Here are some tips for your travels to Singapore:

Days spent here: 2.5

Places visited: Uh, Singapore

Average daily expenditures: $62 a day. which isn’t bad considering just accomodation was nearly half that and Singapore is known for being quite expensive. This also included a S$20 ticket itno the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and a fairly expensive lunch (comparatively) at Paradise Dynasty.

Weather: Really hot and really humid. From what I’ve gathered this seems to be the weather at all times during the year. It rained during the morning one day, but besides that it was sunny. And did I mention hot? Drink a lot of water and perhaps bring a parasol. I was tempted.

Language: Singapore has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Thanks to colonialism, English is the language of instruction in Singaporean schools and is the most predominately spoken language on the island. Singaporeans speak with a pretty awesome accent and with a British inflection. They also use really cool words like “alight”, which had me walking around for two days saying alight in a horrible English accent.

People: Singapore is an interesting mix of mostly Chinese, Malay, and Indian people and their customs, religions, and food. Coming from Korea, it was interesting to see such diversity within the country. Because of a shared language, communication was easy and I almost felt like I was back home. Most people were fairly friendly and customer service seemed to have a bit of a western twinge to it.

Transportation: Getting around Singapore using the MRT is extremely easy and cost effecient. The fare depends on the distance traveled, S$1-2. You can buy a single journey ticket which can be reloaded up to six times (with 2 10 cent discounts at journeys 2 and 6) or you can purchase an unlimited journey ticket good for a certain number of days. If you anticipate using the MRT a lot, the unlimited journey ticket will save you some money. Remember to return it for a deposit refund.

Traveling overland to Malaysia from Singapore is very simple. There is a train that runs all the way to Thailand, but another, cheaper option is a bus. Busses to Melaka take about 2 hours and cost around S$25 depending on the company. You can also reach Kuala Lumpur in about 4 hours.

Accommodation: Accomodation in Singapore is pricey. I stayed in a 6 bed female dorm room and paid S$25 a night and this felt like a steal. While looking for accomodation it wasn’t unusual to see beds in dorms of over 20 people going for nearly S$30. If you’re keen on trying CouchSurfing or know of a friend of a friend living in Singapore, now would be the time to try that option if you’re looking to save a little money.

Internet and Phone Service: Knowing I was only going to be there for 2.5 days I again didn’t bother with a SIM card. Internet service in Singapore was great. The speeds at my hostel were extremely fast, almost as fast as Korea which is known for having the fastest Internet in the world. In addition, many restaurants had free WiFi for customers.

Food: Singapore is known as one of the premier food cities of Asia and Singaporeans take eating quite seriously. My mystery illness kept me from sampling as much as I’d like, but what I did try, I liked. Hawker centers are the best place to grab a meal, in my opinion. They are clean, offer a lot of variety, and the food is inexpensive yet delicious. Everything I ate at a hawker center was between S$2-6 while a meal at a restaurant probably wouldn’t have been less than S$15.

Nightlife and Alcohol: I didn’t drink at all in Singapore due to feeling like crap, and in that sense, feeling like crap was a blessing because alcohol is expensive. In Clarke Quay, beers were S$10 at the cheapest and bars were advertising specials that seemed almost ridiculous. A bucket of 5 Tigers for S$45? Crazy!

Have you been to Singapore? Would you like to go?

Singapore Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

1. Flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty

When I read Edna’s post about Paradise Dynasty a month before I left on my trip, I immediately knew I would be making a stop there. Xiao long bao are a bit of an obsession of mine. I love the soft, thin skin of the dumpling and the way the thick, slightly sweet broth spills out when poked gently. There’s something a bit magical about soup dumplings. All this means I had to try the flavored ones.

The flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty come in 8 flavors: original, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and Szechaun. They are meant to be eaten in that order, with the stronger flavors at the end.

With the colorful dumplings staring up at me from the steaming basket, I couldn’t wait to take my first bite. The original xiao long bao were delicious, just as good as any I’ve had from the infamous Din Tai Fun, and I was eager to try the creative flavors.

