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Singapore/Balestier

Balestier, Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh are neighbourhoods in central Singapore. Strung along the North-South Line just north of Orchard Road, these four rather dissimilar districts serve to absorb Singapore's urban sprawl and house its inhabitants. None are particularly attractive from a tourist's point of view, but they are popular for short and longer-term stays in Singapore — quiet and reasonably priced, but close enough to be convenient.

Understand

Balestier offers one of Singapore's largest clusters of cheap hotels, second only to Geylang. As you might guess, here too the main customers are patrons of the nearby brothels and gambling dens, although they maintain a very low profile and this isn't really a cause for concern.

Newton and Novena are rapidly gentrifying suburbs just north of the city, housing a significant expat population and services geared to them. Novena is a medical tourism hotspot with many hospitals and hotels to cater to visitors. Just one MRT stop further north, though, is the canonical Singapore heartland suburb of Toa Payoh (pron. "Twa(r) Pah-yoh"), housing well over 100,000 Singaporeans in HDB housing blocks.

Get in

Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh are easily accessed on the North-South MRT Line. Balestier does not have convenient access by MRT, although it's possible to hike over from Toa Payoh or Novena stations (10-15 minutes). However, there are quite a few bus services along Balestier Rd, with the most useful ones being SBS 145 to Bugis, City Hall, Boat Quay and Chinatown, 130 to Bugis and City Hall, and 124 to Orchard Road and City Hall.

See
Toa Payoh has no sights as such, but it's an interesting example of the elusive "real Singapore". Just take the MRT to the station and walk around the vast sprawl of Toa Payoh Central, much of which is taken up by an outdoor shopping arcade filled with little neighborhood shops and places to eat.

The Balestier area has two sights of minor interest:

Buy
Most of Balestier's shops — over 40 at last count — are devoted to selling light fixtures and other interior decoration items. Unless you want to surprise the folks back home with a lovely Singaporean toilet bowl, it's probably best to head to other shopping centers instead, particularly since Orchard Road is one or two MRT stops away. Both Novena and Toa Payoh have large shopping centers (but not very interesting) around their MRT stations.

Eat
Food around here is cheap and plentiful.

Balestier is locally famous for two products: the flaky bean jam pastry tau sar piah, and the pork rib soup bak kut teh. Thanks to the crowd they serve, most restaurants in Balestier are open until the wee hours.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Singapore/Balestier


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Singapore/Bugis

Bugis and Kampong Glam are districts of Singapore, just to the east of the central business district (CBD).

Understand

Bugis has a colourful past. It was named after the bloodthirsty race of pirates who prowled in the Straits before the arrival of the British. The area where Bugis Junction now stands was the original home of Singapore's small Hainanese community, famous for their large contribution to Singapore's culinary culture, before they moved to Beach Road in the early 20th century to make use of the docks and seafront. The area was then taken over by Singapore's Japanese community, and was originally populated by girls from poorer parts of Japan who came to Singapore to work as prostitutes. The Japanese community then grew and in their heyday just prior to World War II, were running many businesses and even had their own school and newspaper. However, the British repatriated all ethnic Japanese in Singapore after World War II, and did not allow any ethnic Japanese to enter Singapore for the next few years, thus spelling a temporary end for the Japanese community in Singapore. (The Japanese came back eventually, but these days they hang out around Robertson Quay.)

For a long time after the war, the area was Singapore's equivalent of Patpong, a red-light district known for its bars and transvestite prostitutes or katies (the anglicized version of the Thai kathoey), and was a popular hangout spot for American soldiers on their days off during the Vietnam War. However, in 1985 the area was redeveloped with a vengeance, turning it into a sanitised shopping experience for the whole family.

Neighboring Kampong Glam, also known by the name of its main thoroughfare Arab Street, was where Singapore's Arab traders settled in the founding days of the colony, and was also the part of town allocated to the Malays when Raffles drew up his town plan. But here too, the original inhabitants fled in the 1920s as real estate prices drove through the roof, and today the heart of Muslim Singapore beats in Geylang Serai on the East Coast.

