Singapore

As promised, I've been working on building more locations for the Pacific History Guide, and this week I'm proud to unveil Singapore! This is one of my favorite destinations; the food, culture, history, art, and pride here is just so much more vibrant than most of the places I've visited. I've been to Singapore a lot on port calls, but never as a tourist. In July 2024, we took a family trip here, it was my wife and kids' first time. Needless to say, they loved every minute of it and we can't wait to get back!

When it came time to create a new location page for the website, SIngapore was an easy and obvious choice. If you have not been here, or have only seen the typical haunts such as Orchard Street or the bar scene, do yourself a huge favor and check out the rest of the city, you won't be disappointed!

Getting a shot of the Marina Bay Sands

Although Singapore is a small place, the history here is deep and broad. Anybody's first stop should be the National Museum, which covers the history of the island and larger region from almost the beginning of recorded history, through the colonial period and to the modern day. I was struck by this exhibit, made up of bicycles used by the Imperial Japanese Army as they rode down jungle paths down the Malayan Peninusula to their ultimate goal of Fortress Singapore in 1942.

National Museum of Singapore - bicycles belonging to the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942

Just outside the museum is Fort Canning; we would have spent some more time here and taken some photos if not for the rain. This is a beautiful public park that I've had the pleasure of spending a lot of time in. We grabbed some delicious local Indian curry while we waited out the rain - Singapore has a food scene that is out of this world! In the following days we visited Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street, and several hawker stalls. We didn't want for food choices.

Chinatown, Singapore

Arab Street, Singapore

View from the Marina Bay Sands

There is no shortage of things to do in Singapore. As an inaugural trip, we covered most of the bases - the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Night Safari, and of course, the Aquarium. Next time, we'll go visit some of the more out of the way places that i've come to know and love; the old Ford Factory where the British surrendered to the Japanese in 1942; the bunkers at Sembawang, and the Singapore Navy Museum.

All of these and more are waiting for you to discover them, next time you are in Singapore for a port call or TAD trip. Singapore has a lot to offer outside of Clarke Quay and Sentosa Island. Pacific History Guide is here to help get you on your way.

Enjoy, and let us know if we missed anything! Our inbox is ALWAYS open.