Singaporeans moan that besides shopping, dining and the movies, there's not a lot you can do here. Ignore them. The must-see list for the one-day visitor to Singapore, especially the first-timer, is absorbingly long. There is very little chance you'll get bored. Most tourists tend to gravitate first towards the famed retail stretch of Orchard Road. Fine, get your fix of bold-faced names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and every other couture label under the sun. When you've gotten that out of your system, dump your purchases back at the hotel and head out into the 'burbs where the real charm of Singapore lies. We're here to guide you to the top 10 places where tourists don't normally go; in short, the places where Singaporeans in the know live and play.
* Singapore Botanic
Gardens
So,
you've arrived. It's early and nothing really opens for business until around
11 a.m., so how are you going to kill time? Slip on the trainers and head out
to the Botanic Gardens (open 5 a.m. to midnight). At this time of the day,
downtown Singapore's last remaining green lung is a cool, bucolic retreat
filled with joggers, dogs and tai-chi practitioners. Wander through the swaths
of virgin rainforest (the main boardwalk through it is entered from Upper Palm
Valley Road) and then take in the National Orchid Garden's many-colored
collection of 1,000 orchid species and 2,000 hybrids. When you're done, drop
into the food court near Tanglin Gate for a traditional local breakfast of
soft-boiled eggs, coffee and toast slathered with coconut jam.
* Artwork at the
Ritz-Carlton
It
may seem a little strange to head to a hotel to look at artwork, but the
Ritz-Carlton is no ordinary hotel. The massive three-ton Frank Stella
installation at the entrance and the pair of Dale Chihuly crystal glass
sculptures that anchor both wings of the building kick off one of Southeast
Asia's finest (and under the radar) collections of modern and contemporary art.
The majority of the pieces were specially commissioned for the public spaces
and guest suites. The treasures on view include Andy Warhol and David Hockney's
exuberant colors, Rainer Gross's geometric compositions, Henry Moore's
restrained monochromatics and the lush botanicals of Robert Zakanitch. It's all
free to view, and you even get an iPod-guided tour.
* Chinatown Heritage
Centre
Let
the other tourist hordes charge over to the newly minted Peranakan Museum or
the gloomy Asian Civilisations Museum. If you do only one cultural thing during
your 24-hour Singapore layover, it must be a tour of the unheralded Chinatown
Heritage Centre, where entire sets of bedrooms, kitchens and street scenes from
the late-19th century and early-20th century have been faithfully recreated.
It's an authentic slice of Singapore's history that's made all the more
fascinating by the gleaming skyscrapers just a few blocks away. And if you must,
pick up a kitschy souvenir from the gift shop on your way out.
* Plastic Surgery
In
case you missed the memo, the place for plastic surgery is Asia. While many
people head to Bangkok and Seoul for assorted nips and tucks, the locals make a
beeline for the ultra-swish, Richard Meier–designed Camden Medical Centre. You
may not have time for a full makeover, but squeeze in a spot of Botox or a
non-surgical facelift with local celebrity surgeon Woffles Wu. And then adjourn
downstairs for snapper pie and Pavlova at Whitebait & Kale.
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