Calling people who know Singapore

[vztrt]

Hey

Ok well late last year I was offered a job at Caterpillar. Apart of the job is that I need to go to Singapore for 3 months for training. Seeing as I've only been to Europe and all over Australia I don't know that much about it (except for the humidity, as everyone keeps telling me).

SO looking for some info from people here that have worked/lived there and can give me a few places I can go and check out as I'll have a lot of free weekends post March 10.

Thanks

[Falcon4L]

Mate, I love singapore! I've gone there for a few holidays and I've loved every moment. Only problem is where ever you go there will be other people around (no secluded beaches like here in aus). There is a few things to go and do on the east coast like cable wakeboarding/skiing and kite surfing. There's also a few smaller islands around that have some awesome beaches. There's a few good nightclubs on santosa (island which you can get to by train or cable carts) such as cafe del mar (it has a pool and beds!). But if you drink be prepared to spend big as they have massive taxes on alcohol and smokes ($12 for a beer!). Also at night go visit clarke quay, heaps of nightlife there, lots of pubs and clubs. Hooters for one! If you like shopping (missus made me go) go to orchard road its basically one massive shopping center with millions of people walking around. I cant think of anything else right now but if you have any more questions shoot us a PM.

Cheers

[Fev]

stock up on duty free first!!! only spirits!! id love to go there :( though ive heard crazy stories about if you get caught littering its a gynormous fine etc etc but i dont really know

[CADSKY]

Originally Posted by Fev

stock up on duty free first!!! only spirits!! id love to go there :( though ive heard crazy stories about if you get caught littering its a gynormous fine etc etc but i dont really know

oh yes, i stopped over on the way to phuket and it is deff the cleanest place i have ever been to. cant rember how much the fine was but yea it was huge.
also i think there is no chewing gum in public, big fine for that too

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Hey

Ok well late last year I was offered a job at Caterpillar. Apart of the job is that I need to go to Singapore for 3 months for training. Seeing as I've only been to Europe and all over Australia I don't know that much about it (except for the humidity, as everyone keeps telling me).

SO looking for some info from people here that have worked/lived there and can give me a few places I can go and check out as I'll have a lot of free weekends post March 10.

Thanks

I'm going to Singapore mid March, it will be my 3rd time there. In short, You will have no issues at all, It is very safe, English abounds and there is a ton of good food, as well as great places to snack on copious ammounts of tropical fruits.

Yes, it is pretty much a city smack bang in the middle of a rain forest! Very muggy and humid at times. I was there last in Dec 06 and it rained every day for 2 weeks....

The public transport is top notch, as soon as you arrive get yourself the pre-paid travel card, rather than buying ticket by ticket for each trip. This card can be used in busses and trains, as well as some other places (like Mc Donalds)..

Also, If you are flying in with Singapore Air, hold on to your ticket / disembarking stub as it will get you large discounts at most tourist attractions for around 4 or 5 days.

It's a small place, most places are easy to get to on foot if your a walker, the airport has a TON of leaflets for tourists on "things to do" and there are many "walks" nicly mapped out, with attractions along the path and things to do etc.

There are a few "quarters" like the Arab quarter and the Indian quarter, great food, cheap shops, and again, all easily to get to.

Now, Orchid road is great... In fact, if you want to treat your eyes to some car candy, walk all the way down Orchid road, towards the aparatments and residential area. You will be going towards the (now closed) UNSW - Singapore campus. On the right, you will see some apartments "Tanglin Apartments" (Or was it "Tanglin Rise"???) anyway... keep walking, and the 1st or second street on the RHS has a huge 'compound' owned by a VERY RICH Indonesian business man.....

Peer through his driveway bars... and you will see a car port looking thing with about 4 Ferraris, a McLaren F1, one of those Koserkegggiec thinggos etc. He has like 7-8 exotics....... And if a Camry sets you back 100 grand you can work out what this set of cars is worth.... If you have got to the ex UNSW Campus (And I think there is a dis-used military base next door) you have gone too far.

