Hindu Temple in Singapore - a happy moment admiring it

 Temple in Singapore, by the Covid plus flu jab centre in Jurong East in the north west of Singapore.

It was not conveniently near an MRT railway station so we took a Grab cab.

We passed this lovely temple on the corner of the street by the traffic lights.

What did I like? The colours of the walls. The Singapore rain trees which lean and are curved with lacey leaves and show the buildings beyond. The white statues in groups of three, or more. The man on the bicycle silhouetted against the wall.I hope that eventually the repairs will be completed and I can see the building restored to its full glory to enhance the lives of the Hindus as well as the local architectural scene for the enjoyment or everybody.

I looked it up in Wikipedia and found a link to Murugan temples. The temple contains statues of Lord Murugan and other deities. I looked up Murugan. Murugu means beauty and murugan means beautiful one. Indeed, a beautiful temple with a statue of the beautiful one. The god has several other names. He is associated with Southern India.

Arulmigu Murugan Temple, 281 Jurong East Street 21, Singapore 609605.

Other temples to the same god are in Singapore, Malaysia (Batu caves), the UK, India, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and New Zealand.

An even better known and more centrally located temple is in Chinatown.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_temples_in_Singapore

http://singaporehindutemples.com/lordshiva/lordmurugan.html#kartikeya7

http://singaporehindutemples.com/templelist/SriThendayuthapani(Chettiar)/SriThendayuthapani(Chettiar).html

How To Stay Safe When Calling Cabs & Taxis?

What if your car breaks down? 

Or you are too drunk to drive home?

Photo of and by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

In Singapore, I like to use the trains. In the USA, distances are greater.

US flag.

USA Fatal Outcome

A student in the USA, Samantha Josephson, called for a ride, got into the wrong vehicle, was found dead. (March 2019)
The Daily Mail had 12 pages of comments and suggestions of how to avoid such tragedy in future.

Singapore Flag.

Singapore
In Singapore, the big hotels have doormen who will hail a taxi for you, and check the driver understands the destination.

Passenger's Name
In Singapore I have used Grab and noticed the driver sometimes gives me my name. I didn't think of asking or waiting to learn if the driver knows the name of the passenger. I thought it was to be sure he was picking up the right person, because otherwise two drivers and one group of passengers or two could be in confusion.

Protecting The Driver
For example, my tracking system shows my driver is approaching. But there are many blocks of apartments in a circle. You often have two drivers arriving within the same minute, and siling past your block whilst you run out trying to flag them down.

Supposing you have been waiting ten minutes for a taxi to the airport. The driver asks, "Mr Brown?" "Yes," you mutter.
It would be easy for group one to take the first taxi to appear. They get driven to the wrong place, argue with the driver.

It could be a habit. Kiasu. Being one up. Getting ahead in a queue. I have often heard of customers trying to claim restaurant tables by nodding when asked," is this your name?"

Both drivers are aggrieved. One gets passengers wanting a shorter journey, paying less. The other driver gets passengers wanting a longer journey in the opposite direction, when he was about ti go off duty.

If they mistake is discovered. bother passengers jump out, and blame the taxi company. Both drivers lose money.

Is it Your Cab?
To go back to the problem of ascertaining that you are being picked up by the right cab.
First, when  waiting for a cab, you should watch its direction.

When it gets near, you should know the number plate of the vehicle.

What if he makes an excuse?

The driver can make all sorts of claims, such as, "They muddle my car up with my mother's / father's / brother's".

One solution is to take the number plate of the car (which could be stolen). Better still, photograph it. Also photograph the driver before getting in. Drivers don't like this. They think you are about to report them to the government for wrongdoing.

I find it easier to blame my husband. "My husband wants to know I'm going where I said I am going, in a taxi, not sneaking off shopping."

Oops - there's a passenger maybe telling a white lie.

