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[raniroo]

Heading off again at Christmas and will be spending 5 days in Singapore. Apart from the usual touristy stuff, does anybody have suggestions about what to do while there? googling just brings up the mainstream tourism. I want nitty gritty stuff, local stuff!

Thanks!

[Paul]

Hi Raniroo,

I hope someone gives you some answers soon. I am interested too.

Come on you Singapore experts tell us what to see and do.

[ScottWoz]

Hi Raniroo,

Why not secure your valuables, switch on and take a stroll through Little India at night. It's amazing: the bustle, the traffic, the nudging, the barging, the smells, the sounds and the whole atmosphere will all play its part. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.
I loved it..

[lisartw]

At Singapore airport they do these amazing little guide with walking tours for each different area - Little India, China Town, the Arabian area. They're good for a wander and highlight some of the interesting places to see.

I particularly like the Bugis Village shopping area and Clarke Quay, it's a great place to go out at night to eat, drink, dance - whatever you want really!

Enjoy, Singapore is a fab city.

[markhi77]

You should also try the Night Safari. It's a place where all the animals seem to know you're coming. There's everyhing there and it makes it better that it's in the dark!

[timefortea]

You should also try the Night Safari. It's a place where all the animals seem to know you're coming. There's everyhing there and it makes it better that it's in the dark!

I'd second that. I normally avoid city zoos when travelling (mostly because I can see exactly the same things at a UK zoo), but several friends recommended this one, and they were right!

Plenty of locally based tour operators sell package deals with varying mixes of bus / evening meal / ticket / tour guide in the deal. Buses are probably worth it simply because the zoo is quite a way out of the city, everything else will depend more on you and your style.

Whether you choose tour or independent, make sure you get as much time there as possible- it's a big place with lots to see. The impression I got when I was there was that many people were trying to do the 'on foot' sections at speeds that would make an Olympic sprinter blush so they could make it back to their tour bus before it left.

[raniroo]

Thanks all for the tips.

I definately will be doing the night zoo, that has been highly recommended. I am staying in little India on my first night there and will definately be soaking up the street scene. I love sampling new foods and soaking up the atmosphere, it makes it all the more real.....

Cheers
R

[rbisset]

Definitely try some Laksa while you're there!! Gorgeous stuff.

[ScottWoz]

..my favourite food of all time and one that I think was responsible for my being banged up with food poisoning in Singers. I ate in an immaculate place too. Had better food in the more filthy places, guess I was just unlucky that time..

[rbisset]

I had never heard of it before and thought it looked good. I ate it in some dirty street stall near my hostel. If a place is too clean don't trust it lol! I ate some delicious curry in some local place and used my fingers instead of cuttlery.

[ratbag1]

[font=Arial Narrow] Hi ive been to singapore twice its my fav citya long with London

we stayed the summer tavern in carpenter street very central for everything, there was a Thai restaurant which put my boyfriend off he ordered tofu it came up with a tooth in it-urgh dont worry we complained.

also another place to try is The 1 nite stand Bar and Comedy Club in Clarke Quay, we found this place by chance its a funky bar with big comfty seats. Very much a ex-pat bar, but you do get a lot of locals and others including Thais and Japanese.

Very music can be very dodgy ranging from 80's to 90's, it has a funny Indian DJ who thinks his god most of the time.

When we visited over 2 years ago it had inhouse band called Blue Jade who sang everythign from Linkin Park to Guns and Roses.

The details for The 1 Nite Stand Bar and Comedy Bar.
3 River Valley Road
Block A#01-04
Clarke Quay
Next to River Front
Singapore

If your after computer bits try Sim Lim Tower and Square, be warned it does get hot in there.

go and see what its like.

Also its nice go and watch the world away by the river.

[ratbag1]

[font=Courier New][size=7][b]

Night Safari we went 2 years ago, i took my boyfriend on his birthday and we loved it. I swear i was being watched by a large looking hyeena who he thought i was his lunch rolled into one

have fun we did

claire

[bennyng]

There's actually a lot you can do in this little city. If you got 5 days and want to go off the usual tourist traps (Sentosa, Orchard Road, etc) you can consider the following:

1) Breakfast at Botanical Gardens
One of the best gardens around, including a special Orchid section. Locals go there in the morning for jogging and other exercise too. If you don't fancy spending there, just bring your own breakfast and you can buy good coffee there.

2) Zoo and Night Safari
Although a lot of tourists do go there, it's a very popular place with the locals too. Highly recommended experience for a 'natural' presentation of animals. Good to spend an afternoon at the zoo and then continue into the evening at the night safari as they are just next to each other.

3) Clubbing and drinking
Currently, the hottest clubbing joints are Ministry of Sound (at Clarke Quay), St James Powerhouse and Zouk (at Jiak Kim Street). Very crowed at weekends. Mostly locals. Expats and tourist usually hang around at Boat Quay instead.

