Singapore from the Sky

The Stamford Swisshotel is the tallest hotel in Singapore. We took the elevator to the 70th floor to get a panoramic view of the city.

To the Northwest you can see Orchard Road, which goes on and on with giant shopping malls one after another. In the distance you can see the typical Singaporean apartment buildings. The green area to the left of Orchard RD is the park that surrounds the Istana, the official residence of the President.

Far to the North lays Little India, which is hard to see from here. Closer is the new tourist attraction, the DHL ballon and behind it you can see a cluster of shophouses -- that's Kapong Glam, the Arab quarter.

Directly North of Swisshotel is the famous colonial-syle Raffles Hotel.

To the East lay the modern buildings of Suntec City, a giant shopping mall which is linked to the Marina Square mall, which has an underground passage that connects it to CityLink mall, which is linked to Raffles City mall. Get it? In the background you can see another recent atraction, a ferris wheel in the style of the London Eye and behind it, the sea, peppered with ships.

Southwest: The Singapore River is wider between the colonial district and the central business district. The locals call it "the belly of the carp" and it's supposed to bring good luck according to feng shui principles. The triangular builing to the left is the old post office which was converted into one of the most handsome and luxurious hotels in the city: the Fullerton Hotel. In the foreground you can see the cricket club, the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and Asian Civilizations museum. Directly to the right, also in colonial style, lay the City Hall, and the Parliament House.