Anyone been to Singapore? Question about currency, things to do etc

Soldato
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Is the Night Zoo really that bad? Hmm, guess I'll give that a miss then unless I get a different opinion from a local.

I think the idea was a great one. Many of the animals are active at night.....I just felt it didn't work.

I did the walk around and I just felt I couldn't see much. The things I did see were unimpressive. I'd much preferred the normal zoo in the day so I could take pictures and actually see things.
 
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Is the Night Zoo really that bad? Hmm, guess I'll give that a miss then unless I get a different opinion from a local.

Depends on what you are looking for and expecting to see. It is a small zoo with mainly night active animals and subdued lighting. If you are looking to see animals you would not see during the day then it can be quite interesting but by its very nature, it is dark and so you may not be lucky and get to see everything. Walking through the bat aviary is quite good, the 'jungle' path can also be nice to take a stroll along but it will most likely be hot and humid and possible wet depending on the season. There is a tram that tours around the 'habitats' so you can see the animals without having to walk and it has a number of stops so you can get off and take a stroll. They also have shows which are reasonably good and very popular. Just remember the night safari is fairly small (compared to the Singapore zoo) but most of the animals are not 'exciting'. My wife and kids love going there, me not so much after the first couple of times, but it is pretty expensive. Website is here.

The zoo is a lot bigger, has a tram ride and has recently opened a boat ride as well. They have a couple of places to eat in the centre and a few shows at various places. If you have kids then bring their swimming stuff as there is a kids water park area with some slides, water guns, tipping bucket and all in within the rubber padded floor area so falls are not a concern. There is also a KFC and Ben & Jerrys at that location. There are other food places just outside the front of the zoo. The zoo and night safari are next door to each other so you can go from one to the other, if you have the energy, easily and get a joint ticket for both.

Jurong bird park is fine for a bit of a walk but like most of Singapore, it is concrete paths everywhere. The landscaping is pretty nice but the main attraction of the tree walk is really very small and gets pretty crowded. If I was to give one of the three a miss then it would be this one.

If you want a bit of sand and sun then Sentosa is great but the water is not so clean, mainly from all the container ships and tankers just off the coast waiting to go in to the port. The sand is golden and fine and the girls in bikinis can more than make up for the state of the water. There are changing and shower buildings along the beach but as they are for general public use they can tend to get dirty. The beaches cannot compare with somewhere like Thailand but they are good enough for a bit of fun with golden sand. There are a fair number of places to eat and a free golf cart/tram type thing that goes up and down the beach front. There is also an internal bus service which is also free. The luge is fairly good and you can get some good speed if you try. There are some 4d type shows / games but they are quite small (20 people or so at a time) and they can have long queues. The aquarium is good with its underwater tunnel and being able to feed the rays by hand. They also have a dolphin lagoon but I have not visited it. For a bit of history there is Fort Siloso where the British defence force was stationed during WW2 before the Japanese occupation. There are a number of old cannons, walks through the underground trenches and buildings and a few exhibits. Lots of up and down on steep hills there though so midday sun id best avoided. The Casinos are, well just casinos and Universal Studios is fairly good. A number of roller coasters, a big water ride and a few eating places. Worth a visit but they limit entry numbers so book the tickets early. Also the lines can be very long for some rides unless you get an express pass but that is almost double the ticket price and only entitles you to jump the queue once for each ride. Sentosa also has the Flying Fox (405m aerial runway) and iFly the skydiving simulator. Images of Singapore is fairly good for a basic museum showing the history of Singapore with a little show and then wax models of life at various stages of Singapore history. Songs of the Sea is the water jet and light projection show which is fairly good for something a little different.

There is also a board walk type area known as ECP (East Coast Parkway). The beach is tiny but the walk (you can also hire bikes if you want) is nice enough and there are places to stop for a drink or eat like East Coast Seafood where you can get a full black pepper or chilli crab. There is the Parkway Parade shopping centre near by which should do for a bit of retail therapy and even has a M&S if you fancy a little reminder of home.

