# I'm Going to Singapore!



## Hawaiibarb (Mar 3, 2008)

With some "encouragement" from my boss, I submitted an abstract for a conference in Singapore, and it has been accepted!  I'm going at the end of May; since I've never been there, I'd really appreciate tips on what to see, where the best places are for shopping, things to avoid, etc.

Many thanks for your help!  (Now I'd better get busy on my presentation!   

Barb


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## DaveNV (Mar 3, 2008)

It's a beautiful city, and you'll certainly enjoy yourself.  The people are wonderful, and very pleasant to work with.  The weather will be very mild, and since the city is located virtually on the Equator - day and night temperatures are virtually the same.  It will be warm, even hot, with fairly high humidity.  Dress as you would for a strong tropical climate.

I can't say for certain where the best shopping is these days, or even the best restaurants - it's been about fifteen years since I was there.  But if you can make time, and want to see a piece of history, visit Raffles Hotel, named for the founder of the city, and have their signature cocktail:  A Singapore Sling.  That's where it was invented.  

http://singapore.raffles.com/

Enjoy!

Dave


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## Jestjoan (Mar 3, 2008)

DH visited Singapore recently. I believe the good shopping is on Orchard Road.
He enjoyed visiting Sentosa Island. He didn't get to the night zoo (suggested on TUG) because it was raining.

Do a TUG search for a previous Singapore thread.

Enjoy your trip.


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## BocaBum99 (Mar 3, 2008)

I love Singapore.  It's the cleanest city on earth.  The airport is impressive.  The traffic isn't bad.  The people are friendly and the food is great.

Make sure you go to the Satay Club.  Lots of GREAT restaurants in Singapore.  

If you have time, take a trip to Indonesia or Malaysia.  You take a ferry to Indonesia or drive a car to Malaysia.

Subway system is easy to use.

It's very hot and humid there.  It's a lot like Florida in the summer only all year around.

Have fun.  You've got me wanting to go back.  I used to go every quarter.


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## somerville (Mar 3, 2008)

We were there for a week several years ago.  There is a large shopping street with lots of stores.  I believe it was the street mentioned above - Orchard Street.  Quite frankly, we didn't find any bargains.  We visited the zoo at night, and I recommend that.  We also toured the old British fort, which is in a park in the center of town.  There is a nice history museum.  There are several ethic areas of the city worth visiting.  We went on a boat ride in the canals around the old part of town.  There was a park near the shopping area that had a lot of orchids and flowers.  Had a Singapore Sling at Raffles.  Bus and subway are easy to use.


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## Janis (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm jealous.... you will have the best food in the world. Be sure to eat at the hawker stands. Also....Tony Bourdain did a show on the food in Singapore - and, unbelievably, he even found food to love in the hotels!!!  Do some research on his show and I'm sure you'll find where he went...


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## Icarus (Mar 3, 2008)

Singapore is great. Stay at a nice hotel. The official language is English, so all the subway signs are in English and it's very easy to get around. It's a relatively small city/state so it's hard to get lost.  Check out the outdoor food markets (the hawker stands as Janis mentioned) and be adventurous.

When you fly in, make sure you check out how many container ships are queued up to get into the harbor. It's amazing.

Remember that Singapore is very close to the equator. It will be hot there.

-David


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## johnmfaeth (Mar 4, 2008)

Business partner went there for a project about 7 years back. Had a great time, food was great, people were super friendly. She went alone for a day long stroll and was freely welcomed into an ornate Buddhist Temple she happened to be passing and took an interest in.

I received a souvenier T-Shirt that is pretty popular. It said "Singapore is a Fine Place" and listed about 12 things and the associated governmnet fine. In an attempt to keep the place nice, they vigorously enforce fines for even chewing gum (it ends up as sticky litter), spitting or littering. Keeps the place nice.

Lastly, they have a network of webcams at key intersections so anyone on the web could monitor traffic conditions. At a preplanned time, she and the client's NY contact stood in front of one so we could see her back in NY. Silly but fun. You may want to do the same.


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## Dave M (Mar 4, 2008)

See this old thread for some of my favorite things to do in Singapore.


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## Patri (Mar 4, 2008)

Like this would apply to you, but obey all the laws. They are pretty tough on criminals.


