Singapore Travel Guide

The petit island of Singapore is a popular destination for many a backpacker in need of a little more comfort and commerciality than adjoining Malaysia. Indonesia's Riau archipelago is also situated a short plane or ferry ride away making Singapore's location highly desirable for the country-hopping traveller. Yet Singapore, with its numerous shopping centres, traditional cuisine and squeaky clean streets, is worth a visit in itself. Here's what you can see in the diamond-shaped island that is Singapore.

Singapore has few unique culture and things that you cannot find in anywhere in the world. I will show you 7 of them in this article.
Tissue culture in hawker centres and food courts

During lunch hour between 12.00 p.m. to 2.00p.m., if you happen to be in a hawker centre or food court, look around you. You will notice each lady will put a packet of tissue on the table. It seems that this is an unspoken rule that everybody follows. So if next time when you are looking for seat, if you notice a packet of tissue on the table, it means that seat is taken and please don’t take the seat.
Banning of chewing gum

Chewing gum is banned in Singapore under the "Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations. This law was created in 1992 because people disposed the gum incorrectly. Some have stuck them under MRT chairs, public areas, walls, mailboxes, keyholes or lift buttons. It had increased the maintenance cost and also an ugly sight. If you think it is ok to bring chewing gum into Singapore for personal consume, you are wrong. Under the law, you are not allowed to do that.
Certificate of Entitlement (COE)

The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is designed by our Singapore government to control the number of cars on the road. If you want to buy a new car in Singapore, you are required to bid for the right to own a car. You can either do it yourself or via the car agents. COE biddings start on the first and third Monday of the month

The five categories of COE:

    *

      Non-transferable categories:

    * Category A : Cars (1,600cc and below) & taxis
    * Category B : Cars (1,601cc and above)
    * Category D : Motorcycles

    *

      Transferable categories:

    * Category C : Goods Vehicles and Buses
    * Category E : Open Category


Singlish

Singlish or also know as Singapore English is a mixture of Malay, Hokkien and English. If you pay more attention, you will hear them very often. You may hear it from the taxi driver, housewives, students and hawker owners. Try to pick up a few words, you won't it may come in handy when you are visiting Singapore.

Shocking photos on cigarette box

To encourage people to quit smoking, Singapore government had enforced all cigarette boxes to bear shocking photos of the harmful effects of smoking. As a non-smoker, I can understand the motives, but in fact how effective it is. So far, among the many smokers that I had spoken to, it has little or no effect to them. But I still think that the intent is good and this is just one of the many ways to put the message across to smokers.

Singapore Sling

Singapore Sling is a cocktail that was invented by Ngiam Tong Boon for the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel in Singapore sometime between 1910 and 1915. It is available on all Singapore Airlines flights and is free on all classes of travel.

Parents volunteer work for Primary school admission

It is a unique scene in Singapore for school to allow parents volunteer to do work in exchange for a higher chance for the child to enter the Primary school. If it is a top school, many parents would fight for a place in a limited pool of volunteers. Don’t think you can find this in anywhere else in the world.

Singapore has both modern and traditional places for you to explore. It can be quite expensive if you don't know where to find the bargain. This article will show you a few 'lobang' (in singlish and it means tips).

Air Tickets

Try to travel on budget airlines. Compare the prices and look for one that offers the best deal before making a decision. Remember your objective is travel Singapore on budget. Be flexible on the departure dates because usually it is cheaper to fly mid-week. If possible, book a local budget airlines, e.g. tiger airways and Jetstar Asia.

Accommodation

Stay around the area that you are interested in rather than in the area. E.g. If you are interested to go Orchard Road for shopping, choose a hotel somewhere near Orchard road. Hotel Royal or YMCA Fort Canning. They are cheaper than hotels in Orchard Road and yet is within minutes to Orchard Road.
Getting Around

Take the public transport. Singapore has one of the best Public Transport network in the world. Take the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to travel Singapore on budget. It can reach almost any corners of Singapore. The train system are air-condition and convenient. You can take the MRT from Singapore's Changi Airport to Orchard Road or Raffles Place easily.
 

Eating

Eat where usually a Singaporean does. Go to the hawker centres or food court. These places are much cheaper compared to fast food or restaurant. The famous hawker centres are Newton, Maxwell, Hong Lim and Chomp Chomp. Find out what are the local delicates you can find.

