Since this is my first review, I will start the ball rolling with the most difficult places:
SINGAPORE.
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| Super Trees, Gardens by the Bay |
Singapore is a strange place. It wishes to enjoy the benefits of "western" thinking, and still retain its core Asian values.
FOOD:
Another sign: Food must be cheap. From the high class restaurants to the hawker centers, it must be cheap. Prices for houses and other things can be sky high, but food must be cheap. Even if that means you're paying for the ambiance and other whatnot, food must be cheap.
Rough guide: S$5 for a single portion is too expensive if you're in a hawker center
I highly recommend going to any hawker center and ordering any kind of food you haven't seen before. I know many guidebooks highly recommend Lau Pa Sat or Newton Hawker Center, but actually it doesn't really matter, for every hawker centers has its own good food stores.. For the serious foodies, you can always venture along Tanjong Katong road.
Forget about going to a French restaurant on holiday there just to "try" the French food, cooked in Singapore. It's not worth it, and defeats one of the purposes of traveling. Travel to another country to taste your home country's cuisine.
It's like how all the Chinese tourists who insist on eating Chinese food in Europe. Don't get me started.
BOARD:
I recommend getting a hotel in the town area. You don't have to stay in the Swissotel, but Holiday Inn is a good choice, with many buses that go straight into the city area. If you're more adventurous, Hotel 81 or Fragrance Hotel. There's one thing about Singapore, that's there aren't many hostels around. Not that ready yet.
Do explore the neighborhood around your hotel/friend's house. It's a strange place where people hang clothes outside their kitchen windows (dryers catch on slowly) and yet technology seems like a commodity, a lack of ownership of it will result in stares.
You can also marvel how we can live up so high in the sky. Looking down from the 20th floor is no easy feat. Architects will find Singapore's public housing extremely interesting, all built in different development phases, and resulting in varying design and structure.
If you're sick of staring at concrete, you can always look for a park. Rest assured that no matter where you are, a park is at most 15 minutes away. Parks are an easy option to experience the local lifestyle, with the other option being at a hawker center during lunch.
Bonus points if you see an animal in the any of the Parks. Animals include snakes, monkeys, komodo dragons, wild birds and monkeys. You can start with the tourist-friendly (Botanic Gardens) or the outbound (Sungei Buloh).
SHOPPING:
Shopping is a national pastime. Singaporeans do love a round to the shops, and in every housing estate you will find a shopping center (mall is the alternative word). Everyone knows about the famed Orchard Road stretch, but my advice is that to skip that street and head to the local shopping centers if you're on the search for something local.
Depending on where you're from, it's not uncommon to see your local brands setting up shop in Singapore. Doesn't make sense to purchase something from that label, does it?
For the hunt for something unique, I suggest Ann Siang Hill. Ann Siang Hill is home to many independent labels and local cafes, but prices might be a bit steep for your liking. Geyland Serai, Chinatown and Little India are really for tourists, so you might to stop over there for a souvenir or 2. If you're lucky enough, you might stumble across the roving "night market" (Pasar Malam) that trawls around each neighborhood. You won't be able to do any decent shopping, but the photographs will be worth it.
To truly experience Singapore's shopping, i suggest packing 2 days worth of clothes and buying as you need as you venture on. I would also like to remind you that Singapore is located in the tropics, which i will remind you in the next section:
WEATHER:
If this map is still accurate, Singapore lies smack in the middle of the tropical climate zone in South East Asia. There is no need for winter jackets, moon boots, scarves or a sled. Imagine a rainy Summer's day. Now imagine having that for every day of the year. That's our climate.
Feel free to wear slippers out, best experienced in sunny weather. Doc Martens would serve useful in this weather, especially if you like walking in the rain and stepping on puddles. One of the "must-try" towards the monsoon season is to experience a thunderstorm. You can be amazed by the sheer volume of water that falls from the sky.
Bring your sunglasses. You will thank me for that.
LANGUAGE:
This probably is a matter of convenience or otherwise, but everybody speaks English. Chinese can get you around, probably most of the time. As for everything else? I'm afraid you will be stuck and not many people can help you. After you do manage to get pass the language barrier, there would be another one waiting. A good number of the local landmarks have Malay names, Be warned! Once you have ventured into the land of Singlish, there would be no turning back.
If you would like to try your hand at it, just a lah or lor at the end of the sentence is good enough. Don't try to over do it. It's not cool that way.
Right, I hope I have managed to cover all aspects of travelling to Singapore. If there's any points that I have missed or left out, feel free to comment!
