Singapore travel guide

This four stories temple was built in 2007 in traditional Tang dynasty architectural style and costed S$62 million. There is several halls and Buddhas everywhere, but the main sight is the tooth relic of the historical Buddha on the 4th floor. It is kept inside a two-metre stupa made of 320 kg of pure gold. Only monks are allowed inside the chamber, but there is a public viewing area. Continuing up to the roof, there is a pagoda with a large prayer wheel. The entrance is free.

While Singapore's business district seems to grow into the sky, Chinatown stands in sharp contrast with its low rise historical shophouses. About 75% of Singapore are ethnic Chinese. Many of the Chinese immigrants came in the 19-century and early 20-century, when Singapore was a British colony. They settled in what became Chinatown, a mosaic of shops, markets, restaurants, temples, coolie quarters and brothels. Today, Chinatown is still that - except for the lack of coolies and brothels of course - and the Chinese culture is very much alive and everpresent.

This narrow tucked-away alley is turning into a hip and artsy attraction of its own. There are colourful murals and the traditional shophouses are filled with trendy vintage shops, quirky bars and tattoo parlours. As Haji Lane is close to the touristic "Little Arabia", a fair amount of tourists pass by Haji Lane with selfie-jams as a result.

A wicked free park with more than 1,000 statues and dioramas depicting Chinese folk tales, beliefs, and legends. There are so many odd creatures and scenes, but the information boards do a good job explaining. The "Ten Courts of Hell" is particularly vivid. It shows in details what will happen in hell if you do a crime - everything is considered; cursing (thrown onto a tree of knives), cheating during exams (organs pulled out), take exorbitant interest rates (thrown onto a hill of knives), possession of porn or wasting food (body sawn into two) and of course more serious crimes like murder (head and arms chopped off).

Though Singapore is a true metropolis, it's not just highrises of steel and glass. Many area still consist of two and three stories historical shophouses, which have become as iconic for Singapore as the Merlion. Originally they were built by traders, mostly Chinese. There are different architectural styles, but majority have a shop on the ground level with a covered corridor at the front for pedestrians and office space and living quarters on the upper levels. There are elements from Malay (wooden floors), Chinese (floor plan and ornamentation) and European (French windows) architectural details. The narrow front was often colourful, which they still are today. The best neighbourhoods to see fine examples of the shophouses are Chinatown, Little India and Little Arabia (Kampong Glam).

Kampong Glam is Singapore's Little Arabia. The street names are Arabian inspired and there are carpet shops, Middle Eastern cuisine, and mosques. The grand Sultan Mosque with its golden domes is the pivotal of the neighbourhood. Bussorah Street is particularly picturesque with old tradehouses and palm trees, but also very touristic. There are many other fine Islamic buildings in Kampong Glam, which are all included in the 2 km long Kampong Glam Heritage Trail.

You know when you are in Little India. The air is full of spices and incense, the smell even reach down into the subway station. Little India is a vibrant neighbouring filled with flower garland vendors, Hindu temples, spice shops, and Bollywood posters. However, as the neighbourhood is fairly big, not every street and lane are necessarily interesting. It shouldn't come as a surprise, that you can get the best and most authentic Indian food here.

Every city has an iconic statue, Singapore got the water-spurting Merlion, half-fish and half-lion. The statue was originally located at the mouth of the Singapore River, but due to development of the riverfront, it got relocated to the present location near the Central Business District (CBD), where it now overlooks Marina Bay. The statue is modest 8.6 metres tall and is accompanied by a 2 metres tall Merlion Cub. But these are not the only Merlions in Singapore. There are no less than five officially recognised Merlion statues in Singapore, where the 37 metres tall replica on Sentosa Island is by far the tallest.

In the good old days, Singapore was the Amsterdam of the East. Today, drunken sailors have been overtaken by mad shopping tourists, and most of the old red-light district has morphed itself into seafood restaurants and fancy clubs. One of the remaining areas is Geylang, where prostitution is apparently still legal. Here, working girls chat local men up in the many outdoor Chinese restaurants or work out of brothels or clubs. It's a peek behind the facade of conservative Singapore - and please let it be with that.

This tiny park (well, just a lawn) seem to have differet exhibition of sculptures. When we passed by, there were colourful elefants in various sizes. Previously there have been "umbrella trees". Not sure what is next!