4) Visit the heartlands
80 percent of the population lives in flats built by HDB (Housing Development Board). So the are town centre and here you really get a flavor of the local life. You can just hop off the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) trains at popularl town centres such as Ang Mo Kio, Jurong, Clementi, Tampines, etc and visit the suburban malls or just go eat at the hawker centres.

5) Visit the Nature Reserves
There are two nature reserves in Singapore. Not difficult to get to as Singapore is small. One in the north called Sungeh Buloh Nature Reserve and the other called Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It will be hot and be prepared to spend half a day walking around.

6) Visit the farms
Despite the fact that the city is highly urbanised, you can still find vegetable/goat/frog/fish/fruit farms. Most of them are located in the Lim Chu Kang/Kranji area. Locals make weekend trips there as there is now a bus service taking folks around. Definitely something that most tourists will miss if they do not have a local guide.

7) Stroll along the red light district
Yes. Singapore has a red light district too. It's at Geylang. But Geylang is also famous for local food and there is alot of famous stores there. Do try the bean curd/tofu there. Most taxi drivers will know where it is. There are also plenty of stores selling local/tropical fruits there. If you are brave enough, go eat Durians, also known as King of Fruits. It stinks!!!!

8) Little India/Malay Village/Chinatown
Serangoon Road is known as Little India and the 24 hr Mustafa shopping centre is a must to visit. Busy, busy around the clock. Gelang Serai is Malay Village is you can find plenty of muslim stores and eateries. Chinatown these days is a tourist trap and locals don't go there. Still, it might be an interesting visit.

9) Gadget shopping
For those into gadget, Sim Lim Square and Funan centre are fun. But be wary of the shops in Sim Lim Square. Basically, if it's too good to be true, it usually is. Funan centre is better as prices are clearly marked.

By the way, December is christmas shopping season. A lot of shops at Orchard Road opens till late. Some even open till midnight. It's a frenzy.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,

[starlagurl]

That's so awesome! Is that only in Singapore, or does that happen a lot over there?

[Paul]

That is a really god list.

[princie]

Until now I have heard a lot about the Singapore. Now all i want to know is is Singapore is that much beautiful how much people do explain about that.
Because, i have heard from someone that its a land of sand.
is it true?????????
while some says that Singapore is the land of luxury and royalty like u will get all possible best brands of clothes and fashion.
its a land of amusement and of style.
is it true???
im a bit confused??
im planning to visit Singapore??
i just want to know that how is it and how much it will cost me ?????/

[cheli]

Land of Sand?? Never heard that one.

Most people i know (being Australian) see Singapore as a place of transit and if they ever get out of Changi airport it's only for a few hours or 1 day in which they vaguely make a tour of Raffles and maybe Orchard street then go away with a poor view of the city. Yes they fine you for jaywalking and yes it's much cleaner than the rest of Asia - that doesn't mean it's completely void of character so get over it

Having said that, here are some of my favourite things to do in Singapore:
- Throw a peanut over your shoulder at the Raffles bar. Order a singapore sling if you like your drinks pink
- Walk diagonally across the road from the Raffles Hotel to the old nunnery of Chjimes. Lovely artsy boutiquey shopping centre now, pretty at night with all the fairy lights out and some ok eating
- The singapore zoo - especially early in the morning to have breakfast with the orangutans or at night for the twilight tour
- The bird park. Unless chickens give you the heebie jeebies
- The botanic gardens - amazingly extensive and a lot more chilled and relaxed than the rest of the city
- Arab street, but don't expect to find ANY silver jewellry!
- Look out for the bouganvillea draped off the pedestrian walkways bridging the road to and from the airport - a lovely way to enter a new city
- Say 'la' at the end of every sentence - even though you probably sound like a tosser to all the locals

Yes you'll find a lot of fashion but only if you're Asian sized. It's only really a bargain if you're there for the July sales as far as I'm concerned. From what I've heard electronics are comparable to the rest of Asia now - it used to have a fair reputation for cheap stuff but now it's just reasonable.

[sk1008]

hello all
i plan to visit singapore in june july. can anyone suggest a good aprtment hotel (preferably on orchard road) since i plan to stay for around 7 days? is it a good idea to stay at sentosa if it's going to take 2 days to see it?

[dwyeap]

very good, u can www.sitibox.com too

Hi Raniroo,

Why not secure your valuables, switch on and take a stroll through Little India at night. It's amazing: the bustle, the traffic, the nudging, the barging, the smells, the sounds and the whole atmosphere will all play its part. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.
I loved it..

[mosokikee]

I had a memorable trip in Singapore last Christmas.. The whole country is decorated gorgeously with Christmas trees and I like the Orchard Road most as it's the most happening street I've ever seen...!