Hmmmm, shop at a place called "Mustafa's", they sell almost everything, are pretty cheap and never close.

You will love it!

[devilracer_01]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I'm going to Singapore mid March, it will be my 3rd time there. In short, You will have no issues at all, It is very safe, English abounds and there is a ton of good food, as well as great places to snack on copious ammounts of tropical fruits.

Yes, it is pretty much a city smack bang in the middle of a rain forest! Very muggy and humid at times. I was there last in Dec 06 and it rained every day for 2 weeks....

The public transport is top notch, as soon as you arrive get yourself the pre-paid travel card, rather than buying ticket by ticket for each trip. This card can be used in busses and trains, as well as some other places (like Mc Donalds)..

Also, If you are flying in with Singapore Air, hold on to your ticket / disembarking stub as it will get you large discounts at most tourist attractions for around 4 or 5 days.

It's a small place, most places are easy to get to on foot if your a walker, the airport has a TON of leaflets for tourists on "things to do" and there are many "walks" nicly mapped out, with attractions along the path and things to do etc.

There are a few "quarters" like the Arab quarter and the Indian quarter, great food, cheap shops, and again, all easily to get to.

Now, Orchid road is great... In fact, if you want to treat your eyes to some car candy, walk all the way down Orchid road, towards the aparatments and residential area. You will be going towards the (now closed) UNSW - Singapore campus. On the right, you will see some apartments "Tanglin Apartments" (Or was it "Tanglin Rise"???) anyway... keep walking, and the 1st or second street on the RHS has a huge 'compound' owned by a VERY RICH Indonesian business man.....

Peer through his driveway bars... and you will see a car port looking thing with about 4 Ferraris, a McLaren F1, one of those Koserkegggiec thinggos etc. He has like 7-8 exotics....... And if a Camry sets you back 100 grand you can work out what this set of cars is worth.... If you have got to the ex UNSW Campus (And I think there is a dis-used military base next door) you have gone too far.

Hmmmm, shop at a place called "Mustafa's", they sell almost everything, are pretty cheap and never close.

You will love it!

Back all that is said in this post up, public transport is cheap, fast, clean and reliable, I was there June last year and loved every minute, I would go back in a heart beat, very clean and safe city, humid yes but thats the only downside its bearable and when it rains it pours but it is still a minor thing.

Go enjoy and live it up in Singapore.

Singapore So Easy To Enjoy, So Hard to Forget.

[1stLSturbo]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Hey

Ok well late last year I was offered a job at Caterpillar. Apart of the job is that I need to go to Singapore for 3 months for training. Seeing as I've only been to Europe and all over Australia I don't know that much about it (except for the humidity, as everyone keeps telling me).

SO looking for some info from people here that have worked/lived there and can give me a few places I can go and check out as I'll have a lot of free weekends post March 10.

Thanks

Sim-Lim Square for ALL your IT/Home Entertainment needs. Three floors of nothing but electronics.

Chong-Pang for the best Chilli-Crab in the entrie world, but I think the Singaporean Govt close it down (health reasons they said). Anyhow, I'm still kicking.

Oh yeah, you CANNOT miss the Singapore Zoo (^_^)

Hope I've helped.

[paul_r_d]

Originally Posted by 1stLSturbo

Oh yeah, you CANNOT miss the Singapore Zoo (^_^)

YES!!!!! You have to go there, I went to the night twilight thing they had and it was fantastic!!! Not sure if it was a thing they were doing at the time! But none the less go there!!!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by paul_r_d

YES!!!!! You have to go there, I went to the night twilight thing they had and it was fantastic!!! Not sure if it was a thing they were doing at the time! But none the less go there!!!

I did that as well, It's a regular thing i'm assuming unless it's raining.