Stay On The Phone
Other suggestions are:
Make sure your phone is charged in case you need help
Stay on the phone to somebody.
Pretend to be on the phone to somebody
If the driver locks the door, phone home or phone the police and tell them
If the driver locks the doors at traffic lights, saying it's to stop robbers jumping in, ask the driver to unlock the doors as you dive, so that you are not trapped in the case of an accident
Carry a glass breaker to get out in case of kidnapping or the door being jammed in an accident
If the driver tries to lock the car doors, object or wind down the windows and start waving and shouting or hold up a sign saying help!
If the journey is delayed by traffic and rain and the increasing fare is too high for you to pay, check somebody at home has enough money, or tell the driver to drop you at a nearby railway station and explain why.
Stay on main roads. Have a map to check directions.

If Locked In!
If all else fails, try to stop your self being driven off main roads. I would steer the car into another vehicle or object (ideally without injuring my nor anybody else.

If kidnapped, trapped, and in danger, block traffic and make others run to your vehicle to try to get you out.

Some readers suggested that taxi companies should give driver and passenger a code.

Others suggest that people should travel in pairs.

On New Year's Eve, in one US city, taxis offered people free rides home. The bar would call the taxi to be sure the passengers, if inebriated, got into a car whose number plate and driver was known to the bar.

Another system is to book one taxi to the restaurant, and arrange for the same one to collect you. We tried that in Cambodia, where the early evening driver always wanted to get the return fare. What if somebody else turns up and claims, "My friend is busy, so he sent me?"

What if your driver appears on foot and walk you down an alley towards where he claims to have parked the vehicle?

My preference is to have a cab booked by your hotel or your restaurant, using a cab company whose name and number you know. Ask the name of the driver.
I like to have a map from both the hotel and the restaurant. I mark the route, or ask my hotel to do so, and ask if any alternative route is possible and would not cost much more.
Then I watch the driver's route. I know I am not being taken on a long journey, nor being kidnapped to an unknown destination.

What is somebody else jumps in the car? In some countries there is a shared cab system. Check with your hotel and the cab company that nobody else will be in the car with you.

Stay Safe
Read the safety pages for your country's cab and taxi services and those of countries you are visiting. install the aps so that in an emergency you are not relying on other people.
For example, Grab in Singapore has a website page describing its emergency button.

Safe Travels!

Useful Websites
News
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6868023/University-South-Carolina-student-Samantha-Josephson-confirmed-dead.html#reader-comments

Taxis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_taxicab_operation

Sharing Rides
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Share_taxi

Lyft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyft
https://www.lyft.com/

Uber
https://www.uber.com/
https://www.uber.com/en-SG/safety/
https://www.uber.com/newsroom/checkyourride/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber

Grab
https://help.grab.com/passenger/en-sg/360000002827-What-is-the-Emergency-button

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have a later update on Monday April 1st 2019. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Grab a moped in Hanoi, Vietnam

Flag of Vietnam.

GRAB Hanoi

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Motorbikes and two wheel vehicles go down the side alleys of Hanoi, Vietnam's capital city. You can also park them anywhere, on the pavement. 

You can do motorbike and bicycle tours of the city and the country. I've heard the two wheelers will be phased out by 2030. So, hurry along to Hanoi.

Travel Tips
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/
For hotels
booking.com
For airlines
travelok.com
vietJetair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Fifteen Fun Ways Tourists Can Travel in Singapore or London and Cities Around The World

Singapore Flag.

Problem
What to do - where to go? How to get around? In Korea in the snow I was scared to walk to the nearby station. I ended up taking two expensive tours with an English language guide who picked me up from the hotel in the bus. Singapore is one of the easiest countries to get around. But all over the world you will find most of these options, such as hired bicycles you ride yourself, and the trishaws (three wheeled tourist vehicles with a guide in front pedalling), and hop on hop off bus tours.

APPS for your phone
googlemaps (go to google and look for google maps). Download ad from google store or on an iphone from the apple store. Install for free. Click on install.

my transport SG

Singapore MRT

1 BICYCLE

hellobicycle.co.sg

Other bicycles can be picked up and dropped off.


2 BUS (SG) (See app above)

Night buses in Singapore:
SMRT Night Rider
SBS Nite Owl Service
London, England, also has night buses.

