I came to Singapore in July, 2012, and as of August, 2017, I am still discovering the Singapore Island. The county is like a world in itself – and definitely one must visit Singapore. The beautiful paradise nation Singapore is a gateway to the exotic South-East Asia. I will try to write a Singapore description based on my personal observations!
Here we go!
Clean & Green
Singapore is very clean – the buildings, roads, MRT stations, malls, etc. all look so clean. The whole year rain makes the job easier. Moreover, the rain also supports lush vegetation. The tree leaves in Singapore have dark green colour. There is a high density of vegetation in Singapore. Check out this one – Singapore tops list of 17 cities with highest greenery density.
Safety across Singapore island
It shouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Singapore Island is a role model as far as safety of an individual is concerned. I mean, any country can learn from Singapore. You go anywhere, anytime – and it’s very much safer. Generally there are CCTV installed virtually everywhere – and they do work. Nevertheless, if you feel any issues at any time, do contact the law enforcement agencies (e.g. Singapore police), and they will promptly help you.
Air quality in Singapore
The air quality across the island is just great. I very much miss the clean air of Singapore the moment I am out of Singapore. If you have been to a few cities in Asia, you’d know better what I mean here. 🙂
Buying a prepaid Mobile SIM card
I have extensively used SingTel and StarHub prepaid SIM cards during my more than 5 years of stay in Singapore. Although StarHub looks a bit cheaper, both are fine, and I would recommend either of them. You can buy a SIM card at the Changi airport, or other convenience stores (7-eleven). For top-up/recharge, you can do that online. You can also use these prepaid card’s data for international roaming across so many countries (China, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) at a very affordable price.
Languages in Singapore
As per the Constitution of Singapore, there are 4 official languages in the country, i.e. Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and English. Although, the national language is Malay, both English and Chinese are very popular. As an English speaker, you won’t feel language issues at all. The local version of English is called Singlish. They have their own slang words. 🙂
A Rich Culture of learning languages, and music
I have seen a unique pattern in Singapore – it seems that most of the Singaporean youngsters either learn a new language, or they learn some musical instrument. I do have local friends who are fluent in Japanese; Korean, etc.
Then there are other bunches of people who are good at playing piano, guitar, etc. During the primary school, Singaporean kids learn to play the recorder.
Transportation and navigation
If you are in Singapore even for a couple of days, you should buy the EZ-Link card. The initial price of the card is $12- you get $7 as a stored value balance. The cost of a card is $5. The bus fares are much more affordable than in the USA. The basic fare in a local bus is around $0.75 for a ride up to a first few bus stops. Moreover, the bus fare and the MRT fares are linked. That means, if you take a bus ride, get down and then take the MRT (within some 15-20 minutes), your fare gets combined, and you are likely to save some money.
You can use GPS (Google Maps) to navigate in Singapore. Most of the important places are marked on Google Maps in English. The bus tracking Apps can be used to find the arrival time of buses at the designated bus stops across the island. You can download the App using Google Play.
Food in Nation Singapore
A Singapore description without talking about the local food would be just incomplete. In fact, Singapore is a paradise for the food lovers. You just walk a few hundred of meters in any direction, and you can find a food court. All the food court in Singapore serves a variety of cuisines, including Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, etc. Generally, there is a food court connected to each MRT station.
You can also visit food courts in the local universities (NTU, NUS, SMU, etc.). The local hawker centres are also worth visiting. You shouldn’t miss the Singapore’s signature dish – Chili Crab! Some other places worth checking out are-
- Eighteen Chefs– certain discounts for the students are available
- For the Indian food – you can try Anjappar, Anand Bhawan
- Chinatown – hub of the Chinese food
- Around Singapore River – for bars, clubs.
- Local hawker centres. Check this article – 9 Best Hawker Centres in Singapore And Their Star Dishes Every Human Must Try.
Banking
The banking services are really fast in Singapore. When you go to open a bank account, it takes only 20-30 minutes to open an account. Then you immediately get an ATM card, with your name printed on it. I suppose they have ATM card printing machines.
Pay by NETS AND the Up price
For making payments in Singapore, you can use the NETS facility. This is a national payment system supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This payment system is also supported by several banks, such as DBS, OCBC, UOB banks. This is an interesting concept that I saw in Singapore.
Sometimes you may see two types of prices mentioned (in grocery stores, for example) –one would be the actual price, another being just the theoretical price (that might have been the case in the past). The theoretical price is mentioned as Up Price. It’s written something like – Price $10, Up $12. Don’t worry- you have to pay only the lower amount. When I return from my trips, and I board in the flight heading to Singapore, I see this mentioned even in the flight’s food menus- confirming that I am headed to Singapore. 🙂
Diversity in Nation Singapore
There are people from all types is religions and faith in Singapore. They live happily and peacefully together. I haven’t seen such a great cultural harmony anywhere.
Rain AND Humidity
The weather is often humid in Singapore. Due geographical location of Singapore being close to the equator, it rains here throughout the year. However, the public transport, office buildings, shopping malls, etc. are all fully equipped with the air-conditioning system. As such, you won’t feel much of the humidity. But if you happened to walk a few kilometre on a sunny day, then you might end up sweating.
It rains very frequently in Singapore. Do carry an umbrella. However, the city-state has done lots of preparation to deal with the rain water, and you won’t feel much of the rain once it has stopped.
Working mind-set
The Singaporeans are very hard working. Generally they go for a full time job after completing the bachelor’s program from a university. Some may prefer to work right after the graduating from the Polytechnic. I am of the mind that the locals are more into pursuing their dreams (e.g. climbing the corporate ladder), rather than just collecting the higher degrees.
Durian across Singapore Island
It’s very popular fruit in Singapore. Due to a distinctive odour, it’s not allowed to be carried in the local buses. I tested durian only after coming to Singapore, and I quite like the taste of the durian flavoured ice-cream, toffee, etc.
The law of the land
In Singapore, the law is enforced in letter and spirit. So the only option for you is to abide by the law. As long as you are respecting the law of the land, you don’t need to worry about anything.
If you violate the law, you will be prosecuted accordingly. The penalties are really high.
Reading or buying books
The price of books can be a bit expensive in Singapore compared to the prices in other Asian countries, such as in India. For example, in India, the Low Price Editions of western literature/books are available. But in Singapore, I am not sure about the Low Price Edition books. Moreover, buying books on amazon from Singapore has the same price as in the USA (and additional shipping charges). However, there are lots of libraries, and bookstores in Singapore, where you can sit down and read (or borrow) books. Some of the places worth exploring are-
Singapore Changi Airport
The best airport that I have seen so far is the Singapore Changi airport. The immigration is really fast. The flights do operate on time, and the cleanliness is just incredible. There are lots of eateries at the airport. If you are only transiting via Changi airport, you may plan for a Free Singapore Tour.
where to go from Singapore?
The nation Singapore is a perfect gateway to the South-East Asia. In Singapore neighbouring countries you can find so many exotic travel destinations. The major cities in South-East Asia or other parts of Asia are directly connected by the low cost airlines with Singapore Changi Airport. You can go to Malaysia from Singapore using the bus/train. If you are booking flights for travelling in South-East Asia, it makes sense to compare a flight’s fare on following airlines-
That’s all for this post about Singapore Island.
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It’s difficult to provide a complete Singapore description in just one post. Here you can find all my articles about the nation Singapore. Here you can find my articles about the other countries. You can also find more about me.
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With love. 🙂
Last updated: Saturday, September 9, 2017
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