Road Warriors going to or coming from Australia or New Zealand would most likely transit through Hong Kong or Singapore. This is also is the same for anybody needing to go to the secondary and tertiary cities in Southeast Asia, Singapore would be the jumping of point.

Business is growing and multinationals are building up presence in Asia, Singapore is the choice for most. This City state has long been attracting expats and business travelers and the recent attention only helps the country grow more.

Singapore also has one of the best airports in the world, Changi Airport has been awarded the best in recent years and this only adds to the positive reasons why a transit here would be the choice.

Road Warriors frequently coming to Singapore would know most do's and dont's as most would apply to any country one is going to but there would be some distinct differences for each country.

The Law

Singapore is a very strict country and majority obey the law, from as simple as waiting for the green man to light before crossing to do not bring in chewing gums. It would be best to just avoid the hassle and don't bring anything, most important requirements can be bought here anyways.

When crossing the road, even if there is no vehicle, best just to wait for the green man to light up. When smoking, look out for designated smoking areas, best not to light if you are not sure. You'll also know if its ok to smoke as smokers will be gathered wherever it is allowed.

Smokes are very expensive here and don't be tempted to bring in more than what is allowed by customs, there are agents walking around in plain clothes looking for offenders.

Escalator

When taking the escalator, stay on the left if you plan to be stationary, the right side is for people who are in a hurry or want to walk up or down.

Chopping tables

On hawker centers or local food shops, chopping tables is done before ordering. To know if a table has been chopped or reserved by someone, there will be a tissue, hanky, newspaper, id or umbrella on the table or the chair. There might be other items to indicate it's already chopped by the list prior are the common, the most popular way to chop is to use the tissue, its packed in handy containers of about 10 or so sheets.

Eating at hawker centers or coffee shops is a good local way to dine.

Crossing the Road

For road warriors from left hand drive countries, Singapore drives on the right and therefore when crossing the road look right first or better yet look both ways.  Although drivers follow the law and would stop and let pedestrians cross first, there will always be some who will disregard such.

Tourist Traps

There are tourist traps around the city, so be sure to avoid such. Avoid Lucky Plaza and Sim Lim. If you plan to purchase electronics, head on to Funan IT Mall. For other big name brands and such, head on to Takashimaya, Paragon, ION, Wisma Atria and Tangs on Orchard road or Vivo City and Harbourfront. Best shopping I think would be at the airport, no 7% GST.

Taxi

Taking the taxi is safe and without stress but it would sometimes be hard to hail one during peak hours, trying to call one would also be hard during peak. You can hail one from almost anywhere but not always, look for signs of taxi stands first as they will almost always be one nearby, especially in the CBD. During peak, there will be a snaking que so be patient.

Aside from the fare, there will be surcharges depending on different criterias, some of which are if you are ride from or alight in the CBD area, Sentosa or Marina Sands, use of Boot surcharge, after midnight Surcharge and ride from Airport surcharge. So don't be surprised when the driver presses the meter and the fare increases instantly. You can always ask for a receipt and it is rare to find a driver who will cheat you.

MRT or Bus

Taking the MRT or Bus is just like when you are in any other developed nation, might even be better is some aspect. Get the E-Zlink card from MRT stations or bus interchanges and you can use it in all buses, MRT and LRT.

Let alighting passengers get out first before boarding and once inside go towards the rear of the bus or at the middle of the train between train doors. Give up your seats to elderly, injured, children or pregnant especially seats marked with reserved.

Eating

Singaporeans are spoiled with so many options to eat, there is always someplace nearby to eat and eating is a national past time and passion. Hawker centers and coffee shops would be the regular places locals eat from, meal usually are from 3 to 7 dollars without drinks. Cafes and Fast food are also abundant with the international brands having presence all over the city. Restaurants would usually charge 7% GST and 10% Service Charge on top of the bill in contrast to Hawkers, Coffee Shops, Cafes and fastfood, which display the final price you can expect on the bill.

If you see a shop with a long que, it does not always mean its gonna be good so look first and decide if it is worth the wait.

English Singlish

English is the primary language of communication but together with Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are the 4 official language of the Country. No problem communicating in English here, but you might encounter Singlish which is a local variation of English mixed with the local cultural flavor.

