sight to visit in Singapore. Therefor I would like to share my experiences with you.

Merlion: It is a huge white sculpture of a lion head sitting on a fish body. Merlion is derived from the combination of the words 'Mermaid’ and 'Lion'. This mythological statue was placed in Merlion Park and Sentosa island by the Prime Minister of Singapore on September 15, 1972. The statue weights 70 tons. We had taken beautiful photos by the side of Merlion like all the other tourists.

Sentosa Island: The word Sentosa means "calmness" in Malay language. This artificial island was built in 1974 for 1 billion dollars. There are 3 ways to access to the island. 1)You can walk from the bridge which connects the mainland to Sentosa. The length is 1 km long. The bridge is free during the week and there is a SGD fee on weekends. 2)By cable car. 3)Sentosa Express ferries. There are places where you can do different activities such as Universal Studios, Tiger Sky Tower, Mega Zip Adventure Park, Silosa Beach, Madamme Tussaud Singapore, such as museums, parks, sandy beaches where you can swim. The island is 2 kilometers long and hosts 20 million tourists annually.

Botanical Gardens: The gardens, which were included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2015, spread over a wide area with beautiful tropical flowers.

Orchid Gardens: There are thousands of orchids in huge gardens. The orchids we grow in pots in our homes are like forests in Singapore. It is really dazzling with its colorful images.

Little India: Indians living in Singapore gathered in this region. In this region known as 'Little India', the smell of the Indian food prepared with various spices surrounds. You can also see Hindu Temples in this area. It is forbidden to take pictures in these temples, which are entered by removing shoes.

Orchard Road: This is the region where you can do shopping. There are beautiful shops and 22 shopping centers on 3 km long street.

We stayed 2 nights and 3 days in Singapore which was incredibly enjoyable. The city reminded me of Manhattan area of New York. I can say from my heart that Singapore is the cleanest and most livable place I have ever seen. If you ever think of going to Far East, I highly recommend that you include this island in your program.