At the airport
Changi airport:
1 Free toilets.
2 Free water fountains.
3 Free view of waterfall at Jewel mall. Free sponsored sound and light show at intervals in the evening.(If the restaurants are too expensive for you, or you are in a hurry, look for the supermarkets in the basement.)
4 Free Butterfly Garden on two floors.
5 Several sculptures and some sculptures for Selfies.
6 Free bus tour if you are around in the city more than 5 hours.
Jewel waterfall at night.
Butterfly Garden. Changi Airport.
Community Clubs
You can recognize them by the imposing building, often on a corner, sometimes with a large clock tower.
In front will be a sign with the Malay word for club, Kelab.
Community Club at Tampines West, near the airport.
Inside will be an open sided sports area, often with team sports or martial arts lessons. Next to that in the centre, usually on the ground floor is a large sports hall or gym alos used for events. Usually a fast food restaurant such as McDonalds or KFC or a Chinese restaurant or hawker centre (food court).
Free toilets.
Open air space to sit. (No air con in public areas.)
Some Community Centres have a small pond containing large fish near the lift which will entrtain children and adults.
Often free newspapers and magazines to read, many Chinese and one or two in English, plus many public service leaflets.
Botanic Gardens
Free to walk in at both ends. One end is near the Botanic Gardens MRT undeground railway station.
Trees have plaques. Take a picnic or look for McDonalds. Food at all prices but long walks in between so plan your route and take water. The kiosks are cheaper than restaurants but some of the restaurants are expensive.
Free masks given out at many hospitals and health clinics to stop the spread of disease.
Gardens By The Bay
Outside the two giant paid for attractions is a garden of trees along the river. Numerous plaques about history, myths, and medicine and food and furniture using the trees.
MRT Underground Train Stations
Free wifi.
Free toilets at the station entrance - no need to buy a train ticket.
Many stations have sculptures or murals. Near Bencoolen is an art college.
Holland Village MRT station, Singapore. Mural showing windmill. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Daeso bargain store. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Cheap Shopping
1 Daeso Department store. Japanese. But many Chinese items. Convenient branches are by Expo MRT exit, or in the Ion Mall at Orchard MRT or in City Squre Mall by Farrer Park MRT.
2 Mustafas department store, covers two blocks, two floors and open 24 hours. Has everything from food and clothes to watches, luggage, curtains.
3 Bargain Basements in many shopping malls.
Bargain shops in out of the centre MRT station approach roads. For example, Toa Payoh. Also at the entrance to Expo MRT in the basement you find a Daeso and a Value store.
4 Supermarkets, Pharmacies & Convenience Stores
Fairprice supermarket.
Guardian Pharmacy. Cheap umbrellas.
Watsons Pharmacy. Cheap umbrellas.
7-11
Many branches in the malls by underground MRT train stations.
Cheap Eating
Food courts called Hawker centres are in the basement or on the top floor of many shopping malls and office blocks. Also look for hawker centres in markets, HDB (government housing estates), around MRT railway stations and in hospitals.
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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