When you are asked, what time will you go back, that mean what time you go home.

When they say can or can can, that means yes.

There is also almost always lah, leh or wat at the end of a sentence. It would be a bit hard to catch-on at the start but you'll get a hang of it.

I was there for a couple of reasons and I would say 5 to 7 days would be a good timeframe to fully enjoy the city state without hurting your soles. As with the last time I was there, there was a lot of walking, however, since it is summer, it was really hot and humid, March was cooler. I hope I get to try it on November and December so as I could compare the weather.

Anyways, I got to 3 museums this time around and was able to go full circle on Chinatown. I was also lucky (unlucky for some) to be there during the 2nd PC show of the year. Louie also treated us to Paulaner Brauhaus. On our 3 last days, Louie was with us and went around with us. Vanessa, Jeff's flickr friend went around with us on the first day. 

I got to travel around on the bus as well as visit Ipe at their new flat on Chua Chu Kang. This time around, I had a EZLink card and transportation going around the island was easy and hassle free.

Thanks to Vanessa, we learned that the Esplanade had a viewing deck on top with great views of the Marina. The Merlion this time around was already fixed and I was able to get a good shot at it, although it was already night so lighting conditions were not so good for my 5 year old camera.

I was also able to eat a couple of Singapore only dishes such as the famous chicken rice. Food is interesting and an adventure itself in the island, I targeted for a couple of western fastfood chains and I got 2 out of 3, subway and carls jr. will try to get popeye next time. I also missed the kaya toast breakfast from ya kun kaya as well as the chilli crab, will have to put this on top of the list next time.

Some of Borj's friends treated us to a relaxing night cap at Blu Jazz Bar on Arab Street, amusingly full of Pinoys, even the band and staff. I missed the Egyptian dinner though. We did get to eat on little india after our quick mustafa runabout.

On my way to catchup with Borj and her friends on Arab street, I decided to not use the map and just trust the gut after getting off at Bugis MRT station. I wandered around for a while and I found a 2 block street full of shabu-shabu on the street. It was so full of aroma and I will have to include it on my must try list next time, will include arab street, little india, laksa, satay and chilli crab.

As it was the Great Singapore Sale time, a lot of shops were on sale and if you have the money, there are endless bargains available. We also learned that the outlet stores where in Queenstown and I will keep a mental note of that for my next visit. 

I am also one Merlion statue shot shy, the one on Mt. Faber Park. Although I got to passby Fort canning park, We totally missed the Botanical Gardens and Chinese Gardens. More parks next time then.

will have to stay for 6 to 7 days next time, and will be there with the wife to have a leisurely vacation.

Unlike my previous trip, I did not, was not or just plainly too lazy to make a detailed itinerary. I however was able to research some of the sites the family must go to and experience. This included the world famous Singapore Zoo. I'll make another post on some of the other things we did in Singapore on my future post.

My borther-in-law was able to secure us a Zoo Membership card which entitled us to free entrance and discounts to food establishments inside the zoo, Yahooo ! Singapore also has a reputation of being an expensive City, so every dollar saved is very well welcomed. 

The Zoo is in the middle of the island, in near the part of the City they call woodlands. We stayed with my bro at Jurong so it was near the zoo, just a couple of stations by MRT and a bus ride. Before going, I thought we could stay at the Zoo until 4 or 5 and move on to CBD at night, my I was wrong on that plan. We got off at Choa Chu Kang MRT station and on the adjoining bus station took the 927 Bus, you can't miss the Zoo.

TIP : Get the EZlink card, it works for the MRT, Bus and some establishments like Mcdonalds and 7eleven. Transport prices are cheaper using this and it saves the hassle of carrying and paying in coins.

We arrive at the Zoo a little before lunch, the entrance to the Zoo merited a couple of photo sessions as it was magnificent. before going in, a couple of food establishments were open one of which that caught my eye was Ben and Jerrys, the ice cream I missed most from the states, It turns out, the Singapore Zoo branch was the first in Southeast Asia. Since it was almost lunch, we ate lunch and KFC, as expected no rice, ok for me but for my wife and in-laws it was the contrary, good thing we packed rice just for lunch.