[Gammaboy]

Originally Posted by 1stLSturbo

Sim-Lim Square for ALL your IT/Home Entertainment needs. Three floors of nothing but electronics.

Chong-Pang for the best Chilli-Crab in the entrie world, but I think the Singaporean Govt close it down (health reasons they said). Anyhow, I'm still kicking.

Try "Fatty's" next to Sim-Lim, awesome BBQ Pork and tasty Black Pepper Prawns...

The "Banana-Leaf Apollo" is an excellent Indian restraunt, i can recommend their Chicken Tikka... they serve you up with a big chunk of bananaleaf as a plate, and the best way to eat is just with your hands...

Fei-Fei Noodle bar at Joo-Chiat place has awesome Dry Wanton Noodles, fried chicken, and prawn roll. (we stayed opposite and ate there regularly, they're open 24 hours too!)

Unfortunately, short of the obligatory shopping runs I've never really had much spare time on my work trips to Singapore.

[paul_r_d]

Hey there man might be worth looking at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/index.html

Go to your local book store and get a Lonley Planet guide on singapore. They have one specifically for it. I found it to be VERY useful!

I went 3 years ago.... I really loved it, lots of great food, and lots of shopping! And the night life really rocks. Hardly any crime as the police there are VERY strict, its even an offense to use profanity in public! No problems with transport what so ever, u see a taxi or bus every 30 seconds just about.

Only down fall it is ALWAYS busy no matter what time of the day!!!!! Ohhh and people at markets can be a little dodgey, so just watch out for them!

You will have a bawl!

[vztrt]

Cool thanks guys.

Like I said I'll be working Monday to Friday but the weekends are to myself.
No idea what airline I'll be flying, most likely QANTAS as that's who I think CAT use. I still don't know where I'm staying there (mind you when its all paid for you don't complain. But I just want a good idea where I can go out and also take pics. I also have a week in China in May so that'll be interesting.

[XR8putts]

I was in Singapore a week ago! It was my tenth time haha.

Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 will blow you away. The architecture is stunning in this tiny country.

You must go to Clarke Quay. Go on a Friday or Saturday night.. you won't regret it!

Maccas taste like crap there, sorry.

Yup, the humidity will take some getting used to, luckily every building/home is airconditioned, properly.

Someone already mentioned SimLim Square - I hope you like insanely cheap electronics! All top brands and models. 7-8 floors of it. Watch out for the 'black cube' building near it, the architecture..

Public transportation is just plain awesome.

Any questions be sure to PM me.

[Geez Louise]

Isn't eating chewing gum a crime in Singapore?? I knew it used to be...

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Isn't eating chewing gum a crime in Singapore?? I knew it used to be...

Ok, according to my $3 Shirt from Singapore (which I have demoted to PJ's and happen to be wearing this very night) It states that "Singapore is a FINE City" lol.

Flower Picking: $1000
Bird Feeding: $500
Spitting $1000
Smoking: $500
Wasting water: $1000
Urinating: $500
Chewing Gum: $1000
Littering: $500

Haa.. this is the first time I have actually READ the shirt... hmmm I doubt many of these fines are enforced.. but I wouldnt be testing the system lol

[theunfairadvant]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Ok, according to my $3 Shirt from Singapore (which I have demoted to PJ's and happen to be wearing this very night) It states that "Singapore is a FINE City" lol.

Flower Picking: $1000
Bird Feeding: $500
Spitting $1000
Smoking: $500
Wasting water: $1000
Urinating: $500
Chewing Gum: $1000
Littering: $500

Haa.. this is the first time I have actually READ the shirt... hmmm I doubt many of these fines are enforced.. but I wouldnt be testing the system lol

Trust me if you were to get caught it will be enforce, as a friend of mine
get caught for not flushing the toilet after urine.
The fine $250.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Smoking: $500

So your not allowed to smoke in public?? Or are there designated areas? Cause I thought you couldn't throw your butts on the floor.