Sightseeing

There are many Singapore free attractions. Go to these places for your sightseeing. The following are some to consider :

Nightlife

Wander around from Clarke Quay to Boat Quay for nightlife. Buy a few cans of beer from 7-eleven or any convenient stores and go to Raffles Landing Site or along the Singapore river to consume the drinks.
Souvenirs

Go to Chinatown or Little India for cheap and good souvenirs. Prices maybe negotiable and be ready to bargain to get a good offer. Another good souvenir is to take more photos. Pictures are cheap and can be kept for a long time.

Raffles Place is reputed as the mercantile hub of Singapore and is home to many key buildings and daring sky scrapers. The founder of this commercial area was Sir Stamford Raffles who is known as the founder of “modern Singapore”. The area on which the district was built had to be reclaimed as it was a marsh area next to the river thus was the first reclamation project in Singapore.

Known as Commercial Square at that time, the area was simply a green area but soon experienced development as the economy of Singapore grew. The development paved way for an invasion of a multitude of office premises, banks and many leading establishments. The name change occurred in 1858 and new areas were added to the area such as Raffles Quay which was home to well-known retail stores and banks. Raffles Quay soon was transformed into an established commercial area as mercantile buildings disseminated with the vicinity.

Raffles Place is home to Robinson’s and John Little which are two of the oldest surviving department stores. The venue was the target of the Japanese bombs in 1941 but continued grow amidst such devastating setbacks. The banking industry in Singapore flourished in the 20th century and many local banks emerged, competing with globally acclaimed financial institutions.

Today some of the oldest banks and firms are still found at this historical venue. An array of hotels in Singapore makes this wonderful place a great vacation destination for young and old alike. It’s a must place for any Singapore traveler.

Some historical buildings in Singapore have featured as settings in classic novels and local folklore. If you are visiting Singapore, remember to check out these 3: the Raffles Hotel, Thian Hock Keng Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore:

This is the hotel that has enchanted writers such as Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham, all of whom have written about it. Even as early as 1910, the Raffles Hotel was a stopover for filthily rich visitors on round-the-world cruises. Such is its attraction that even a real tiger entered it in 1902. But without an invitation, it was eventually shot dead by a school teacher, who turned up at the scene curiously wearing pyjamas and carrying a hangover.

This is also a hotel not to be trifled with. Who else is able to get the Singapore Zoo to send 6 orang utans to a VIP's room just for the guest's amusement? Indeed, that was exactly what they did for Michael Jackson when he stayed at the Raffles Hotel in 1993. Of course the apes thrilled the superstar no end.

Thian Hock Keng Temple:

The Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore's oldest temple, and is a must-see if you visit Chinatown. Before land reclamation, this temple was smack on the coastline. In the early days, grateful Chinese immigrants would visit Thian Hock Keng the moment their boats landed. Here they gave thanks to the temple's patron goddess for granting them a safe passage.

You need not go to China to admire traditional southern Chinese architecture, for Thian Hock Keng is just that. For its construction, the most exquisite timber and stone were imported from China. The temple also made use of Scottish cast-iron girdles and English tiles. Skilled craftsmen from southern China arrived to work on the temple. The result is an intricate temple full of symbolism.

Get a good Singapore guide-book and wander around the temple ground. Find out why a vertical wooden board is placed across the main door. Or figure out which of the 2 guardian lions (statues) is male and which is female.

If the architecture does not impress you, the powers that dwell in Thian Hock Keng might. Apart from providing journey mercies, the deities are believed to grant gamblers lucky numbers for the local lottery. If you are visiting, test out this power for yourself. It might just pay for your vacation - but remember that it's your own fault if you lose all your holiday cash!

In 1998, when the temple was being restored, workers found a scroll stashed in one of the roof beams. It was written by no less than the Qing emperor Guang Xu, who pronounced blessings on the local Chinese community. It just makes me wonder, "What else might still be discovered here?"

Sri Mariamman Temple:

It might surprise you that Singapore's oldest Indian temple should be located in the middle of Chinatown. To explain why it is there will take another article. But the Sri Mariamman Temple continues to draw the local Indians, quite paradoxically, to Chinatown.

The temple had its origins in a small, ramshackle building made of wood and palm leaves. But in 1843, it was rebuilt into a concrete structure in the southern Indian temple style. The building was erected by Indian convicts shipped in from Madras. If they were frustrated with their lot, it did not show, for the temple is both sturdy and intricate even today.

Sri Mariammam Temple also hosts the annual Timithi Festival, known simply to non-Hindus as the fire-walking festival. To fulfil the vows made to Hindu deities, devotees walk - some actually run - across a pit of burning coals. It still baffles me that the only vehicles on stand-by outside the temple are police cars and not ambulances.