Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. Its colonial core centers on the Padang, a cricket field since the 1830s and now flanked by grand buildings such as City Hall, with its 18 Corinthian columns. In Singapore’s circa-1820 Chinatown stands the red-and-gold Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, said to house one of Buddha’s teeth.
We visited Singapore in January 2018 to celebrate New Year’s. We stayed at the Hilton Singapore. We explored this bustling island city including the magical Gardens by the Bay, the top of the Super Tree Grove with amazing views of the city, and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, where we attended a New Year’s Eve roof top party with views of the fireworks display. On the hop-on-hop off bus, we visited the Singapore Flyer, Orchard Road, Chinatown, the waterfront and Merlion Park.