3 CAR
Hire cars for use in the island to tour around or drive across the bridge to Malaysia.
If you want to fly-drive, you can also hire bicycles with helmets over in Indonesia. Remember to take your driving license as well as your passport and credit card. You might want to take your own helmet, driving gloves, goggles, suitable footwear, jacket, rainwear, waterbottles etc.

4 E-scooter
goscoot.com.sg
https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/e-scooter-laws-singapore

Scooter at Clarke Quay, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

5 Grab
www.grab.com/sg
Instead of a meter, find out the fare fixed in advance. Once I took a grab on a rainy day and one road was closed because of an accident. The journey took longer than expected but I did not have to pay any extra for the additional mileage.

6 LTR (See MRT)
Pass by the skyscraper housing blocks and the LRT carriage windows go dark to protect the privacy of the occupants. I met somebody who lives in one of the blocks. He says, residents can't see the trains or be seen, but can hear the trains passing.

7 Open top bus with commentary and map
(Free if you are on a stopover with Singapore airlines in daytime and have a few hours to spare.)
Several companies include:
Duck+Hippo
Charter tel: 6338 6877

8 MRT underground train
Must see the modern trains with the glass doors keeping passengers and their belongings off the tracks.

MRT Train map including LRT from the rack in any ticket office on the concourse level; also online.
Options include:
One trip ticket.
Multi-day tourist pass.
Ex-pasts who are senior citizens and PR permanent residents, can pply for a ticket which gives reductions on all journeys.

9 SINGAPORE FLYER
Book online for a daytime or evening ride with commentary.

Get a discount for a ride with another attraction.


Transit Link Hotline
1800 - 2255 663
www.transitlink.com.sg

SBS Transit Hotline
1800 - 287 2727
www.sbstransitlink.com.sg

SMRT Hotline
1800 - 336 8900
www.smrt.com.sg

10 Duck boat

11 River Boat/ Cruise
Singapore River Cruise Traditional Bumboat
riverboat.com.sg
rivercruise.com.sg

12 Taxi
Comfort (+65) 6552 1111

Premier Taxi (+65) 6363 6888

SMRT (+65) 6555 8888

Trans Cab
(+65) 6555 3333

13 Trishaw
Tour Little India for about 30 minutes with commentary, for  about S$39 adult and 29 for a child.
Got more time and money? Slightly longer, approx 45 minute tour of Chinatown or Kampong Glam for 49 adult and 39 child. Their leaflet has a handy map which enables you to identify your photos of streets and buildings such as mosques and temples afterwards.
www.trishawuncle.com.sg

14 Walk Alone / With your family and friends
a) Walk under the malls when it rains, from Orchard MRT to Ngee Ann City, basement one or basement two.

WALK UNDERGROUND
b) Ngee Ann City on the major shopping street, Orchard Road, illuminated for Christmas and Chinese New Year and other festivals. If it rains, walk along underground between the underground shops and eating places.


 c) Botanical Gardens And Parks

Botanical Gardens. Free. Singapore.

Free in Singapore. In most other cities you pay for Botanical Gardens, eg Indonesia and Madeira. In England, London's free parks include central Green Park, and Regents Park; in South London on a good day there's a view from and Horniman Museum Gardens (see my post).

d) Gardens By The Bay
Walking around the gardens admiring the plants and reading the plaques is free.
You can also pay to walk along the overhead walkway, about S$8 per adult. Some tickets for the two attractions of Gardens by the Bay include the walkway. (See my posts on Gardens By The Bay.)

15 Walk With Guide
www.singaporewalks.com

MORE INFORMATION FROM
BIKES
https://mobike.com/sg/faq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBike (Countries covered include Austria, Australia, France, Germany and more.)

Singapore Bike price comparison
https://www.shape.com.sg/lifestyle/bike-sharing-singapore-which-cheapest-option/

BUSES
Singapore
https://www.mytransport.sg/content/mytransport/home.html
London, England
https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

MULTI-TICKETS FOR TRAINS AND ATTRACTIONS OR BOTH
You can buy tickets for multiple journeys on underground trains in most cities of the world.
Multi-attraction passes are also available. Last summer leaflets on London's UK mainline stations offered discounts on attractions combined with railway tickets.
New York was offering a multi-pass to attractions.
London's multi-attraction pass included the Coca-Cola London Eye (big wheel) and other attractions.

