The Little Red Dot (part 1)

Out of the few city-states still remaining in the world, only one is located in Asia. It is an island, a tiny red dot, a magical place and, for a few years of our life, it had been home…

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Singapore, and to all Singaporeans and residents of Singapore, a warm welcome home!". This famous announcement from the pilots of Singapore Airlines that you will hear before landing is probably one of the things we missed the most while we were away…

Singapore has been nicknamed the Little Red Dot. Since its land area (including the reclaimed lands - Beach Road next to the Raffles Hotel used to be the sea...) is only 728 km², it has been depicted on many maps of the world and of Asia as a red dot.

It is also known as the Lion City from the Sanskrit words "singa" and "pura", meaning respectively "lion" and "city". The image of the lion can be found, together with the sea representing Singapore's origin as a fishing village, in the city-state's iconic symbol - the merlion, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.

Singapore has also been called the Garden City because of the vision of former Prime Minister and Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew to transform the country into a city with abundant lush greenery and a clean environment.

While walking around the island, you will realise that this goal has definitely been achieved with flying colours.

Because of its neutrality, prosperity and reliability, Singapore has also been referred to as the Switzerland of Asia (without the Alps of course…).

However, one of my favourite descriptions comes from a former colleague who told me that to him Singapore was "Asia for beginners'', a place where people coming from all over the world can in the blink of an eye experience and get immersed into an impressive variety of Asian cultures, languages, cuisines, religions and arts. Singapore may be a tiny country, but it is the quintessence of Asia Pacific - its dozens of islands are full of natural, cultural and culinary treasures!

After having received my "Asian certificate’' from my Japanese friend Sachi, I decided that it was time to write about this place that is so close to my heart. Welcome to the Gateway to Asia Pacific, welcome to Singapore!

The city-state will awaken all your senses at once - your touch, your sight, your hearing, your smell and, last but not least, your taste. Sometimes, you will feel like you have crossed several countries and travelled in time while just hopping from one area to another on the tiny island.

The landscape will change from the sky-reaching skyscrapers in the CBD to the beaches in the south and the vast areas of jungle, reservoirs and wildlife in the north. Without even noticing, you will go from gorgeous colonial buildings to Hindu and Chinese temples, mosques, colourful shophouses and modern architectural miracles.

When you land at Changi Airport with its orchid, cactus and butterfly gardens, the Kinetic Rain (the world’s largest moving sculpture inspired by tropical Singapore) and the Rain Vortex (the world's tallest indoor waterfall), you will immediately feel teleported in the future!

Once you exit the airport and set foot on the island, you will feel the gentle cuddle of a heat and humidity wave and the smell of spices and lemongrass, you will feel Singapore! In the evening, the tropical blue of the sky will reveal its secrets and all your senses will be immersed in the perfumed air and the sounds of the birds’ concert.

This is probably the only place in the world where you will like even the pouring hot rain which brings coolness, the smell of wet soil and the beauty of frangipani petals scattered on the ground...

This cute Little Red Dot has thousands of gorgeous gems that will surprise you and leave you under its charm forever…

This tiny island can be so many different things at once...

If Singapore was a pace, it would be slow.

Sometimes, you might feel like time has stopped - in contrast to the hectic pace of Hong Kong, Singapore is one of the most peaceful big cities in the world! I have recently heard someone describing life there as “douceur de vivre”, the French expression for “sweetness of life”.

However, the slow pace (mainly due to the heat…) is not at the cost of efficiency - it actually helps efficiency! Everything is organised, simple, very clean and effortless. For a city with a population of almost 6 million people, it does not feel overcrowded at all - on the contrary, the island, including its CBD, is quiet and green!

You can appreciate it the best when you return to Singapore after having travelled to other countries, in particular in South East Asia. Immediately after landing at Changi Airport, you will switch from their hustle and bustle to the perfection of what I would call the “ball of the taxis” - an airport employee calls the waiting taxis one by one, they stop at a specific spot with a number and you are directed to the taxi allocated to you. Once you are in, you can relax - the smell of the lemon grass and the music of the Singlish language are the irrefutable proof that you are back home and safe!

Singapore is a city that never sleeps - you can find shops and facilities open at any point of time! How about a massage at 3am?

Some services actually spoil you to death - in the supermarket, you just have to leave your basket on the counter and the cashier will put everything in the bags for you… It is amazing how quickly you can get used to things that make your life easier, to the point of forgetting how things work in your own country when you visit family and friends!

If Singapore was a feeling, it would be hot and safe.

You can forget that average temperatures below 28°C, together with sweaters, scarfs, gloves and boots, even exist. The island is situated next to the equator and, as a result, it is hot and humid all year round! The only cold thing in Singapore is the A/C - it is often freezing cold in the buildings (not as much as in Hong Kong though), which is why you always need to carry at least one cardigan, scarf or sweater in your bag!

You will of course miss the snow and the cold weather after a couple of years living there, in the same way people from other parts of the world miss the sun and the summer during the cold winter months… The only thing you will never miss is the rain - it rains at least once every two to three days, but it is always for a short period of time. The rain provides fresh water and explains the lush greenery of the island. Most of the time it rains cats and dogs, and sometimes you might feel like you need nothing less than Noah's Ark to make your way through the giant puddles…

The heat is the reason you can easily spot tourists or foreigners visiting Singapore - a person wearing a jacket has probably just arrived on a business trip (nobody in his or her right mind would wear vests, jackets or ties there…). The local women often use parasols to hide their perfect white skin from the strong sun rays, and all local pedestrians stay in the shadow while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green!

Singapore is also safe, probably one of the safest places in the world together with Japan and Bhutan! You can leave your door open in the morning and I promise that all your belongings will be there when you return home in the evening! If you take a nap in the park, nobody will try to steal your wallet! The reason for this might be that there are rules everywhere, and the consequences of not complying with them consist of fines, prison sentences or worse (the capital punishment still exists in Singapore for murders and drug-related crimes…).

The feeling of safety is strengthened by the frequent sight of the gurkhas. These fearless Nepalese soldiers with their famous forward-curving khukuri knives serve as a neutral safekeeping and counter-terrorism force and form an integral part of the Singapore police (similar to the neutral Swiss guard protecting the Pope and the Vatican City)!

If Singapore was a season, a month or a language, it would be... (to be continued in the second part of this article)