So what's left then? A slice of modern Singapore at its most hyperactive: hundreds upon hundreds of shops and restaurants, several attractive promenades, and a bazaar selling the cheapest T-shirts in town. Head here on a weekend to experience Singaporean consumerism at its finest.

Get in
The Bugis (East-West and Downtown lines) and Lavender (East-West line) MRT stations are the primary entry points into the district. Rochor (Downtown line) is a good alternative to get to the northern edge of the area. If arriving by bus from Malaysia, you'll most likely be deposited at either the Queen St bus terminal, which lies on the edge of the area.

If exiting at Bugis, the key roads are Rochor Rd and Victoria St. Walk north on Victoria St until you spot the golden domes of the Sultan Mosque; turn left here for Arab St, or keep walking north for Lavender MRT. Alternatively, head west on Rochor Rd to reach Little India, within easy walking distance; or head south on Victoria St to return to Orchard Road.

Get around
The pedestrian sections of Albert St and Waterloo St make exploring the area on foot a pleasure. Getting to Kampong Glam from Bugis is a slightly longer hike though, hop on any northbound bus on Victoria Rd for a few stops to shortcut the distance.

See

Except for the odd mosque or temple there are few attractions per se in Bugis. Do as the Singaporeans do and window-shop your way through, stopping for quick eats every now and then.

Buy

Bugis in particular is all about shopping these days!

If you continue walking straight through Bugis Street, you'll reach the Albert Street and Waterloo Street pedestrian mall. Browse through shops offering Buddhist paraphernalia and take a peek at the two temples on Waterloo St. Keep going straight to reach electronics haven Sim Lim Square and beyond it Little India.

Like Little India and Chinatown, Kampong Glam has been restored, refurbished and new life breathed into it, bringing back the former colour and vibrancy of the area. Rows of conserved shophouses can be found in Arab Street, Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street. Many of these shophouses have new tenants such as design and IT firms, art galleries, crafts and curios shops, food caterers and restaurants. They blend in with traditional businesses like textile and carpet shops, antiques and handicrafts shops including those selling traditional games, blacksmiths, and shops selling religious items used by Muslims. On Haji Lane, local independent fashion boutiques and quirky little shops offer a unique shopping experience. It is a prominent location for second-hand clothing and trendy street fashion, featuring the works of local designers and imported wares from Japan and the States.

Kampong Glam is also an area dotted with good restaurants, from Malaysian coffee shops and bakeries to fine modern European dining. Many of the stores on Arab Street specialize in batik and silk. Be prepared to bargain.

Eat
Bugis has a wide selection of restaurants catering to every taste. A highlight is the area near Arab Street, which specialises in halal (Muslim) food with quite a few Middle Eastern eateries too. Fortune Centre, on Middle Rd, and the area around it is a popular area for vegetarians, with a big variety of options. Goldex Mile Complex on Beach Road was once the hub of Singapore's Thai community, with numerous Thai restaurants and supermarkets catering to that community, but it has been closed for renovation, and the Thai businesses scattered across the island, though quite a number of them have moved to City Gate Mall just down the street, and to Aperia Mall in Kallang.

Budget
There is a large food hawker centre at the intersection of Albert and Waterloo St, and plenty of others scattered through the area.

Mid-range
Pedestrian Bussorah St, right in front of Sultan Mosque, is packed with Turkish and Middle Eastern restaurants. As always, avoid those that need to hire touts to drag in customers and opt for those that have already drawn a crowd.

Drink
For a district once known by sailors as Boogie Street, modern-day Bugis is woefully short on dedicated places to drink, perhaps unsurprisingly since many of the shoppers here haven't reached drinking age. However, neighboring Kampong Glam has quite a few hipster bars. Until 2014, the area was also well known for Arab-style water pipes (shisha), but these have now been banned in all Singapore.