Shopping, Vivo city is one of the biggest malls and is where you can catch the monorail or a bus to Sentosa. It is located at the Harbour Front MRT (underground train) station. Orchard Road is the equivalent to Londons Oxford Street including the prices. Retail therapy is a big past time in Singapore so you will find shopping centres everywhere. Tampines (25 mins green line east from the central area) has three smaller malls and is a better place to go if you would rather get out of the tourist trap areas. Trains are reliable and come every 3-5 minutes usually. Fares are also pretty cheap with the MRT system using an Oyster card like prepay system. 5 days a week, 25 mins travel each way per day costs me around 25quid a month in travel on the MRT. People do have a habit of 'me first' and charging in and off of the trains especially the older generation but this stems from the fact that Singapore has gone from mud huts to sky scrapers within 50 years and a lot of the the older generations roots have been village life where age demands respect.

The Singapore flyer is ok if you like The London Eye type attractions and the F1 pit lanes sit next to it. Marina Bay Sands is ok if you like Casinos but the shops are expensive. The Art Science museum was very disappointing and very expensive especially if you have kids. The skypark is meant to be good at the top of the hotel but I have never been up to the top yet so cannot comment from experience. Having worked in a building across from it with a view from the 49th floor I would imagine the view would be just as good from the SkyPark (i.e. fantastic). The infinity pool is really tempting.

The various other museums are good if you like that kind of thing. The Science centre is a little out of the way but is great for kids with quite a lot of hands on stuff and an IMax theatre. There is also a small water park so if you take kids, take their swimming stuff or they will miss out. Checkout timings of attractions because some, like the fire tornado, are a once a day events.

Bukit Temah, as someone else mentioned, has a well respected nature reserve and somewhere I am still planning to go. It is worth noting that there have been cases of people straying off the path in to the rain forest and getting lost only to be found some time (days, weeks etc) later dead. Going off the paths is a bad idea as it is not like taking a walk through a forest in the UK.

Wild, Wild Wet is a water park at Pasir Ris (end stop, green MRT line East). The shopping centre (Downtown East) it is next to also has a bowling alley and numerous food places as well as a little village of apartments called Costa Sands. The rooms are fairly cheap, you can hire BBQ pits and stay a couple of nights for somewhere out of the city centre with a few bits to do.

For cash, just be aware that money changers outside of the airport can only change err money :). By that I mean they are not allowed to charge to a credit card or the like. You have to withdraw the cash then change it up if you do not have local currency. Cash machines are plentiful and Mastercard / Visa are accepted most places. NETS is the local debit card system here so be aware it is not the same as credit card services. Exchange rate is more or less 2 SGD to 1 UKP. Hawker center food will come in around S$3, food courts in shopping centers are closer to S$5-S$7 and fast food places are around the same.

For computer parts then Sim Lim Square is the main place to go but make sure you know what you want and the standard market price. Sim Lim is a cut throat place for pricing and so if they see a non-local they may well try to overcharge. 6 or so floors of computer shops but beware of anything on the 1st (UK ground floor) up to the 3rd floors as some dodgy people operate there. 4th floor and up is usually fine. The service quality and dodgy pricing I got there was the main reason I started my own PC retail business over here. For consumer electronics, try Funan IT mall. Peninsular Plaza is good for camera stuff along with Funan but as always, make sure you are educated as the shops will try to make maximum profit especially from non-locals. Adelphi is the place for your HiFi desires. The last 3 are all in the same area with Sim Lim being a bit further away. Shops here still work very much on the 'drag them in and hard sell' techniques and very few like to give out prices (rare to find on-line prices for example). Lots of places have websites but not shops so comparing prices can be more than a bit difficult.

Local VAT is called GST and is currently set to 7%. You can generally reclaim at the airport although I have not tried the process out for a while.

Boat Quay is the tourist place for food by the main Singapore river and Clarke quay is the tourist drinking spot. Most drinking places are centralised to avoid problems with drunken people staggering around residential areas all hours of the night singing songs about little goblins ;). ECP, as mentioned, has a few nice quiet bars away from the hustle and bustle. There are a few bars along Emerald Hill located by Somerset MRT which I used to visit to get away from the tourists even though it is right by Orchard Road :D.

Another walk worth doing if you like that sort of thing is the Southern Ridges including Henderson Ridges Bridge and Mount Faber (cable car station to Sentosa at the top).

