Explore: Singapore

Even if being in the top 20 smallest countries in the world, Singapore has so many places to visit and different things to do. With only 726 km2 we might just see it as one big city full of diversity. Its population is a mix of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and a group of foreigners from all over the world which makes it an easy entry level for people that might feel asian culture is too much of a shock.

Why visit Singapore?

Besides being one of the fastest developing countries in Asia and with an awesome architecture in their city, you are able to move from west to east under a couple of hours. Here is a list of features so you feel even more comfortable visiting.

Language Barrier

Because their government wants everyone to get by, there are many regulations in order to accomplish this. So, any westerners (Europeans or from Americas) will feel comfortable moving anywhere through the island. For example, everyone should be able to communicate using English and you’ll see a mix of languages on almost every commerce propaganda, signs, menus, etc. If you want to practice Chinese Mandarin or some of the Indian dialects you will definitely find an opportunity.

Food

Their food is famous. Here you’ll find some of the cheapest michellin starred places and wide variety of restaurants through the whole island. Because of the influence from so many cultures you can get any kind of food both fusion and true to their roots from all around the world. Of course, there are way more options for asian food. Chinese, hakkian, cantonese, malaysian, indian, vietnamese, thai, phillippine, french, japanese, spanish, italian, mediterranean, libanese, peruvian, costarican, … just think about one kind and look for it.

Here you’ll find all the range of restaurants. If you want to eat for cheap or do fine dining you get it all. Singaporeans are used to buy prepared food more than cooking themselves, with such demand you can get really tasty dishes for even $3 (SGD) at most hawker centers. A Hawker Center is basically a big group of food stalls, kind of like a food court at some mall shopping center with one important difference. These are owned by locals, some of them specialize on one single dish which is the reason why you can get really tasty and cheap food, they make it everyday in big quantities and will only sell during the day until it is all gone.

Keep checking this blog, you’ll find more special posts about food.

Security

This country has got to be one of the safest if not the safest country in the world. Their officers spend more time resolving very minor offenses like littering and feeding wild life than actual crime. If you are a woman, you will feel safe walking and using public transport alone even after 11 pm. The only issue while being here I’ve seen that they have not been able to control is fraud, lots of people from neighboring countries and in country most probably are always trying to scam you by phone. But, this should not be an issue if you get a tourist sim card.

Cost

Singapore is within the most expensive cities all around the globe, so why is this an advantage? Well costs depend on how you choose to spend, every place in the world has a wide range of prices for whatever you want to buy. So, what is expensive?

• Rent: Since this is a very small country, space is a luxury and demand will make it expensive, which translates into higher costs for rent. The more centric and bigger/newer an apartment the more expensive it gets. Small 1 bedroom 640 squared feet would range between $1500 to $3000 SGD ($1200 to $2400 USD) as of 2022.
• Alcohol: alcoholic beverages are quite expensive because of taxes, the government wants to make you think twice about getting drunk. A cheap beer will cost $5 SGD (3.7 USD) and up to $30 SGD for good imported and artisan beers. Cheap wine won’t get below $25 SGD, and good wine is above $35 SGD a bottle. If you go out drinking, prices will keep going up.
• Cars: again a very small country and the government doesn’t want you to occupy the streets the way most people do around the world (1 person per car). So, the government taxes cars and motorcycles with hefty rates and also making it both more difficult and expensive to get circulation permits. To be fair, they invest on very good public transportation with fast access using a single top up card or even your local debit/credit cards, so a car isn’t really required here.

When it comes about expenses you choose how much you want to spend. Personally, I find this city quite accessible. You can really enjoy a lot of what if offers at a budget and if you have lots to spend then I assure you can also find many places meant for luxury.

Transportation

You really don’t need a car to move around in Singapore, besides if you compare the costs of getting a car versus using public transportation you might just as well choose not having one. Bus and MRT fares are as low as $0.6 and it varies depending on the route. There are bus lanes going everywhere you need, sometimes you might as well just take a bus (AC is always on) for fairly close distances because of the weather though. The most frequent places to visit are almost always around the MRT stations so that is even more convenient, specially in a hot and rainy country with many underground passes between MRT stations and shopping centers.

Here a list of some places to visit.

• Gardens by the Bay
• Esplanade
• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
• Marina Bay Sands and the Shopees
• Sentosa Island and the Marinas
• Universal Studios Theme Park
• IFly wind tunnel
• Botanic Garden
• Singapore Changi Airport
• Park connectors
• Hawker Centers (island wide)
• Michellin starred restaurants
• Wet markets if you are into it
• Shopping centers
• SEA Aquarium
• Singapore Zoo
• The pinnacles @Duxton public housing
• China town
• Little India
• Sultan Mosque
• National Museum

Now go explore Singapore !