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Friday, April 25, 2014

Sweet Singapore, Sand, Sea, English Spoken, Skyscraper Hotels, Speeches & Sport

Yesterday I was asked if I had unlimited money where would I go. If I had unlimited money I would go on a round the world cruise or stay in the world's top five star hotels and all the Michelin restaurants and take guided tours of every city - but that would not be interesting to the listener so I answered the question about which city do I know well enough to recommend and where would I go back to if I were elsewhere. Singapore. Why?
    Day and night entertainment for all the family, night safari. Watch animals close-up, not caged, but separated from you by fenced ditches.
    Museums with English-speaking guides.
    Food at all prices everywhere - food courts with kiosks in most office blocks, shopping centre blocks and also a food shop or cafe in the private government run housing blocks. the food courts are sometimes in the basement or ground floor, sometimes mid-way or at the top, often both.
   People who speak English but a non-English speaking majority culture (Chinese) with a couple of other cultures for variety (Little India and also Malay cuisine).
   Safety taken seriously.
   Clean.
   Ultra-modern - self-flushing toilets.
   Swimming pools in most of the private housing blocks used by ex-pats or at the country clubs and some public swimming pools and pools in many hotels.
   The most wonderful and diverse modern architecture.
   Lots of theatre and world-famous acts flying in.
   Beaches.
   Shopping galore, from high class to hawker centres with adjoining markets around the perimeter of the city.
   English speakers welcome at Toastmasters International clubs all over the city. Prices vary from those meeting enlarge hotels where you pay for the buffet meal to suburban centres.
   Always something new. Towers with views.
   Easy to get around on the underground with a pre-paid ticket.
Tour pickups from major hotels.
Here are some attractions:
1 Sentosa Island (beaches and museums).
2 Singapore Flyer (big wheel with commentary).
3 Safari Park.
4 Bird Park.
5 Factory tours.
6 Boat tours along the Singapore river, out to other islands, and Duck Tours amphibious (water and land) vehicles.
7 Museums.
8 Food from Dinner at Raffles hotel to hawker centres. Top of the tower restaurants.
9 Hotels such as The Forest, Mandarin Oriental. I like a hotel with waterfalls and features and a great swimming pool and a good shop.
10 Toastmasters Clubs. Meet at the YMCA,YWCA, hotels and Community Centres.
If you are sporty, fearless, energetic, and like running, go to a meeting of the Hash House Harriers who run through the jungle, men on Monday nights, other nights for women, families, people with dogs.

My Top Tips
1 Time your arrival and departure so you can take the free bus tours offered by some airlines.
2 Get the free maps from the airport on arrival and look in them for discount coupons.
3 Look out for free newspapers in the MRT stations.
4 Buy an MRT pass and get the free map of the MRT on arrival. Saves time in peak periods and if it's raining it's hard to get a taxi.
5 Programme the numbers for calling a taxi into your phone. Note the a surcharge for pre-booking a taxi.
6 If it's raining and you like shopping take the underground passageway from Orchard MRT along Orchard Road.
7 Cheap shopping at Mustapha's in Little India - and one section is open 24 hours.


More information from
Tripadvisor
Wikipedia


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