ARRIVAL ...

Arrived Saturday morning at Karup Airport just to find out that my flight had been delayed with 1 hour (fog congestion over CPH) … so I was lucky that I had given myself plenty of time to make the connecting flight to Bangkok

Had a good (long) trip to Singapore. The service aboard Thai Airways was very good

I think that next time I fly to Singapore I will either take a direct flight from Amsterdam (KLM) or from Frankfurt (Lufthansa) as the transfer was too long in Bangkok … I had to wait 5 hours and I wasn't really in the mood for a shopping spree after being in the air for 10½ hours. The new international Airport in Bangkok is very impressive and I have no doubts whatsoever that this must be a “shop-o-holics” paradise.

Arrived at Singapore on time and was met by 34 degrees C … god it was hot.

I arrived at my hotel in Singapore around 16:00 hrs Sunday afternoon has a shower, slept for an hour, had something to eat, and went to bed at 21:00

Woke up at 06:30 … so I had slept for a solid 9½ hours …. not bad considering that there is now 7 hours difference between DK and SIN

Today (Monday) it’s still around the 32 degrees C but is rather overclouded. … but still hot enough so who needs the sun?

Have just been introduced to my new collogues her in the office, where we are situated on the top floor of Siemens Center in downtown Singapore.

Learnt some interesting stuff about Singapore … did you know that:

LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT

The Republic of Singapore, the second-smallest country in Asia, consists of Singapore Island and several smaller adjacent islets. Situated in the Indian Ocean off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore has an area of 693 sq km (268 sq mi). Comparatively, the area occupied by Singapore is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. Singapore Island extends 41.8 km (26 mi) ene–wsw and 22.5 km (14 mi) sse–nnw and has a coastline of 193 km (120 mi), including about 84 km (52 mi) along the water channel between the island and the Malay Peninsula. Singapore is connected to the nearby western portion of Malaysia by a causeway 1,056 m (3,465 ft) in length across the narrow Johore Strait. Singapore's position at the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca, which separates western Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, has given it economic and strategic importance out of proportion to its small size. Singapore's capital city, Singapore, is located on the country's southern coast

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical, with heavy rainfall and high humidity. The range of temperature is slight; the average annual maximum is 34°c (88°f), and the average minimum 24°c (75°f). The annual rainfall of 237 cm (93 in) is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, ranging from 39 cm (15 in) in December to 28 cm (11 in) in May. It rains about one day in two

ETHNIC GROUPS

The people of Singapore are predominantly of Chinese origin, with the ethnic Chinese accounting for about 76.8% of the population. About 15% are Malays and 8% are Indians (including Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Sri Lankans).

LANGUAGES

There are four official languages in Singapore: Chinese (Mandarin dialect), Malay, English, and Tamil. English is the principal medium of government and is widely used in commerce; it is spoken by about 23% of the population. In 1987, under a government mandate, English was made the primary language of the school system. Mandarin is the most widely known language, spoken by about 35% of the population. Malay is spoken by 14% and Tamil by 3%. Other languages include Hokkien (11%), Cantonese (6%), and Teochew (5%).

RELIGIONS

The Chinese adhere in varying degrees to Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. According to a 2000 census, these faiths, as well as traditional ancestor worship, were practiced by about 51% of the population. Malays and persons with origins in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi portions of the Indian subcontinent are almost exclusively Muslim. About 15% of the total population practices Islam. About 15% of the population is Christian, with Protestants outnumbering Roman Catholics by about two to one. Most of the Indian minority (4%) are Hindus. There are also small Sikh, Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Jain communities.

There is complete separation of state and religion in Singapore and freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed. However, all religious groups must be registered under the Societies Act, and the government has maintained a ban on the registration of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Unification Church. The government also has a semiofficial relationship with the Islamic Religious Council. One holiday from each of the nation's major religions (Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism) is recognized as a national holiday.

                            

Rene (my colleague) has promised to show me some of the highlights of Singapore … this I am looking forward to.