Background of Singapore
Where is Singapore on the map? If you were to search for the location of Singapore on the map, you might not even find it. If the location of Singapore is represented, it will be just a little red dot that people often overlooked. Singapore is that small. But small we maybe, it is not the least dull and colourless. And, although small, we have the world’s best airport, best port and many more. The country Singapore has multi-racial cultures and its continuously changing city appearance is able to make travellers to this part of Asia an unforgettable experience. Moreover, Singapore was also the venue for the 2018 North Korea–United States summit. To top it off, the latest movie buster, crazy rich Asians, was also shot right here.
With about 5.8 million populations, Singapore comprises of 74.3% of ethnic Chinese, 13.4% of Malay, 9.1% of Indians and 3.2% of other races. Each ethnic group has different beliefs and celebrates its own unique festival enjoyed by all. Besides culture, the languages used are also very colorful as well. The official languages in the country Singapore are Chinese, English, Tamil and Malay. Within the Chinese language, there are many different Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Cantonese etc. It is thus not surprising for Singaporeans to be able to speak or know more than one languages.
Colloquial English, better know as Singlish, used in Singapore is a mixed of Chinese dialect and Malay. Singlish is not standard English, but widely used among friends, colleagues and family members. And, widely used when you order food at local eating places.
What is the capital of Singapore?
Good question! Singapore is a country and Singapore is also a city. Singapore capital is Singapore. So, Singapore is Singapore. The Capital of Singapore, unlike other countries, does not have a different city name. We do have different district names but not the city itself. Thus, you are ever asked the capital of Singapore, do remember its Singapore, Singapore.
Top things to do in Singapore the local way
Homestay with a local family in Singapore city
In Singapore, more than 80% stay in homes built by the government. HDB stands for Housing Development Board. The sizes of the flats range from 2 rooms, 3 rooms, 4 rooms, 5 rooms and executives. A good way to experience Singapore is to check yourself into one of these HDB flats and spend your days in Singapore with local Singaporeans. There are presently many Singaporeans offering home stays for foreigners who want to have a different tour experience while touring Singapore.
Take local Transports to explore the Island, Singapore
Mass Rapid Transport (MRT)
Traveling in the capital city of Singapore is easy and safe. If you are traveling to Singapore on a free and easy package, you do not have to worry about anything. Firstly, you will surely have no language problem as most Singaporeans understand English and Chinese. The accent might be different, but you will surely be able to understand each other. No lost in translation definitely. Secondly, we have signs in English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay in stations, street etc. It is very difficult for travelers to lose their way when they visit singapore as the whole island is accessible by the Mass Rapid Transport system. No matter where you are staying, North/South/East or West, you will surely be able to find your way back.
Mass Rapid Transit or MRT in Singapore links the entire city state. Majority of Singaporean take the MRT to work and home daily. Singaporean uses the EZ-link card to travel in Singapore. As for tourists, you can buy a Singapore Tourist Pass at the ticketing office in MRT stations or at Singapore Visitors Centers.
Buses
Bus is the most comprehensive and affordable for the masses in the capital city of Singapore. The main providers of buses in Singapore are SBS Transit, SMRT, TTS and GAS. There are more than 300 bus services running in Singapore daily. One needs to wait about 15-20 minutes for the next bus to arrive if you have missed the previous one. At each bus stop, there is a pole with steel boards indicating the numbers of the buses stopping there . In some bus stops, bus routes of the buses are provided to help locals and tourists find their way. Commuting by bus to explore Singapore city is also an unforgettable experience as most of the buses have aircons for the comfort of passengers. Peak hours to avoid are between 7:30-9:30 am and 5:30-7:30 pm.
Eat at Hawker Centres / Food centres
What are hawker centres? Well, it is a term used commonly in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong to mean cooked food centres. It is an open-air complex housing many stalls that sell variety of local food at affordable prices. At the cooked food centre, you can find Chinese, Malay, Indian and other types of food. You can find them mainly in HDB estates or transport hubs. The hawker centre featured in crazy rich Asians is the Newton Food Centre.
One of the ways to experience the culture of another country is through the food. As Singapore is a multi-racial country, there are many types of food available for you to choose from. And, eating at places where the locals usually go to, enable you to understand the culture as well as the people.