Sleep
A few hotels are scattered about Bugis and Kampong Glam, although backpackers might wish to head to neighbouring Little India instead.

Go next
For more culture, head to Chinatown or Little India. More upmarket shopping can be found at Orchard Road and Marina Bay. You can also visit the Nature Reserve or the Singapore Zoo at the north and west of Singapore. Also, you can visit Johor Bahru by bus 170 or Causeway Link at Queen St Terminal.

title: Singapore/Bugis


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Singapore/Chinatown

Singapore's Chinatown is the traditional Chinese quarters of town, and while the entire city is largely Chinese these days, the area does retain some of its own charm. The area is also known as Niu Che Shui (牛车水) in Chinese and Kreta Ayer in Malay, both names meaning "bullock cart water", a reference to the carts that used to haul in drinking water. Chinatown became the heart of Singapore's Cantonese community as the more numerous Hokkiens and Teochews scattered to other parts of the island, and while the offerings have diversified considerably in the 21st century, Chinatown remains best known to Singaporeans as the place for delicious and affordable Cantonese food.

The area between Pagoda Street and Smith Street has been tarted up considerably for tourists, but workaday Chinatown continues south and east, merging seamlessly into the Central Business District. Tanjong Pagar is the unofficial home of Singapore's gay community, with many watering holes in restored shophouses, while Club Street and Ann Siang Hill caters more to the expat, yuppie and hipster crowd with small, intimate eateries offering excellent (if pricey) Western and modern Singaporean fare. Hence Chinatown is quite the paradox — simultaneously the gaudiest and trendiest district in Singapore.

Get in
There are several MRT stations around this area. Exit A (Pagoda Street) Chinatown station (North East and Downtown lines) will deposit you right in the heart of the action, while Maxwell (Thomson-East Coast line) is a few blocks away to the east. Major interchanges Outram Park and Clarke Quay are within walking distance, as are the Singapore River to the north and Marina to the east.

See
Chinatown's primary attraction is the town itself, composed as it is of restored shophouses full of strange little shops selling everything from plastic Buddhas to dried seahorses. Wander at random and see what you can find!

Chinatown is at its busiest and most colourful in the month preceding the Chinese New Year (Jan-Feb), when the streets are decked with festive decorations. Street markets are thronged with people, shows entertain the crowds and the drums of lion dances echo into the night. The festivities in a midnight countdown and a roar of firecrackers atop People's Park Complex, showering flaming confetti down below (steer clear!) — and for the two following days virtually everything is closed.

Temples and mosques
Held up as a shining example of racial and religious tolerance in "National Education" classes, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim places of worship can all be found within a few hundred metres of each other in Chinatown.

Do
Probably the most strenuous activity in Chinatown is avoiding touting tailors — which, incidentally, is illegal and can be reported to the police.

Buy
The central streets of Chinatown around the pagoda are packed with near-identical stalls selling all sorts of Chinese trinkets aimed squarely at tourists. There is also a cluster of (expensive) antique shops on South Bridge Rd. For Chinese handicrafts, antiques, fashion items, home accessories and Chinese medicine aimed more at the locals, poke into any of the numerous shopping malls. Chinatown is made up of pre-war shophouses, home to merchants who have been hawking the same wares for years – bales of fine silk, traditional handicrafts, and gold and jade jewellery. At the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street, a large Chinese emporium Yue Hwa stocks an array of Chinese products such as tea, medicinal herbs, food, household items, antiques and traditional Chinese clothes such as the cheongsam.

During Chinese New Year, the Chinatown Food Market buzzes with activities like lion dances and other street performances. A large variety of stalls are set up on Pagoda, Smith, Trengganu and Sago Streets during the festive season, selling traditional snacks and customary decorations.

