Helix Bridge, Singapore

For many people Singapore is only a transit point after twelve hours of flight on their way to Australia. It is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, just 140 km to the northward of the equator. The place is distinguished by a tropical climate with an average temperature of 27C and humidity of approximately 85%. It rains in Singapore all year round. Quite often there are several short rains during just one day. However, despite everything Singapore is much more than just a transit point! This is a very modern city-state full of most diverse attractions, and travellers will need more than a whole week to see them all.

The Raffles Hotel.
The Raffles Hotel was built in 1887. A hundred years later it was declared a monument of the national importance. The hotel is one of the last big Asian hotels of that era. Such famous people as Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Charlie Chaplin enjoyed staying there. In 1991, after an extensive renovation, the cost of which was 160 million Singapore dollars, the hotel returned to its former glory, which it was famous for during the period of its fame in 1915. However, the hotel managed to retain the charm and elegance of that era, which is only a memory today.
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