Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
49
older buildings to similar standards. There
are talks to make gr een buildings manda-
tory in the near future.
Outside the city center , Singapore also
has a number of natur e r eserves that ar e
outlined in chapter 7 of this guidebook.
Of par ticular inter est is
Bukit T imah
Nature Reserve—
Singapore is one of only
two cities in the world with
primary
rain-
forest located within city limits—and
specialists on selected w eekends. Check
out the schedule at
www.nparks.gov.sg
.
The
Singapore Z oo
has also been
affected by global environmental concerns
and has decided that, though it will sup-
port its curr ent polar bear and Ar ctic
exhibits, once these animals hav e liv ed
their lives, they will not be r eplaced, and
the z oo will focus on wildlife nativ
e to
warmer climates.
Animal rights have a way to go when it
comes to the rights of shar ks. Shark's fin
soup is still a delicacy and is a staple in
every Chinese restaurant here. Be warned.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve,
a man-
grove for est that pr otects an aw esome
number of migrating bir ds. The National
Parks Boar d has guided tours b
y par k
10
PACKAGES FOR THE INDEPENDENT
TRAVELER
Package tours are simply a way to buy the
airfare, accommodations, and other ele-
ments of y our trip (such as car r
or more if its S outheast Asian neighbors.
Asia Transpacific Journeys
(2995 Center
Green Cour t, Boulder , CO 80301;
entals,
&
800/642-2742;
fax 303/443-7078;
www.southeastasia.com) is another gr eat
operator, specializing in customiz ed tours
with par ticular attention to cultural and
ecological sensitivity.
Travel packages ar e also listed in the
travel section of y our local S unday news-
paper. Or check ads in the national trav el
magazines such as
Arthur Frommer's Bud-
get T ravel Magazine,
Travel + Leisur e,
National G eographic Traveler,
and
Condé
Nast Traveler.
For more information on Package Tours
and for tips on booking y our trip , see
www.frommers.com/planning.
airport transfers, and sometimes ev
en
activities) at the same time and often at
discounted prices.
Because Singapore is compact and effi-
cient and most people speak E nglish, few
travelers feel the need for a trav el operator
to hold their hand during their stay . Still,
package tour operators can get y ou better
deals on trav el and hotel stays. O ne com-
pany I r ecommend is
Absolute A sia
(15
Watts S t., 5th F loor, N ew York, NY
10013;
&
800/736-8187;
fax 212/627-
4090; www.absoluteasia.com), with pack-
ages that giv e y ou plenty of fr ee time to
explore on y our own and inno vative itin-
eraries that combine S ingapore with one
3
11
SPECIAL-INTEREST TRIPS
MEDICAL TRAVEL
Singapore's internationally accredited hos-
pitals and specialist centers are staffed with
medical professionals educated at some of
the world 's top schools, furnished with
state-of-the-art diagnostic and pr ocedural
equipment, and administer ed with an
efficiency that S ingapore is famous for .
International patients choose to r eceive
medical care in Singapore for a number of
reasons: because of insufficient medical
facilities in their home countries, to co ver