Anything else then just ask. Have a search for my replies to other requests for info for Singapore or this region as there may be other links.

Oh and after 5+ years living here, no, I still don't get the MerLion but the girls in miniskirts and other eye candy soon makes me forget that :D.

RB
 
Soldato
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I also live in Singapore, been here 2 years now and personally right now I wouldn't live anywhere else. The weather is too humid for some people but you soon acclimatise, it's very safe, very clean and easy to get around. Granted there isn't loads to do but you counter that by jetting off to Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, basically anywhere you want in Asia fairly cheap.
My favourite place is Macritchie reservoir, you can run if you're the running type or walk the main loop which is about 11km, you'll likely see monkeys, monitor lizards, turtles and various other things. Sentosa can be good depending on what you're doing there, Universal is ok once but mainly the beach bars (probably Tanjong Beach Club) are the place to be.

Be aware that Tampines by Singapore standards is the sticks, it's not really, there is an MRT station there and a lot of people live there but anything more than 5 minutes out of the CBD is the boondocks here :) Oh, wake boarding is fun too, hire a boat for a few hours and rip up the straight between SG and JB, basically it's a really active place with loads of decent things to eat but yes, it's also quite expensive. The plus side for that live here is tax is extremely low and day to day expenses, food, transport etc. are fairly cheap so my quality of life and income are both about double what I had in the UK. Anyway, must see's for any visitors I have are:
Macritchie
Zoo
Botanical Gardens
Clarke Quay
Geylang (Very chinese area, worth seeing but don't stay too far from the main road ;) )
A stroll down Orchard (preferably not on a Sunday when it's Pinoy day off)
One Altitude (highest Al Fresco bar in the world, basically on top of a tall office building and stunning views of SG, Msia, Indonesia etc.)
A trip somewhere else (generally Phuket (not Patong))
East Coast (rent a bike or some roller blades or walk it)
Local girls :)
 
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Wow, cheers for all that information! I'm going to have another look at it when I visit so I can map out what I want to do. I'm staying in the Tampines area.

Np, there is lots more but I really didn't want to turn the thread in to a book :D. I live in Tampines. My email is in trust if you want to get in contact. May should be fine although I am flying to the UK in June (just after the OCUK meet unfortunately) to see the family and let them spend some time with the kids.

I also live in Singapore, been here 2 years now and personally right now I wouldn't live anywhere else. The weather is too humid for some people but you soon acclimatise, it's very safe, very clean and easy to get around. Granted there isn't loads to do but you counter that by jetting off to Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, basically anywhere you want in Asia fairly cheap.

Very true. There are numerous cheap airlines (equiv of Easyjet) that can take you around SE Asia. You can also get on a luxury coach and take a trip to places like Genting Highlands in Malaysia, above the cloud layer and a great escape from the humidity in Singapore. Most of the main places in Singapore have ways of getting about that are either airconditioned or close to an airconditioned shop or mall so you can always pop in somewhere and cool off.

My favourite place is Macritchie reservoir, you can run if you're the running type or walk the main loop which is about 11km, you'll likely see monkeys, monitor lizards, turtles and various other things. Sentosa can be good depending on what you're doing there, Universal is ok once but mainly the beach bars (probably Tanjong Beach Club) are the place to be.

You also have Bedok Reservoir next to Tampines which is quite good for walks but you are not quite as likely to see such exotic wildlife :). Never having been to MacRitchie res, I really should make the trip some time.

Be aware that Tampines by Singapore standards is the sticks, it's not really, there is an MRT station there and a lot of people live there but anything more than 5 minutes out of the CBD is the boondocks here :)

Well only to people who live in the CBD ;). Tampines is like like Ealing/Walthamstow/Ilford/Earls Court in London are to The West End (only closer). It is the third largest population centre in Singapore. 30 minutes on the MRT will get you to most places or there is the extensive bus network or Taxis. It is quiet enough to be restful, enough shops for that retail fix, easy transport links and away from the main tourist traps and higher price areas.

The plus side for that live here is tax is extremely low and day to day expenses, food, transport etc. are fairly cheap so my quality of life and income are both about double what I had in the UK.

