China

As both Rotary and Lions clubs travel to Asia for both of their 2012 International Conventions, another country keeps coming up as a logical and affordable side trip…namely Singapore. Frankly, it is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been in, and is such a model for the future economic growth in SE Asia, that it is a most interesting and worthwhile area to visit. But, many folks in the US know very little about this dramatic world center…so here is some basic information.

Singapore is a small country on a small island, but with just over five million people it is a fairly crowded city and in fact second only to Monaco as the world’s most densely populated country. However, unlike many other densely populated countries, Singapore has over 50% of its area covered by greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves, it is an enchanting garden city. Large self-contained residential towns mushroomed all over the island, around the clean and modern city center. The center of the city located in the south — consisting roughly of the Orchard road shopping area, the Riverside, the new downtown Marina Bay area and also the skyscrapers-filled Shenton way financial district known in acronym-loving Singapore as the CBD (Central Business District).

The Districts are, in a sense, a small city…within a City. All in all, the tropical beauty alongside one of the largest ports in the World makes Singapore an ideal vacation destination, if only for a few days. You will never forget Singapore once you travel there.