Singapore was the fourth county visited during my round-the-world trip. Singapore lies on the Malay peninsula and consists of one main island and 63 satellite islands. The name Singapore means the Lion city. Why lion city? No, there are no lions in Singapore. The first

name for the land was Tamala. But when the founder of Singapore Sang Nila Utama, the Prince of the Indonesian Buddhist Empire in 1299 came to the island and saw an animal, he thought it was a lion. So, the lion is a historic sign of Singapore. The country had a turbulent history, from being one of the English colonies to Japanese occupation during the 2nd world war. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959 and became independent in 1965. The major ethnic groups are Chinese with 75% of the population, followed by Malay and Indian. They have four official languages, but English is the most common one and that made me really happy.

My trip from Fiji to Auckland and then to Singapore lasted 20 hours. My plan was to see as much as possible in two days. And I made it! On my feet and by bike ;). It helped a lot that Singapore has a very good network of public transportation. I used underground trains that are easygoing and cheap.

On the first day, I walked through the Botanical gardens with a wonderful Orchid garden. It took me four hours and I made 16 kilometers! But it was worth it and I really recommend it. For the second day, I booked a city tour by bike. In four hours we saw the main sights of the city. The guide explained the history of Singapore and today's way of living. The problem was very heavy traffic as there were no bike paths, many obstacles and closed streets due to the F1 car race held a few days before. We did 15 km, visited downtown, Little India, Chinatown, beachfront, and had a stop for a good snack in the Turkish part of town. On both days I spent the evening at the Bay. There were several things that I couldn’t miss. Marina Bay Sands hotel with its observation desk was one of those. I enjoyed every minute of magnificent views from the 57th floor. With a glass of gin and strawberries. I finished my evenings by watching spectacular light and music shows in the Gardens of Bay.

So, what to say? Although I am primarily a nature lover, I must admit that Singapore made a very good impression on me.

My next stop is Kuala Lumpur!