Again thanks for the info, I'll only be taking clothes and my camera over (and company issued laptop and phone) as I'll be in a fully serviced apartment.

[Geez Louise]

Wasn't Singapore the city that caned some youths for graffiti? Sorry to detract from the thread. I am sure it is a beautiful city and have heard it is the cleanest city you will ever visit.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Wasn't Singapore the city that caned some youths for graffiti? Sorry to detract from the thread. I am sure it is a beautiful city and have heard it is the cleanest city you will ever visit.

Yes... Oh the memories. They were some Americans who decided to spray a bunch of cars caus they had nothing really better to do in a city that also never sleeps.

50 hits was the original punishment, then after some important people got involved, as well as the media, it was reduced to 25...

I would have paid top dollar for front row tickets to the caning...

Fools.... anyway... Oh thats right, Singapore...

Hmmmm some more advice! If you are going to move there, don't bother taking much with you, as it's a heap cheaper there than anywhere else! From clothing to electronics etc.

Oh, and you can get trains to the northern countries very easily, so weekends can be spent away in Thailand etc.

[vztrt]

Well I leave on the 11th March for Sing.
I've jotted down the suggestion from everybody and will check them out.
Thanks guys for the responses, my net runs out tonight so will try to get back online over there.

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Well I leave on the 11th March for Sing.
I've jotted down the suggestion from everybody and will check them out.
Thanks guys for the responses, my net runs out tonight so will try to get back online over there.

Thirty years ago it would have been Bugis St, Arab St etc.
Not anymore it seems, lol.

Do yourself a favour and get over the Causeway into Johore and further afield, as well. If you like driving and can get a long weekend you can hire a car and make it up through KL to Penang and return. It's a great drive.

As you blast towards the Causeway take the time to visit Kranji War Memorial. A very sobering place, indeed.

Oh yeah, make sure you do the obligatory Singapore Sling at Raffles ;)

[vztrt]

Well I arrived last night. Had to get myself into a hotel while I wait for my apartment to be ready. First impressions is that it seemed like Qld with the way the roads are setup. You can feel the humidity but its not to bad at night....mind you havent seen how it is during the day. I'm staying about 5 minutes from Orchid rd so will need to go down and check it out during the day, but it was pretty busy after 12am...but I think I was asked 20 times in a little over an hour if I wanted 'girls'. But it seems a nice enough city.

[all4ford]

Mate you'll love it there. So clean, so much good eating!!!! Enjoy yourself!!! Just don't litter!

[stm]

Below is a guide (mainly to eating, as I'm a bit of a Singapore food nut) I prepared for a mate who was visiting Singers last year. He was staying at the Furama Riverfont, Havelock Rd, thus the references to things being handy to the riverfront hotels.

On weekends try booking trips to Batam or Bintan for golf - Indonesian islands off Singers - short ferry ride. Take your passport. Batam cheaper and more fun, Bintan more exxy and classy. Rent a car and drive into Malaysia - eg, Malacca is very interesting. Maybe take a flight up to Penang for the weekend - cheap flights. Changi war museum and also Kranji (as mentioned by someone else) v interesting. Orchard Towers at night - a.k.a the four floors of wh0res - enough said.

STM



Raffles Place area

Boat Quay quite pleasant for a beer in the evening, if expensive and expattish. First two pubs have the best imported beers eg old speckled hen, guiness or erdinger. Beers like Heineken are brewed locally therefore a bit ordinary. BQ has only touristy restaurants - not good food, and expensive tourist traps. Look in the street behind - Circular Rd, and the further down the rd the better. Eg, Shah Alam for chicken bryani and murtabak, or some of the smaller/dirtier looking chinese eating houses. Another excellent place for beer is Brewerkz (they brew their own) - keep walking further up river from Boat Quay. In fact you can walk up river all the way to Zion riverside food centre (see below). Pleasant stroll and a few things to see along the way, eg Clarke Quay on the other side for the bars. (Or you can walk from the riverside hotels all the way down to BQ.)