If open-air complexes are not your cup of tea, you can have your meals at food courts located in shopping malls. The price is more expensive for the same type of food because of the airconditioning. Food courts like Koufu, Food Republic, Foodjunction, Kopitiam are just some of the places you can go to.
When you eat at local hawker centres or food courts, it is important to reserve your seat using a packet of tissue paper or whatever item you can place on the table. If you see a packet of tissue or an umbrella on a table, do not take the seat or you will get a scolding from the person who reserved it. In addition, never leave your food unattended as the cleaner will take it away thinking that have finished and does not want the food anymore.
Popular local food you can try
Singaporeans are foodies. In fact, one of the favorite past time of Singaporeans, besides shopping, is to eat and eat. Actually, it is really hard to resist eating in Singapore as everywhere you go, you will sure to find eateries. One can really eat 24 hours in Singapore and we have eateries open 24 hours to cater to your needs.
Singaporeans hardly eat breakfast at home. Maybe those health conscious ones will have milk, cereal or bread, but majority will be hurting for theirs at the neighborhood hawker centers for roti plata, chee cheong fun, nasi lemak etc. Really local cuisine you can only find in Asia.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
This is one of the national dishes available in Singapore. This dish is adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China. The chicken is blanched in boiling water till it is fully cooked, before soaking it in cold water to ensure the meat remains tender. The rice is cooked in chicken stock with ginger and pandan leaves. Singaporean like to eat it with that spicy chili sauce specially created for this dish.
Pork ribs soup ((Bak Kut Teh)
A pork rib dish cooked in a broth of herbs and spices for hours. Bak Kut Teh is a name literally translates from hokkien(dialect) as “meat bone tea”. This dish does not contain tea, despite the name. You can have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Locals like to eat this with other side dishes like braised beancurd skin, braised pork knuckles, braised peanuts etc.
Indian Roti Prata
Roti prata is made of flour and cooked on a flat grill. Roti means bread and prata means flat. You eat this with meat or vegetable base curry. For those who can’t take spicy food, you can opt to eat this with sugar. This is how kids here eat their prata. Plata comes plain, with egg, with onion etc. This dish originated from North India.
Malay Nasi Lemak
A Malay dish and for foreigners, it might be spicy and out of the ordinary. Why? It is because the rice is cooked with coconut milk. And, you eat the rice together with side dishes like chicken, anchovies, egg, sliced cucumber, otah (fish meat cook in spices and wrapped in banana leave) etc. Nasi Lemak is a cheap and wonderful food loved by all races in Singapore.
Shopping in neighbourhood shopping centres/malls
The capital city of Singapore is not just a food heaven for foodies but also a shopping paradize. If you love shopping, you will surely like Singapore as we have shopping centres scattered throughout the city of Singapore. If you want to shop like the locals, you should visit the shopping malls located in the neighbourhood estate. Neighbourhood shopping malls such as Junction 8, Causeway points, Jurong Point are some of the malls you can visit. If branded goods are what you are looking for, you can head to the famous Orchard road and shop till you drop. Things will be expensive though. The next alternative is to visit the IMM shopping centre in Jurong East (2nd CBD). Over there, you can buy branded names at a discount.
Try the King of Fruit “Durian”
Durian is a hate or love kind of fruit. Those who love it will crave for it when the season comes. Those who hate it will run far away from it as the smell reminds them of rotten onions or raw sewage. Due to the strong aroma, this fruit has been prohibited from certain hotels and public transportation in South East Asia.
The high and very high seasons for durians are in March / July / August / September / November and December. The favorite durian variety for locals is the Mao Shan Wang (aka cat mountain king) durian. It has a creamy texture and leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth.
Stay in Budget hotels below S$100
You can consider Hotel 81 or Fragrance hotel. These are hotel chains in Singapore. Reviews are good despite the low price. Some are located at very convenient locations with metro access and food centres. Go to booking.com to find the hotel that suits your budget.
Many people feel that Singapore is a very expensive city to visit. It is true if you were to eat only at restaurants and shop in Orchard road. If you were to eat like the locals and shop at neighborhood stores, you will be surprised that you can actually save on food and shopping and still have money left for buying souvenirs for your love ones at home.