In shophouses on Ann Siang Road and Club Street, local designer boutiques such as Asylum and Style:Nordic can be found amidst traditional Chinese clan associations. A popular haunt for today's hipsters, this area of Chinatown blends traditional Chinese heritage with contemporary threads, quirky cafes and chic restaurants.

Shops

Among the Chinese, the obligatory souvenir is some sweet red bak kwa (barbequed pork), available both fresh off the grill and in convenient vacuum packs.

Boutiques

Eat
In Chinatown there is plenty of Chinese food to go around! But if you hanker for something different, Tanjong Pagar is also Singapore's unofficial Korean district and there are a large number of very good Korean restaurants too, plus a sprinkling of European fine dining establishments around Club St and Duxton Hill. As Chinatown was traditionally an enclave for Singapore's Cantonese community, the Chinatown market is an excellent place to sample some local Cantonese dishes on a budget. In the 21st century, a new wave of immigrants from mainland China has also made a big impact, and you can find authentic Sichuanese food around People's Park, while Dongbei eats abound on Upper Cross St.

Budget

Connoisseurs may also wish to check out the 2nd floor of the newly renovated Chinatown Complex, which hosts one of Singapore's largest hawker centres with over 200 stalls, but this labyrinthine warren of concrete and fluorescent lighting is both hard to navigate and not exactly a treat to the eyes. Sadly, "Eat Street" on Smith St has closed, one of many victims of COVID in the area.

One of Singapore's best food hawker centres, at 2 Murray St, is just across the road, next to Maxwell MRT. It is open 24 hours. Most dishes are less than $5, although seafood can get considerably more expensive.

Drink
Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar have a vibrant nightlife. As you'd expect, karaoke boxes and their dodgier cousin the KTV lounge predominate, but the area around Club St and Ann Siang Hill has many upmarket wine bars catering to expats and moneyed locals. Many of the second-floor bars and clubs in the area cater to Singapore's gay community, so look out for the rainbow flags.

Tea

Sleep
While there are a few ordinary hotels, the most interesting accommodation options in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar are in renovated shophouses.

Mid-range
Keong Saik Road, at the western edge of town, is a former red-light district which still retains more than its fair share of dodgy karaoke lounges — as well as a number of cheap, largely identical shophouse hotels, which look rather attractive from the outside but are all quite cramped, stuffy and dingy inside.

Go next
For more culture, head to Little India or Kampong Glam. Chinatown lost a bit of its soul after receiving various makeovers, with some local activity shifting over to the Bencoolen area centred around Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Bugis. Recent Chinese immigrants have gravitated towards Geylang in the east. The nearby Riverside is an easy walk north, while neighbouring Tiong Bahru, the very first Singaporean public housing estate, has also undergone a similar revitalisation, spurring the opening of boutique eateries and shops.

title: Singapore/Chinatown


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Singapore/East Coast

The East Coast of Singapore is largely residential and offers few sights as such; most visitors just cross it on their way from and to Changi Airport. For Singaporeans, on the other hand, the main attractions are 20 km of white sandy beach and the food: this is the home of many of Singapore's culinary icons. The true home of Singapore's Malay community is in Geylang Serai, traces of Peranakan and Eurasian culture still linger in Katong, the fleshpots of Geylang offer cheap lodging and late-night food, and the East Coast also offers Singapore's solitary flashback to the past, the rustic little island of Pulau Ubin.

Get in

The East-West MRT Line runs the length of the east coast all the way from the centre to Pasir Ris and Changi Airport. The parallel Thomson-East Coast Line runs further south through Katong and Marine Parade, but it will not reach the airport until 2026. Bus 36 from Changi Airport to Orchard Road is a slower but more scenic alternative.

The North East MRT Line travels up to Sengkang and Punggol in the island's northeast, but not to very many places of interest for even the most determined of travellers. The transport enthusiast might like the Sengkang & Punggol LRT Lines, a small light rail network that traverses row upon row of apartment blocks.