Lau Pa Sat (hawker centre) is not very good. Touristy, over-priced and below-par food like Newton Circus. However the street on one side of LPS (Boon Tat St) is closed off in the evenings and satay stalls set up. These are quite good. Stick to the meat satays (chicken and mutton - lamb dressed up as mutton) and don't get sucked into the seafood (see Seafood below). Have the rice cake (ke tu pat) also, which goes well with the satay sauce. Murtabak is worth a try.

Better hawker centre here is the infamous Golden Shoe, but quality is variable. Mainly a lunch thing due to it being in the CBD. I used to have decent crayfish hor fun, dumpling noodles and bryani from various stalls here. China Square is also pretty good and has bonus of being air con. Hong Lim between CBD and Chinatown is also good (cooked food and wet market).

Local hawker centres in Sing will have Tiger and Anchor beer relatively cheap, say $5 for a 660ml bottle. (With ice in the accompanying glass of course.) Or you can always have a teh oh ping (tea, no milk, ice) or kopi (local coffee, sweet condensed milk, no ice) or kopi ping (coffee, milk, ice) for about 70c. You get the idea. And the asian desserts are great! Ice kachang, chendol, tadpoles etc.

Go to Raffles for the seafood buffet if you want to get food poisoning. The Long Bar is fun for an expensive drink, but the Singapore Sling is execrable.

The Arcade in Raffles Place is best for foreign exchange (eg, converting your AUD to SGD if you need any), except for the two places at the front. Mustafa (below) is also pretty good for forex, but you always just withdraw local cash from any ATM.


Orchard Rd

Everything along here is pretty much crap/expensive for decent Sing food. Best venue is probably around the corner on Scotts Rd at Far East Plaza upstairs (Level 5) - eg, Sakura.

Emerald Hill off Orchard Rd has some cool bars like ICB and No 5.

Off Orchard Rd at Zion Rd (across rd from Great World City) is Zion riverside food centre, which is one of the best centrally located hawker centres. Not really riverside, more drainside! Walk from riverside hotels. City Satay (old satay man) is good, have to look hard for his little sign. His ke tu pat is very good. Pretty much everything else here is also good, eg, fruit juice (the two fat ladies), carrot cake (deaf guy) (not carrot but parsnip omlette; point to the photo of the pale one, not the black one), pan fried dumplings, popiah, congee, fish ball noodles, yong tau foo, chicken rice etc. A classic is the western food stall (sing/chinese style) which actually does excellent fish & chips and lamb chops. Bread and butter and baked beans on the side. Yum (really). Dessert stall here is good also.

Also on Zion Rd three doors up is River Valley Nasi Padang, which has the best beef rendang and other malay/indo stuff.

Around the corner on River Valley Road (turn left from Zion Rd) is a green muslim place for roti prata (breakfast or late night). Not sure of name but past the hanging up fish skeletons and the 7-11. Great roti and curry, and cheap.

Little India/Serangoon Rd

Great for indian and malay food, eg, KK (Tekka) market at the start of serangoon rd has a big cooked food area - bryani and roti prata, and chendol. Or in the side streets off Serangoon Rd, eg Woodlands vegetarian for excellent cheap veg indian food. Best chapatis (and also dosai) on cnr Serangoon and Norris sts. Mustafa's (the one on the side st (Syed Alwi Rd?), further down serangoon rd) excellent for cheap toiletries, kitchenware, curry powder etc.

Racecourse rd behind and parallel to Serangoon rd - Muthu Curry or Banana Leaf Apolo for indian curries served on banana leaves. Famous. Spicy. Try the fish head curry.

If you can find the Hillman Restaurant, a classic dish is paper bag chicken.

Interesting area for a random walk around looking at the shophouses, particularly the side streets off Serangoon Rd.