TOURIST BOARDS
Singapore & UK and Other Tourist Boards
visitsingapore.com
https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/getting-around/
visitbritain.com

AIRLINES
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

TRAVEL SITES
tripadvisor.com

HIRE CAR
Note that if you speak German or other languages you will find translations of most of the English language websites. However, you might find lower prices or more choice on other websites set up by speakers of other languages, aimed at people whose point of departure is in those countries. The advertising is in their language and the bookings are at hotels where their language is spoken by staff and guided tours are in their language or available in their language. We discovered this on a trip to Madeira, organized by the Germans who we had met in Indonesia. They were booking hire cars at different rates and at different companies from those offered to us on our English language websites much cheaper than the hire care from the casino hotel reception which was delivered to the hotel. Our German friends paid for a taxi to the hire car firm office where they collected the car. That saved them a lot of money.

wikitravel
https://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore
https://wikitravel.org/ (Many other cities and countries with ads for tours.)

wikivoyage
Free travel guide that anybody can edit
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Singapore
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Grab in Singapore and Uber in Hong Kong, paying, tax, tipping, extras and receipts

Grab hire cars operate in Singapore. When you phone to make a booking they tell you the fee and you pay cash and get given a receipt.

No Tipping
In Singapore no need to tip. In fact it's frowned on. Singaporeans don't like it when foreigners tip - it's seen as a form of bribery and queue jumping.

Lee Kwan Yew ended the bribery which is still rife in many parts of Asia. I remember arriving at a hotel to book a room. The hotel receptionist said the hotel was full (although I had phone and been told it had rooms).

When money was produced as a tip, suddenly the receptionist re-read the list and found a room. this is what Lee Kwan Yew was trying to prevent, a culture where people are paid low salaries and make it up by not working for the employer but for the passer by who offers money. More importantly, government officials finding you housing drivers' licenses, school teachers marking exam papers, the whole system was reorganized so everybody was paid what is now enshrined in the UK as a minimum wage, and as in China, tipping was forbidden as being seen as bribery. In Shanghai a restaurant waitress was very upset at being offered a tip. If she took it she could lose her job, as being seen as favouring one customer over another (suspected of cheating the boss by offering free seconds, or cheating him by making the customer think the prices were higher) or not offering adequate service until a tip was produced which could ruin the restaurants reputation (and nowadays its Tripadvisor rating). 

At one time when people hailed taxis in the streets of Singapore, frequently the opportune taxi drivers would sail past the locals to pick up foreigners who might tip, which made the local people irate.

Travellers to the airport may have judged their money exactly and spent the last of their cash on drinks or souvenirs, allowing a certain amount for the taxi home. If a service charge or tax is added, plus an ERP (electronic road pricing) or after midnight charge, or two person charge, or extra suitcase charge, suddenly they are out of money with no opportunity to change as there is no machine near the door and the taxi is impatient to be off. Very stressful.

Some people like the system of dealing with cash. No risk of hackers getting hold of your credit card or personal details.

However, in Hong Kong, my friend 'Carol' told me, she used Uber and liked the system whereby you paid by credit card. When you reached your destination, you could jump out of the cab and run. Your receipt was sent automatically.

the automatic receipt we were sent by Grab in Singapore was also useful. One member of my family booked a cab for 'Carol' who was racing to the airport to catch a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong and then on to Europe. She was on standby on Cathay Pacific.

The host family had booked her the cab, and checked she had enough money to pay (advising her no tip needed).

When the host's phone pinged to alert the phone owner the receipt had arrived, they knew Carol had reached the airport safely and paid the taxi and was in time for her flight. While she was running to check in, the host family could send a free running commentary to her family or friends on group to tell them she was on her way.

We got in a muddle talking about it - 'Grab bought Uber, no, Uber bought grab, no ... '

If you are hopping from one country to another, get the app loaded onto your phone well in advance, and check tee exchange rate for money and likely cab prices. Check the time the MRT will take if you have just a backpack and small wheel-on case.

