Nature, heritage among star attractions

Nature, heritage among star attractions

Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With towering skyscrapers, apartments, condominiums and malls
decorating the country, Singapore has been frequently associated
with modernization.

But if you take a visit to Singapore's Ubin Island, you will
find that the country is concerned about preserving more
traditional living that is at one with nature. The island is home
to Singapore's last villages, or "kampongs", where only a hundred
villagers live.

Ubin Island is off the North-East coast of Singapore. It takes
about 15 minutes by ferry from the mainland to reach the island.

Upon arrival at the boat jetty next to Ubin Village, you will
feel that you have stepped back fifty years. Ramshackle two-story
shop houses, a couple of simple restaurants, a colorful Chinese
temple and an empty stage for Wayang (Chinese Opera) performance
completes the scene.

"The island is far from the modern sterilized city," said an
American who joined Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) educational
familiarization program recently

"Everything is different here. Natural and rustic," he added
before starting a bicycle mangrove tour.

A group of 11 Americans recently joined a familiarization trip
organized by the STB. The group represented incentive travel
houses from the east coast of the US. They had the opportunity to
feel the tranquility while observing different kinds of tropical
plants, trees, insects and birds.

Guided by a botanist, the group divided into several smaller
groups, tried to discover the secret of tropical plants through a
team-building program called 'Quest of the Senses'.

Along the natural trails on the island, the visitors found
that bananas, durians, star fruits, coconuts and many more exotic
fruits indigenous to the region can be found in abundance.

"Many of the fruit-bearing plants have grown in these areas
naturally without any human intervention," said the botanist.

While looking at particular kinds of trees, like the large
durian tree, they were sometimes amazed by the appearance of
birds perching on branches, or squirrels running from one trunk
to another.

The visitors can also explore a natural farm grown by
volunteers that is filled with fruits, vegetables and spices,
allowing them to experience the smells and colors.

With tranquility and natural surroundings, Ubin Island
provides business travelers an escape from the hustle and bustle
of city life in Singapore.

Ubin Island is only one of the many nature-themed attractions
that Singapore offers.

Other nature-themed appeals in Singapore include Underwater
World Singapore in the Sentosa Island resort, the Singapore Zoo,
the Night Safari and the Jurong Bird Park.

"These venues cater to groups of business travelers, with
facilities available for cocktails or dinners," said STB's
business travel and MICE division manager Magdalen Chua Wen Xian.

Apart from nature-themed attractions, Singapore also has other
unique places of interest, ethnic districts, museums and
performing arts centers.

The following are just a few of the popular places of interest
to business travelers:

Chinatown

Chinatown is the original site where Chinese immigrants lived,
worked and played. At the site, you can see the oldest Hokkien
temple, Thian Hock Keng and the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's
oldest Indian temple.

You will see how housewives haggle for the best fresh
products. Here, you can also learn about the rich cultural
history of old Chinatown at the Chinatown Heritage Center (CHC).
Housed in three restored shop houses, the CHC is a showcase of
the rich heritage of Chinatown - the lifestyles, traditions and
rituals of the early immigrants who lived and work there.
Encapsulated in a series of carefully designed galleries, the
memories, sights, sounds and smells are presented to help
visitors appreciate the diverse heritage of Chinatown and its
people.

Little India

Little India is one of the most authentic districts in
Singapore. The color and cheerfulness of this district derived
from its being a shopping area. Little India is located on
Serangoon Road from Rochor Canal to Levender Street

Here, the heartland of the Indian community is a cacophony of
colors, sounds and scents. You can find an array of Indian silks,
brassware and bangles that will fascinate you. Or simply find out
what goes on behind temple doors.

You can follow your nose to the excellent restaurants in
Little India serving North and South Indian cuisine. Or you can
witness living tradition when you visit one of the last-known
Indian spice grinders and itinerant yogurt-sellers.

On Sundays Little India can become rather crowded when all the
Indian foreign workers go there to shop, eat or simply catch up
with friends.

The Asian Civilizations Museums at Empress Palace

For business travelers who have a passion for cultural
heritage, there is also the Asian Civilizations Museums at
Empress Palace. The first museum in the region presents a broad
yet integrated perspective of pan-Asian cultures and
civilizations. The museum is located along the Singapore River.

Opened in March 2003, this flagship museum brings together
5,000 years of Asian art and history.

The Esplanade

Opened in 2002, The Esplanade - Theater on the Bay
sits on six hectares of prime waterfront land at Marina Bay. The
Esplanade's twin domes clad in glass and metallic sunshades have
earned the center the nickname 'The Durian', after a pungent,
spiky popular tropical fruit.

One of its outstanding facilities is the concert hall. "Its
acoustic canopy and curtain enable the hall to effortlessly adapt
to different music styles and to provide optimum music quality,"
explained The Esplanade's corporate communications and public
affairs assistant manager Fiona Soh.