My favorites were the flavors on the least strong end of the spectrum: ginseng, foie gras, and cheese. I felt that these still allowed the traditional flavor of xiao long bao to shine, but added a little something different. The others were a little too strong for my liking. At one point I felt like I was eating a mouthful of strong mushrooms instead of a dumpling.

Overall, the flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty were a fun spin on a Chinese dim sum classic. I would definitely return to Paradise Dynasty, the rest of the menu looked fantastic. And the air conditioning was welcome.

2. Wanton Mee at Lavender St. Hawker Center

Much to my luck, there was a very great hawker center located very near to my hostel. Hawker centers are an important part of food culture in Singapore. Originally started as a way to bring low cost food to many people, these centers are now home to some of the best food in the country.

If you’re wary of street food, don’t be of hawker centers in Singapore. These complexes are clean and well managed, owned and operated by one of three government entities. At most hawker centers you order your food from a stall, and it is delivered to your table. After sitting down, another person will take your drink order. It’s extremely simple and a good meal will be well under S$10.

After a long day of sightseeing I made my way to Lavender Street Hawker Center and pulled a classic Singaporean move. I was unsure of what to eat, so I made my way to the stall with the longest line. Here I found wonton mee, or dumpling noodles. Thin, yellow noodles were served with a slightly spicy sauce and topped with char siew, or barbecued pork and dumplings. I slurped mine down quickly at a table with other satisfied patrons.

Unfortunately my list of what I ate in Singapore ends at 2. I did eat a couple of other meals. Mostly Nutella on tost and an overpriced chicken breast and potato salad in Clarke Quay, but these two really stand out. I count on being back in Singapore and eating non-stop sometime in the future!

What I Ate In…Singapore is a post from: Farsickness

While this was somewhat devastating, I was still able to enjoy some of Singapore’s other fine qualities.

View at the Marina Bay Sands

While I wasn’t able to tread water in their magnificent infinity pool (damn you, backpacker budget!), I still managed to catch a great view from the top of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel. Admission to the SkyPark Observation Deck costs S$20, which may seem steep but is pretty comparable to similar observation platforms around the world. And this is Singapore, so really, what did you expect? Tara and I went in the late afternoon and spent a few hours gazing at the city below as the sun made its slow descent and the skyline’s bright lights were turned on.

Gardens by the Bay

Located next to Marina Bay Sands, these gardens are distinguishable by their very weird looking trees. Called Supertrees, they are actually vertical gardens that help the gardens function in many ways. Admission to the main gardens is free (you have to pay for some of the special areas), and it is a nice place to walk around, even if you have to stop every five seconds to catch your break like me. There are models of many traditional types of gardens from around the world, and a lot of shade so you can quickly escape the overbearing Singapore sun for a few minutes at a time.

Little India

Little India was memorable for two reasons. The first being that almost everyone there was an Indian man. This may seem expected considering the area of town is called Little India, but honestly, about 98% of the people milling about were men, mostly with dad jeans and 90s moustaches. It was surreal. The second reason Little India deserves a mention? S$5 eyebrow threading. Enough said.

Chinatown 

Next on our tour of immigrant communities was Singapore’s Chinatown. Most of the streets right around the MRT station are filled with cheap souvenirs and overpriced restaurants, but the juxtaposition of English colonial architecture painted in pastel hues and Chinese signs made for a nice photo walk.

Clarke Quay 

By the time I got to Clarke Quay on my last evening in Singapore I had a high fever, couldn’t see straight, and was hacking up a lung but I was still impressed by the cuteness of Clarke Quay. It’s obvious that this area of town is pretty popular with expats and travelers as most of the restored warehouses along the river are home to foreign restaurants (there was even a Hooter’s) and pubs, but it still managed to keep a bit of a historic feel to it.

I really felt like I could Singapore. I immediately felt like it was a city I could live in. Clean and orderly, there was still a feeling of excitement and a sense of character despite the rules that are always mentioned. For Asia, it was incredibly multicultural and it wasn’t surprising to hear 3 or 4 different languages being spoken around you on the MRT.

What would you like to visit most in Singapore?

Sightseeing in Singapore (While Sick) is a post from: Farsickness