When I told a taxi driver that, when it was raining, the system told us that all taxis were busy, he was irate and vehement that there could not be a shortage of taxis.
"Thousands of taxis," he told me, and, "dropping off and picking up all the time!"

Useful Websites
For the latest news and deals see:
www.grab.com
www.grab.com/sg (Taxis and cars - double your options and wait less long)
www.grab.com/sg/car
https://www.grab.com/sg/grabpay/
www.uber.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

Fireworks in Singapore, or Bournemouth, England, or Edinburgh, Scotland

Singapore's Marina Bay with view of Marina Bay Sands complex which has rooftop restaurants and bars and hotel residents enjoy an infinity pool spanning the top of three skyscrapers. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Public gardens where I am standing are free.

Problem
It's pouring with rain in London. Dark and dismal. I don't feel like going anywhere. Despite two trips promised to different parts of England. What could I or you see and do?

Bournemouth, England
Every week, once a week in August, on Friday, Bournemouth is having a fireworks display. Go to the pier. Bournemouth, once only a place for sedate family outings, is now a lively student seaside in term time.

Singapore
Once a year, on National Day, Singapore has fireworks. Singapore is a well-regulated and heavily populated skyscraper city, so you are not allowed to throw fireworks around in the streets and set off fireworks here, there and everywhere. All the effort goes into a big fireworks display, which is in the Marina Bay area. Others are in Community Centre areas.

Grab, Taxis, Cab Service, Car Sharing, Road Closures In Singapore
I am on the email list for updates and offers from Grab Singapore. They sent me a handy map of road closures for the fireworks at Marina Bay waterfront and information on the nearest stations for the MRT (underground and overground railway - Esplanade and Promenade MRT) and where to go for pickup points for cabs which can't enter the road closure areas.

Unfortunately, by the time somebody in Singapore sends an email to London, the day in Singapore is almost over. Remember, Australia is the first country to have fireworks on New Year's Even then England and Europe, finally the USA.
Next big event is the Grand Prix in Singapore starting September 8th 2017.

Time
I remember which way the clock goes because I was a teenager in London when Kennedy was assassinated. We watched TV in London in the evening, hearing what was happening in America in the afternoon.

New Year's Eve in Scotland
New Year's Eve rather than Xmas is the big celebration in Scotland. The same goes for the former communist countries. Most years you can watch New Year's Eve fireworks around the world on TV and YouTube.

Fireworks in Prague. Photo courtesy of Trevor Sharot Photography.

Tips
Singapore
https://www.grab.com/sg/taxi/
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/where-to-catch-national-day-parade-fireworks
http://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/annual-highlights/grand-prix-season-singapore

Bournemouth
http://www.letsgoout-bournemouthandpoole.co.uk/main-events/bournemouth/friday-summer-fireworks/
http://www.visitbournemouth.com

UK
https://www.visitscotland.com
https://www.visitbritain.org

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Grab and Uber in Singapore

Problem
How do I get a reasonably priced taxi fast?

Answer
You can use the ap Grab or Uber to get a ride cheaply.

Stories
A regular taxi takes you point to point. You can get a taxi in Singapore by hailing one in the street or from the taxi rank outside a railway (MRT) station, a shopping mall or hotel.

The busiest stops on Orchard road may allow shared taxis, but most are for individuals or groups of friends or families.

If you phone for a taxi there is a surcharge. You can also be charged extra for after midnight, a larger taxi if you have a lot of luggage, and for going into the toll areas (ERP - electronic pricing) in peak hours.

Signs explaining this are inside the taxi and you will find them on the taxi websites. I always take my receipt in case I leave anything behind.

 What's the advantage of Grab or Uber? It helps even those who are not users. I've been offered a free lift home by people who are allowed to take along a passenger for free and can afford to take a shared taxi right across the island by sharing with somebody else at a pickup point along the way.

Today the Grab company celebrated being in business for five years by sending me some video stories, showing Grab taxi drivers and passengers.

They also sent short statistics and facts. They say their most popular destination is Changi Airport. The most popular tourist attraction is the zoo. The most popular day to travel is Friday.
www.grab.com/‎
www.uber.com
www.ride.guru/ (compare taxi costs)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to my posts.