If you've got one day to spare, consider taking in the Changi Chapel and Pulau Ubin, with a lunch break at Changi Village and a seafood spread for dinner.

See
Tourist literature usually hawks the restored (and, in the daytime, near-empty) Arab Street near Bugis, but Geylang Serai is the true home of Singapore's Malay community. Especially during the Islamic month of Ramadan leading up to Hari Raya Puasa (Eid ul-Fitr), the entire area lights up in celebration as people eat and shop in the pasar malam (night markets) in the evenings after the sun goes down.

The quiet Changi area has been left relatively untouched by redevelopment and hence retains a lot of significance for its World War II history, including several dilapidated but still-standing British military buildings. The rather serene Changi Beach was once a site of the Sook Ching massacre, which saw the occupying Japanese "cleanse" the local Chinese population by executing anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 young men suspected of having anti-Japanese tendencies. The now-abandoned Old Changi Hospital is a former British military hospital that is reputed to be one of the eeriest buildings in Singapore, while the Selarang Barracks and Roberts Barracks which hold the Changi Murals are off-limits to the public.

The East Coast's second area of historical interest is Katong and Joo Chiat, which retain a smattering of traditional shophouses and shops specializing in Peranakan crafts and food. Another important community in Katong is the Eurasian community, who as the name suggests, are people of mixed European and Asian descent. Joo Chiat Road has grown into the favourite hangout spot of the Vietnamese community, and thus has several Vietnamese restaurants to cater to that crowd. Marine Parade MRT, at the southern tip of Joo Chiat Rd, is the easiest way to reach the area.

The Northeast is mostly residential and newly developed, but is still home to a few farms.

Do
The best bits of eastern Singapore are its beaches. In addition to the ones below, try Pasir Ris or Punggol to really get off the tourist trail. Camping and barbecue permits for all parks are available at AXS.

Buy

There's a mall or shopping area at every MRT stop.
 * Parkway Parade and I12 Katong are the main shopping centres in the Marine Parade area. Parkway Parade has a cluster of money changers on the first level in its forecourt that generally give good exchange rates.
 * Tampines is a shopping hub. There are three malls (Century Square, Tampines Mall, and Tampines 1) near the MRT station.
 * Serangoon also has a huge mall, Nex, with the standard shops and food on every floor. The roof garden has a dog park if you get tired of humans.

Eat
The East Coast is home to many of Singapore's best-known dishes, including chilli crab, Katong laksa and roti prata. The stretch of Geylang Road between Paya Lebar and Kallang MRT stations is arguably the most vibrant part of Singapore. Despite being famous for its red light district and abundance of sleazy karaoke bars, the area is also home to some of Singapore's best kept culinary secrets, and is a favourite for locals heading out for supper with friends. Don't expect air conditioning, white tablecloths, and sommeliers though. Most budget and mid-range eateries here are in grungy but occasionally atmospheric 19th-century shophouses. It is also often dubbed Singapore's "New Chinatown", and accordingly is home to a large number of recent immigrants and expatriates from mainland China, with a high concentration of restaurants serving authentic mainland Chinese cuisines, and a number of supermarkets selling mainland Chinese products that are hard to find elsewhere on the island in order to cater to that crowd. You'll find quite a few fruit stalls open as well, selling durians, mangosteens, rambutans and other Southeast Asian fruits. If you're game for it, buy some and eat them right there at the roadside tables.

As the heart of Singapore's Malay community, the Geylang Serai market is unsurprisingly the place to go for some Malay food.

Joo Chiat Road is the favourite hangout spot for Singapore's Vietnamese community, and thus home to numerous eateries serving the most affordable and authentic Vietnamese food in Singapore. It is also home to Singapore's only Vietnamese grocery store where you can get imported ingredients from Vietnam should you want to try cooking at home. City Plaza (Near Paya Lebar MRT station) is the favourite hangout spot for the Indonesian community, and as expected, is home to some of the cheapest and most authentic Indonesian food on the island.