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## Dave M (Mar 4, 2008)

Patri said:


> ...obey all the laws.


The ones I can think of that some might innocently break and that differ from here at home include:

Don't spit on the sidewalk.

You can't buy or sell gum, although you can chew it if you dispose of it carefully. (This law has been relaxed recently so that specified brands can be sold.)

Be sure to flush if you use a public toilet or face a fine of $500 (Singapore dollars).

Draconian? No, a clean city. Probably the cleanest in the world. And a safe city, one in which you can safely wander the streets at night without fear of getting mugged.


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## Hawaiibarb (Mar 4, 2008)

*Singapore*

This is great!  My anticipation level was high and now it is getting higher!  Keep the suggestions coming, please!

Barb


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## Wombat (Mar 4, 2008)

Hi! 

If you have the time, you could also visit Malaysia, which is next to Singapore. The border city, Johor Bahru is uninteresting and not particularly safe, but AirAsia and Jetstar recently launched low-cost flights between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city, and Singapore. 

There are ample low-cost flights via AirAsia from KL to other parts of Malaysia. Some interesting places include Penang for culture, heritage buildings and food; Langkawi, Sabah or the East Coast for beaches, and Sarawak if you're into caves and nature retreats.


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## CarolF (Mar 6, 2008)

It's a lovely city.  Unfortunately, it is no longer the bargain shopping experience it once was.  Unless, you are a tiny person with tiny feet you may have difficulty buying clothes and shoes off the rack.  Their idea of "Large" clothing is still too small for many "western" size people.  The local people dress very elegantly so I would suggest "dressing up" rather than "down".  Cheap electronic goods can sometimes be found.  The food is great.  A trip to Malaysia is a good idea - you will still get very good value for your $.  IMO Malaysia has some of the best food in the world.


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## PigsDad (Mar 6, 2008)

A trip to the night safari zoo is a must!  This is separate from the main zoo that is open in the day -- a totally different experience.  Imagine walking through dimly-lit trail in a heavy jungle, seeing the silhouette of a giraffe in the distance, and then hearing a tiger or some other wild cat growl behind you.  You turn around and you see a pair of eyes through the jungle brush.  

Of course, all of the animals are behind fences, etc., but between the darkness and the thick undergrowth, you really don't feel like you are in a typical zoo.

We lived in Singapore for four months in '98.  Our favorite places to eat were Boat Quay and Clarke Quay (where the Satay Club is located).  Both of these places have a ton of restaurants and are located on the river.  You can just stroll down looking at menus to decide where you want to eat, and then get a table on the edge of the water.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I would also recommend visiting at least one hawker center.  There are lots of little neighborhood locations.  A couple of the larger ones are geared a bit more toward tourists:  I can recommend Newton Circus (right by the Newton MRT stop) and Lau Pa Sat Festival Market (indoor) a couple blocks from the Raffles Place MRT stop.

As for shopping, Orchard Road is the more "western" area, but also check out Chinatown and Little India for some local flair.

As others have mentioned, a stop at Raffles Hotel is recommended.  You can also do "high tea" there, which is quite the experience.

Personally, I would skip Sentosa (or at least put it lower on my priority).  We just were not impressed with it, other than the tour of the old British fort on that island.

As for weather, expect hot and muggy.  We used to comment that the difference in weather between daytime and nighttime is at night, it is dark.   (its still hot and muggy...)

Have a great trip!
Kurt


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## Jestjoan (Mar 23, 2008)

*Please check out www.cdc.gov for travel info*

We just had dinner (here in the US) with two of the Singaporeans DH has been working with for some months now. They mentiontioned that the two year old child of one of their employees had died of Dengue Fever.


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## Jestjoan (Mar 24, 2008)

BTW, DH never even saw any mosquitos while he was there.......

(I couldn't edit my previous post for some reason. Little dots kept circling next to the quote button.)

The Singaporeans were very relieved to find out these insects weren't huge mosquitos. They had taken a picture with their digital camera. They also stomped on them when they saw them.
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg215.html

(I have seen them before but never knew the name of the insect before I Googled.)


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## Jestjoan (Apr 1, 2008)

I was deleting some entries in my over loaded favorites list and found this:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/singapore.html


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