Singapore Cable Car

Singapore is a city-state founded as a British trading settlement in 1819 and attained independence only in 1965.  Since ’65, Singapore has gone from a rural – and manufacturing – based economy to a knowledge-based world economy.  Since independence, it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries and boasts one of the world's busiest ports.  Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, this Garden City makes for a great visit.  Singapore is a small country on a small island, but with just over five million people it is a fairly crowded city and in fact second only to Monaco as the world's most densely populated country.  However, unlike many other densely populated countries, Singapore has over 50% of its area covered by greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves, it is an enchanting garden city.

Other notes regarding Singapore: the currency is the Singapore dollar (SGD).  1 SGD = $0.80 USD.  Singapore’s notes are $2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 1,000, & 10,000 in addition to coins.  Singapore is very hot and humid (1.5 degrees north of the equator) with little variation throughout the year – it was in the high ‘80s when I was there – even in January.  The average daytime temp is 88 degrees.  It’s usually sunny with no distinct seasons.  Chinese form about 75% of the population followed by the Malays and Indians.  Malay is the ‘national’ language but in practice the most common language is English – but still, the English is not spoken as well or correctly as the west.

Singapore is a very clean as well as a very strict country – probably the strictest country I have ever visited.  Here are some of the things banned: drugs, porn, male homosexual activity, handcuffs, sat dishes, billboards, overhead wires, feeding pigeons, Malaysian newspapers, pirated goods, publications by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Unification Church, etc.  In fact, drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty — which is also applied to foreigners.  Even if you technically haven't entered Singapore and are merely transiting (i.e. changing flights without the need to clear passport control and customs) while in possession of drugs, you would still be subject to capital punishment.  The paranoid might also like to note that in Singapore, it is an offence even to have any drug metabolites in your system, even if they were consumed outside Singapore, and Customs occasionally does spot urine tests at the airport!  In addition, bringing in explosives or firearms without a permit is also a capital offence in Singapore.  Some other interesting notes: getting a shave and a haircut is no longer a condition for entry.  Also, the import of chewing gum is technically illegal, but in practice customs officers would usually not bother with a few sticks for personal consumption.

For my first full day in Singapore, I thought I would travel on a boat via the downtown Singapore River but they were closed for the Chinese New year – I would do it later in the week.  But Singapore’s Cable Car was open so I took the subway there instead.  The Singapore Cable Car provides an aerial link from Mount Faber on the main island of Singapore to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour.   Opened in 1974, it was the first aerial ropeway system in the world to span a harbour.  My ticket was 26 SGD ($21) which was not cheap – get used to me saying this numerous times in my upcoming posts about Singapore – you don’t come here to try to save money.  $21 probably would get me through a whole day in Viet Nam if I was even fairly frugal.  You have to take an elevator to like the eightieth floor or something of a building to enter the cable car.  The first pic below shows the building I just left upon entering the cable car.

The next few pics are of the ride to Mount Faber.

 

Mount Faber is a hill about 344 feet in height.  The summit is also accessible by road, but there are many footpaths leading up the hill.  It is a frequent tourist destination, as it provides a panoramic view of the increasingly dense central business district within the Central Area.  I walked along the roads and trails for a bit until it started to rain – it had been drizzling but then really started to rain.  Some pics are below.

Once it started to rain, I was able to find a little outdoor café to get some cover and I bought a beer for around 16 SGD ($12.75).  Did I say Singapore was expensive?  The pic below is taken from the café on the hill.

The pics below are from the cable car again going back.  You first have to ride it to Sentosa which is a resort island before getting back to where you first started.  The island consists of a Universal Studios Theme Park, Hard Rock Hotel, golf courses, a fort, beach, etc. though I did not enter as it costs money and I really didn’t come to Singapore to go to a Theme Park – I much rather go to different neighborhoods and see the city instead which is what I did.