Linger in one of the outdoor caf s along Boat Quay and savor the view Singapore's past and present in one sweeping panorama. One bank is adorned with Victorian architecture, handsome relics of the British colonial era. 2 Pearl of the Orient. Little India is the most authentic of Singapore's ethnic enclaves, a boisterous area of about 20 blocks that wouldn't look out of place in Calcutta. Have your fortune told by a psychic parrot, sample delicious banana leaf curry, and listen to the sweet strains of Hindu music floating from the open windows.
Shops overflow with silks, spices, and gold jewelry.
If you're in town during the Deepavali festival, don't miss the nightly light show. 3 Green Retreat. Plunge into the jungle at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a pristine patch of rain forest that's never been logged. Wildlife also is abundant. Pythons slither through the undergrowth,monkeys hoot and holler in the trees, and white-bellied sea eagles hover high above the forest canopy.