Going into the Zoo we were immediately greeted by birds of different species while on their feeding time, a great photo opportunity. While on the left side was the Zoo gift shop, but we saved the gift shop time as our last  experience for our Zoo visit. We first saw some Crocodiles that were huge, but we had those here so we immediately moved onto the next.

Next stop was the tigers, a bit far from the viewing deck and separated by a ravine, I guess for our protection. They were just lounging around and glancing at us from time to time, what magnificent animals they were. Next on the trail were the Pygmy Hippo's, at first, we could not find them among the rocks, it turns out, they had their backs(ass) facing us and it kinda looked the same as the rocks(hahaha). 

The Kangaroos on the Australian Outback section of the Zoo was great, too bad the feeding time was in the afternoon so we just gazed at the kangaroos, their was also a torn jeep where visitors could have their photo taken making the entire scene more outback feeling.

We then hurriedly went to the Birthday pavilion as their was a Animal Friends Show, we had to cut across the trails to get their on time. This was on the newest section of the Zoo, the Kidzworld, one of the great things on this section is that their was a KFC and Ben and Jerry's, this was a good opportunity to get some ice cream while watching the show. The show itself was not as spectacular but the actors and the animals played their part well.

We then went to the Rainforest fights back show at the Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre, this show was more elaborate and where participated by more interesting animals. A couple of birds, otters, monkeys and others with a very colorful performance by a peacock. Next show on the itinerary is the Elephants of Asia, highly recommended by our host. It is advised to stay in the middle but not too far in front as the elephants perform activities using large logs, there is a possibility of getting wet. 

TIP : For the shows, get to the venue early as good seats get scooped up fast.

We enjoyed the Elephants, amazing creatures. Last show on the list is the Splash Safari at the Splash Amphitheatre. It was a mini-version of what  you get to see at Ocean Park Hong Kong but it was more intimate. Starred by a dugong and a Sea Lion. Photo Opportunity with the sea lion at the end of the show for everyone. Great show, a must for visitors.

This was the last show and we decided to take it easy and stroll at a slower pace. We went through the butterfly walk, my in-laws tried to look for the butterfly's in vain, I had to break it to them that this was a section where fauna conducive for butterfly's where placed but it's not a guarantee there will be butterfly's. We then saw a couple of primates and a couple of Orang Utan's in the section where they where free to move around, even on top of the trail's, watch out as they do their thing, you might get wet below. Remember to always look up.

We then went to gaze at the Rhino's, Ostrich, Cheetah, Zebra and the one of the best, the Lions. A couple of reptiles inside smaller trails but the Lion was the best. Just like the Tigers earlier, a ravine separated us. One of the off animals but equally interesting and magnificent was the Polar Bear, in a ice cold chamber.

Next thing we knew, it was almost 6 and we decided to take the River Boat Ride to get back near the entrance of the zoo, a nice way to cap off a day in the Zoo. Before going out, it was the right opportunity to spend some time at the gift shop.

Since, it was already 6, we decided not to go to the CBD and spend the evening at the Night Safari. Just across the Zoo. Too bad our free pass did not cover the night safari but since we were already there, might as well make the visit complete and save us the time of going back just for the safari.

The Night Safari is one of the unique things we could experience and truly a one of a kind in Asia. A couple of photo opportunities on the entrance, and more shops to buy gifts and food. First on the Agenda is the Creatures of the Night show. A good one and a must for visitors. A little bit like the Rainforest Fights Back show  at the Zoo but this time featuring creatures of the night. One interesting part is a reptile which is part of the show which gets lost, be sure to look under your seats(hahaha).

After the show, it was dinner time, We ate at Bongo Burgers which gave us a good view of the tribal performance, specially with the fire eating part of the show. After which, a hop on the tram for a guided tour of the entire park with good and informative commentary of the animals. The tram stops in the middle of the safari and you get a chance to go on a trail. 

TIP : Bring a flash light

The trail is dark quite and gives you a feeling that you are really in the middle of a safari. A couple of interesting animals on the trail and is a must for a complete safari experience. After which, continue on with the Tram tour.

After the Tram, we decided not to go through the other walking trails and just go home. What a tiring but fun day.