Budget

Katong is the undisputed home of laksa, the coconutty noodle soup that's one of Singapore's national dishes, but there's still plenty of dispute about who came up with it first and who does it best. Famous 49 Katong Laksa had a claim as the very first and has since moved to the west side of Singapore, perhaps finally marking an end to the Katong laksa wars.

Go to, possibly the best collection of hawker food in Singapore, and now even easier to reach using the Circle Line (it's a short walk from Dakota MRT station). From noodles to satay to seafood, the food here is widely acclaimed and Singaporeans come from all around for dinner — which unfortunately means a crowded car park and even more crowded tables. Just follow the queues and you won't go wrong.

For a nicer seaside atmosphere, in East Coast Park is a popular food destination and quite possibly the nicest hawker centre in Singapore, with lush greenery and occasional sea breezes. If you're savvy, the seafood here is a much better choice than the pricier restaurants in the nearby East Coast Seafood Centre. Get here by cab (or by bus as noted in ).

There are plenty of other famous yet cheap eats in the neighbourhoods of the East Coast. You might have heard of the original Jalan Kayu roti prata, but it has long passed its prime. Simpang Bedok (near Tanah Merah MRT) has grown in popularity for its cluster of late night prata shops, and while the food is not particularly outstanding, the wide range of open air eateries make it a great place to eat late suppers, drink beer, and watch football on giant TV screens. Some well-known but more difficult to reach hawker centres are at Serangoon and.

Mid-range
The red-light district of Geylang is also known for its culinary delights. Shops here tend to be no-frills affairs, but the food can be great and prices are reasonable. Katong and Siglap are other two main areas of mid-range eateries on East Coast Road.

Splurge
Above all, the East Coast is associated with fresh seafood, which is often excellent, but always rather pricey; check prices before you order! The two primary clusters are in and near East Coast Seafood Centre on the East Coast Parkway further out, and Kallang Oasis nearer to the city. Some better known restaurants:

Drink
There are only a few places to drink on the East Coast. East Coast Road has over 30 excellent bars and restaurants, clustered around Katong and Siglap. Joo Chiat Road has many bars, but also many "karaoke" joints. The most infamous of all is Geylang (adjacent to but distinct from Geylang Serai), which is Singapore's largest red-light district. Rule of thumb is, the establishments on even-numbered alleys (lorong) are brothels, those on odd-numbered lorong are not.

Sleep
Most of the East Coast's accommodation consists of cheap hotels in and around the red-light districts of Geylang and Joo Chiat, many of which rent rooms by the hour. The ubiquitous Hotel 81 chain alone has 11 hotels in the area. Still, if you're on a budget and don't mind the local nightlife, Geylang/Joo Chiat are definitely worth considering: the rates are among the cheapest in town, the late night eating options are unparalleled, the area is perfectly safe, and both the airport and the city aren't too far away.

See also Singapore Changi Airport for hotels within or very close to the airport.

Budget
Camping is allowed in designated areas of Changi Beach Park, East Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park and Pulau Ubin. All have showers and toilets and are free to use for stays of up to five days, although you will need someone with a Singapore ID to apply for a camping permit on your behalf at last 14 days in advance.

Connect
East Coast Rd has a slew of cheap Internet cafes. Try Red Hot Internet Café at 63 East Coast Rd or CyberWorld Communications at 67 East Coast Rd, both offering rates of $1/hour.

Go next

 * Head back to the city centre or visit the North and West for more WWII historical sites.

title: Singapore/East Coast


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Singapore/Little India

Little India is, as the name promises, the centre for the large Indian community in Singapore. While a rather sanitised version of the real thing, Little India retains its distinct identity without degenerating into a mere tourist attraction and is one of the most colourful and attractive places to visit in Singapore.

