Singapore

[DebiAdnderson]

I am going to Singapore in just one week. All I know is that people have referred to it
as "Disneyland run by a Dictator". This is supposed to be a VACATION! Has anyone on here acually gone there for vacation?

[roster]

If you are over 12 years old and think Disneyland is a vacation ..........?

[Sleepless in St. Louis]

I think I heard that chewing gum in public is illegal but other than that....

Seriously, I think they had a serious litter problem with it and the dictator dictated. I've heard it's a great place to visit. Kind of curious. Why did you choose it as a destination if you're not quite sure you want to go there? Did you just throw a dart at a map?

[nosbig-nosbig]

If you are male, you might mant to get a nice close haircut.

If you are a doper, it would be wise to leave your stash at home.

[scherebh]

I worked there for a week in 1998. Kinda cool place - not sure I'd say it was DL. The do have strict laws and you'll find absolutely no litter, pornography (Playboy is pornography), drug use, crime, etc. I started work at midnight one night and had to walk through a shopping mall to get through work. I was amazed - the jewlery stores were closed but they just left all the valuables in the windows instead of putting them away. I heard some stories of law enforcement having extreme powers. For instance, say a rapist was caught in the act. He would be executed on the spot. Anyway, like anywhere else obey their laws and have a good time. There must be good info on the net somewhere about their laws. Actually they aren't much different that in the US except if you get caught breaking them there, you'll find out the MEAN it.

[sleepyinsunnyvale]

I go there quite often on business. I take my wife and stay on for several free days of vacation.
Great restaurants. Super seafood. Try the hawker stands for great local foods.
People are very cordial.
Yes, it is very clean.
Strict laws but crime does exist so there is still a need to be vigilant. However, not as high an alert as Bangkok, for example. My wife is very comfortable sightseeing by herself and taking public transportation while I'm working.
Visit the Zoo and stay for the Nighttime Safari
Visit Sentosa island. Lots to do and see. Lots of resorts/beaches. Take the cablecar at least one way.
When I first starting going in 1989 you could get some shopping deals. Not so much now. Orchard road is the shopping district. Lots of malls and lots of high end department stores.
Take a city tour. Good way to get an overview and you can always go back yourself to places that interest you.

I usually will get a tour books (such as Fodor's) when traveling to new places. Helps to plan the time an make sure you see things that interest you.

Hope this helps. Have a good trip. Tell us about it when you return.

BTW, what hotel are you staying at?

[cg30sailor]

Quite a remarkable place..really clean. I have a picture somewhere in my navy pictures of a sign reading "failure to flush toilet, 150.00 fine". this is no joke.
Pay to go on a tour bus. it will be worth your while. However, if you smoke, don't throw your butts on the ground.
Also, this is the country where the american teenager was given 50 lashes with a bamboo ratton for spray painting graffiti on a car.
I firmly believe if people were held accountable for actions here we wouldn't have the problems we have in this country. Have fun..

[roster]

http://www.expatsingapore.com/general/law.htm

[billbolton]

This is supposed to be a VACATION! Has anyone on here acually gone there for vacation?

As long as you remember that you are in a foreign place and you need to pay attention what the people around you do and follow their example, you should have no problem at all.

Whatever you do, make sure you do not get into an argument with anyone about "rights". Singapore is not a Western Democracy in the sense that Americans understand it, even though it looks like one on the surface. In most respects it functions like a Western Democracy so its not a big deal for most Western/European travellers, but if you feel the need to excercise any perceived democratic "rights" you may think you have, the veneer of Western Democracy may peel back very quickly.

Act conservatively, follow the examples of the locals, follow any instructions carefully and you will be fine and have a great time!

Cheers,

Bill

[dsm]

Singapore,

Very 'nice' place providing one is 'nice' while there

Did a lot of business there in the 1990s & always enjoyed it, kind of like Hong Kong in minature.

The city state has always been run by what one might call benevolent dictators despite all the trappings of democracy but it has worked very well & Singapore Chinese are certainly though of us 'upper class' people (ponder that one ) who are very well educated & generally very friendly & also noticably polite.

It is a city built on an island just off the mainland and adjacent to Malaysia which is a Mulsim country. The Malays have through recent history, gone on rampages terminating chinese people & so there is always a bit of tension between Malaysia & Singapore. All the fresh water (apart from recycled & desalinated water)) comes from Malaysia who now & then make noises about cutting the supply off.

Singapore has a hidden but very powerful army that does lots of exercises on the Malaysia side of the island

The heart of Singapore is very modern. It was one of the 1st cities around here to introduce special taxes for people who want to take their cars into the business zone.

During the late 1980 & early 1990s the whole center of Singapore was rebuilt & old colonial buildings removed.

There are many top 5-star rated hotels & Karaoke is a very popular entertainment among locals & visitors alike.

The transport is clean & tidy & well run. Shopping is terrific. Restaurants are everywhere & plentiful. It is one of the few SE Asian countries where foreigners can eat of food carts & not get tummy troubles (in Indonesia we nick named them Cholera Carts). Actualy the same clenliness is evident in the capital of Malaysia = Kuala Lumpur which has the famous high rise towers called the Petronas Towers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers

Singapore is predominatly Chinese but has many Indians who make up a visual minority there.

In summary,

If you are a 'nice' person then I am sure you will find Singapore a very 'nice' place - I always enjoyed my trips there & believe the place to be a shining star in South East Asia, if not a tad boring in some minor respects (very little to do by way of sight seeing - But, if you want you can hop on a tour bus to Kuala Lumpur which is a drive across 'the causway' between Singapore & Malaysia & do the sights of a very modern impressive & nice city). Malaysia is a very interesting country but perhaps a tad stricter than Singapore.

DSM


#2 PS - don't take drugs (weed etc:) to either country, the consequences can be terminal
_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): clean