Housing is expensive though so that tends to suck up a large chunk of income. On the whole, it is much cheaper to like here if you are not all about the top restaurants / top condo in the most expensive areas / top party girls :D. Credit cards are shockingly expensive interest wise as well at around 24% :eek:.

Geylang (Very chinese area, worth seeing but don't stay too far from the main road ;) )

Geylang is great for watching the world go by and can be fun for a bit of spot the ho. A colleague took me down there before I moved here and drove up and down the side roads pointing out all the ladies of negotiable affection on the street. The Hotel 81 cheap hotel chain also flourishes there where you can rent a room by the hour. I got stuck without a hotel room on an unplanned stopover in Singapore and ended up having to rent a room at one of the Geyland Hotel 81s. It was like living in student accommodation, cheep especially as I could negotiate a long stay (around 2 weeks) discount and the night life was amusing to watch from the coffee shops. Also watch out for Orchard Towers or the four floors of h.... ladies of the night (some of which are not actually ladies, or so the stories go). A fun night out for all and the source of many a travellers tail I would imagine. Research if you have any interest in visiting. I have never been so cannot help there (Singapore is a small place and my wife is a local so no chance of not being found out ;)).

A stroll down Orchard (preferably not on a Sunday when it's Pinoy day off)

Just to explain this a bit... lots of people here have maids. They help with the cleaning, family chores and sometimes, looking after the kids. They generally come from places like the Philippines and Indonesia. Pinoy is a term generally used to describe Filipinos and in this case Filipino maids day off where they all gather and gossip, have fun and sometimes go rich man hunting ;).

A trip somewhere else (generally Phuket (not Patong))

Personally I prefer Koh Samui (Thailand) and you can get direct flights from Singapore now. Cambodia, Vietnam, etc are also within easy reach.

Local girls :)

Can't argue here as I ended up marrying one :D. Hot weather, short skirts, tanned legs and faces that don't look like they have been headbutting parked cards. Ahhh, lovely.

Quick note on languages. English is the common language (not the national language as that is Malayu) and is taught as a first language in schools. People may have issues with accents though outside of the central tourist areas or on the phone. You should be able to make yourself understood though. Aunty and Uncle are terms used for anyone of an older generation even if they are not related. Locals generally fall in to speaking Singalish which is a mish mash of English, Malayu, Mandarin and Hokkien where various words are interchanged with a different language or dialects equivalent. Ai yoh (various spellings) is a common term of exasperation, people tend to pluralise singulars by adding an 's' to the end of a lot of words where it would not be expects and also sometimes add 'one' at the end of sentences. A lot comes from the grammar of the other common languages spoken being mixed with English. It seems to be a major bane of some expats here who cannot understand why the 'locals' cannot speak proper English 'like what they do'. For a fun tongue in cheek look at Singlish, try the Coxfords Singlish dictonary. One of my favourites is "AI PEE, AI CHEE, AI TUA LIAP NEE" translating to Want cheap, want pretty, want big breasts!' It is used to describe someone who wants the earth.

RB
 
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i've seen durian in UK. here in newcastle, grange market.

If it is good you tend to smell it before you see it ;). My wife loves it but I don't. I still cannot work out how it manages to taint my Lurpak butter whilst in the fridge and the butter is in a sealed container. Powerful stuff. For those who are interested, a little bit of info about Durian here.

RB
 
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Yeah, the strength of the smell of Durian is pretty impressive.

Don't ever take it home and keep it in the fridge for that reason :p

The chinese calls the smell like a stench of cat poo. I personally can't see ye attraction to this fruit. It's not juicy or sweet, a bit like a weird banana I suppose but with a weird smell.
 
Soldato
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Nasty rotting feet I'd say :). Though the taste is less offensive - sort of a sweet caramelised onion I think, but the wife thinks I'm wierd and that they just smell and taste heavenly (???).

Wow - can't believe you allow them in the fridge, Rimblock. Brave man! One of the most harrowing experiences of my life was when we were in Genting with the in-laws and uncle turned up to meet us for a day. Uncle owns a Durian plantation and bought a box full of them. The ones that weren't eaten then and there (most of them) accompanied us in the car all the way up to Perlis in the very north of Malaysia. Five hours stuck in the car with a box of durians :( :(. I pretty much wrapped my face in pandan leaves but it just wasn't good enough. Bad times.
 
