maurizio caduto S i n g a p o r e

Beauty at night

Singapore is one of those cities that look better at night. The contemporary architecture gets a remarkably charming look a remarkably charming look at night and one of my fondest memories is riding my motorbike on the ECP ( East Coast Parkway - Singaporeans love abbreviations!) back to the city center. The other great thing is the quality of green in town - I don't know whether its pro capita percentage is more or less compared to other cities but one thing is for sure: it feels like a very green city.

This might surprise some but smoking on the streets in Singapore has never been forbidden; just dropping the cigarette butt on the street is - for that you'll find plenty of trash bins everywhere with attached ashtray. This is Singapore, a city where being environmentally friendly or simply polite is easy - a beautifully clean and green city. It is almost a Law. No chewing gums, no littering, or at least don't get caught littering. If this sounds obvious then try to find a trash bin on the Champs Elysee' in Paris or to get a taxi in London after midnight or to get any information over the phone from the Italian Railway information center. Now, if you consider that Singapore is in Asia this will give you the full picture - I mean have you ever tried to drive in Jakarta or Manila? or simply walk there?

In the picture above you can see the Padang with its football field and in the background the skyscrapers of Suntec City in the financial district. Unlike you might think it is not in a private and restricted area but just by the street where you can walk in anytime you like.

Orchard Road

The second name you'll more often hear about Singapore - the first one obviously will be Raffles ( ubiquitous Raffles! Raffles Hotel, Raffles city center, Raffles square and so-Raffles-on). If you are just passing by Singapore you'll end up here walking up and down Asia's most famous shopping street. The shopping malls are world class and one after the other. The other thing Singaporeans love doing after eating is shopping and they can actually do both at the same time as all the shopping centers sport a wide array of restaurants. The Great Singapore sale in summer is a real blast and the Chinese New Year festive celebrations can be a serious headache for anyone less than a shopping maniac.