Seafood

Jumbo Seafood at East Coast Seafood Centre is an institution. Nice spot at the seaside. Some of the other places here are less busy but may be almost as good.

Better (I think) is Sin Hoi Sai in Tiong Bahru (Block 55, Tiong Bahru Rd, close to town and walk from riverside hotels, but no view except of the bus stop, blocks of flats and passing rats), which does excellent black pepper crab and chili crab. I prefer the former. Also, small pipis (la la) stir fried in chili and garlic, steamed fish, cereal prawns, prawn paste chicken, baby kai lan in garlic sauce, fried seafood bean curd, with lashings of tiger beer and calamansi juice. Even the sweet and sour pork is good here, and nothing like in Sydney.

If out at east coast park during the day for a bike ride (hire bike), there is a good hawker centre at the lagoon.

Chinatown

The wet market in the Chinatown Complex basement (Smith St) is a must for a look at the fresh produce available in Sing. Cheap prawns. Hopefully you will get to see a large fish being beaten to death on the floor with a big club.

The food centre two floors up is also very good and large and hot, with a wide variety of local food, but we rarely ate here. (But note dim sum comment below.)


NOTE: Chinatown market/food centre is currently (?) at a temporary location on Outram Rd near the Outram MRT station.


When in Chinatown, we almost always had lunch at our favourite dim sum (yum cha) restaurant on New Bridge Rd just around the corner from the old wet market (between Keong Saik rd and Kreta Ayer rd). Called Hong Kong dim sum or something like that. Recognisable from the big steamer and dim sum baskets at the front of the shop. You can just order by pointing at the piles of baskets although they will be impressed if you order in Mandarin eg har gao. The fried kway teow noodles are also v good here. Other regular rice and noodle dishes are available.

But the freshest dim sum possible anywhere is at the Chinatown market - a more limited range (mainly har gao prawn dumplings) but incredibly fresh and high quality. There will be a queue.


Behind Chinatown on Neil Rd near the cnr with south bridge rd is a famous dumpling restaurant. The steamed dumplings are excellent.

Interesting area for a random walk around looking at the shophouses, particularly Sago st, Smith st, Temple st, Pagoda st, Ann Siang Hill, Duxton rd.

Club St near Chinatown (via Ann Siang Hill) has some good bars and Western restaurants, if you like that sort of thing.

Tiong Bahru market

Seng Poh Rd. Gets a mention because walking distance from riverside hotels. Excellent for breakfast, lunch and dinner (cooked food centre upstairs). Great range of mainly singapore-chinese food.

[vztrt]

Thanks dude, will have to look into these places when I finally get my apartment.
Going to Bintan in a couple of weeks for a 'bonding' session so that should be fun.

The hotel I'm in at the moment is $290sing a night mind you I'm in the most expensive part of Sing. I'm just glad work will be paying for this.

[Geez Louise]

Thanks for the awesome tips. We will be in Singapore at the end of June for 5 days. Humidity will probably kill me!!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Thanks for the awesome tips. We will be in Singapore at the end of June for 5 days. Humidity will probably kill me!!

At the moment its fine, nothing to bad. Victoria would be worse with the temp at above 40 degrees. But aparently it'll get worse so will see how bad it is.

My apartment is finally ready, so will be moving out of the hotel tomorrow. Mind you I'm moving from the expensive part of Sing to the western burbs.
But should be good as I can finally settle in.

[aye you]

if you've been to Darwin or norhtern QLD then you'll have some idea of the humidty, but it can and does get alot worse in Singapore.

One awesome city singapore is, just don't smoke in public, eat gum, litter etc etc, there's a reason its one of the cleanest cities in the world, and they are dead serious about keeping it that way

[Geez Louise]

Keep me posted. I will grab some more tips from you once you been there awhile.

[vztrt]

no probs, getting together with some of the locals (from work) when everyone moves in so should be able to find some of the good places here.