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Durian is livable to me although I am not a fan of the smell or taste but the Pasar Malam is around my area at the moment and they have Stinky Tofu which I really just cannot stand. It is like really, really bad cheese. It reeks with a vengeance :D.

Yep, my wife likes that too but luckily it is not so common here.

RB
 
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Wow - can't believe you allow them in the fridge, Rimblock. Brave man!

She sneaks it in there and it is only when I get the butter out and start eating it (on bread of course) that the Durian flavour comes to life where it shouldn't be.... "Durian !!", "Yep." she says as she bats her eyelashes and gives a cute sweet smile. "****, back to NTUC for some more butter....". Only once a quater I guess so not too bad. Oh, NTUC is one of the local supermarket chains. Cold storage, and to a lesser extent, Carre Four are the other two main ones. Cold Storage reminds me more of Tescos (but smaller) right down to the packaging so I would not be surprised if there is joint ownership or a partnership between them.

One of the most harrowing experiences of my life was when we were in Genting with the in-laws and uncle turned up to meet us for a day. Uncle owns a Durian plantation and bought a box full of them. The ones that weren't eaten then and there (most of them) accompanied us in the car all the way up to Perlis in the very north of Malaysia. Five hours stuck in the car with a box of durians :( :(. I pretty much wrapped my face in pandan leaves but it just wasn't good enough. Bad times.

Haha, nice. Windows open all the way or suffered with the aircon :D.

ApeZ:

Where are you teaching when in Singapore (if school - which one , childcare centre, private tuition centre etc) ?.

RB
 
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One handy note is that Singapore is also on Streetview so people can now browse around Tampines (for example). Remember to factor in for healthcare. You could easily get through S$50 (around 25Quid) per visit to a doctors unless you visit a Polyclinic which are quite a bit cheaper but more like UK health centres.

Apez, something more geared for you again...

Tampines also has a swimming pool complex with 2x large pools (one for laps), a medium kids pool and a shallow pool with a couple of kids water slides and a 12ft (at a guess) waterfall. The pool is around S$1.50 for entry (around 75p) and just avoid the midday sun. Swimming around midday is the only time I have got sunburn in Singapore. The pool also gets quite busy at weekends with families and lots of swimming classes from independent teachers.

Tampines also has a mountain bike track (7KM over a large site). Some info here. I think you may be able to rent bikes there but best to check before you go.

RB
 
Soldato
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She sneaks it in there and it is only when I get the butter out and start eating it (on bread of course) that the Durian flavour comes to life where it shouldn't be.... "Durian !!", "Yep." she says as she bats her eyelashes and gives a cute sweet smile.

Ha ha sounds just like my wife - it's amazing what these asian girls can get away with using cuteness. Grrr we're such suckers.

Ah stinky tofu - awesome stuff:D Never seen it in SG but did in HK. WOW! That smell is 100% raw sewage with a range of a couple of city blocks! Tastes pretty good though, tbh. Far nicer than durian anyway.
 
Soldato
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Definitely going to make sure to try Durian fruit while I'm out there, how do you eat them? Do you have to cut them up and take the flesh out or something?

ApeZ:

Where are you teaching when in Singapore (if school - which one , childcare centre, private tuition centre etc) ?.

RB

I've messaged you in trust.
 
Soldato
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I'm going to be there in May too for 3 weeks, visiting some friends there but travelling around Malaysia mostly.

I've just applied/been accepted for a Halifax Clarity card for when I'm out there.
 
Soldato
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I've just applied/been accepted for a Halifax Clarity card for when I'm out there.

I'm considering one of those, but at my age (19) I'm worried that the credit limit will be too low. I'm not that experienced with credit cards, but can I pay off my balance (from a current account) midway through the month and then enjoy a bigger credit limit?

e.g. £1200 limit, spend £1000, pay off £500, now have £700 available?

Also, if I've read their page correctly, as long as I pay it off in full every month, I won't be charged interest?
 
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