Get in
Little India (North-East/Downtown line interchange) or Farrer Park (North-East line) are the most convenient MRT stations near Serangoon Road. Bugis station on the East-West line is an 11-min walk away (see Bugis). Rochor (Downtown line), near Sim Lim Square, is 6 minutes walk.

Get around
Little India's main drag is Serangoon Road, which starts at Rochor Canal Rd and continues northward to Serangoon. The action is tightly concentrated a few blocks on either side of the road, and can be easily covered on foot.

There are several public buses travelling along the length of Serangoon Road from the bus stop, Tekka Ctr (ID 07031).

Hailing a taxis can be difficult on the crowded main streets like Serangoon Road or Race Course Road. Consider booking through a ride-hail or taxi app at a location away from the main street (Serangoon Road), where there are strict restrictions on where vehicles may stop.

See
Little India's primary attraction is the district itself. Here too you can find the gaily painted shophouses that are an icon of Singapore, but now most of the Chinese signs (almost) disappear to be replaced with Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and other Indian scripts. Stores hawk saris and gold bangles, spices and incense waft in from the doorways and Bollywood's latest soundtracks blare from every other alleyway.

Do
The most extreme thing to do in Little India is to join the festival of Thaipusam, held yearly during the full moon in the lunar month of Thai (usually Jan/Feb). Male devotees attach ornate shrines to their flesh with piercing hooks known as kavadi and walk across town in a day-long procession. Female devotees usually just carry a pot of milk on their head and join the procession. The procession starts from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road and proceeds to the Sri Thandayuthapani Temple at Tank Road.

Around Deepavali, the Hindu festival of light, Serangoon Road is festively decorated (with lights, of course!) and open-air markets are set up to sell Deepavali goodies. Like Thaipusam, the exact date is set by the lunar calendar, but it takes place in October/November (usually on the new moon day occurring in these months) and is a public holiday. Near the beginning of Deepavali, the fire-walking festival of Thimithi is held, in which many male devotees walk across a platform of burning coal. Although the actual fire-walking takes place at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown, the procession starts at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road and makes its way to Chinatown early in the morning where the fire-walking commences.

A more low-key event happens every Sunday evening when a half-million workers from the subcontinent throng the streets of Little India to hang out on their day off. Most of the crowd is friendly enough, but inevitably a few get into drunken fights and there's a heavy police presence about to keep an eye on things.

Buy
The central streets of Little India are packed with stalls selling all sorts of Indian goods. Two giant shopping centres, however, are unique not just in Little India but all of Singapore:

The other shopping options in Little India cater more to the Indian market:

Eat
The thing to eat in Little India is obviously Indian food. Both southern and northern cuisines are well represented, food is cheap even by Singaporean standards, portions are generous and vegetarians in particular will have a field day. Note that these are authentic Indian places and people around you will be eating the way Indians do, namely by hand — it's best to shed your inhibitions and dig in, although cutlery can be provided on request.

Drink
Race Course Rd has some funky pubs and bars. Desker Road is Singapore's dingiest quarter of ill repute and best avoided, especially on Sundays.

Little India has quite a few sarabat stalls offering local drinks, especially teh tarik ("pulled tea", a local variant of sweet, milky Indian chai), also available in iced. A particularly popular one can be found at the intersection of Perak and Dunlop Rds, next to the mosque.

Sleep
Along with neighboring Bugis, Little India is Singapore's backpacker district and has many hostels offering cheap lodging, as well as some of the most affordable hotels in town. Some of the cheap hotels around Desker Rd cater to the sex trade.

Farrer Park MRT station on the Northeast (purple) line gives convenient access to many of these hotels. Follow signs for an exit on Birch Road to get close to the budget Penta Hotel. Exit G puts you near two luxury hotels, One Farrer and Park Hotel, or walk down Serangoon Road a bit for a Hilton. Rangoon Road (where Exit G is) becomes Kitchener Road on the other side of Serangoon Road, and there are more hotels along Kitchener. You can reach them from exit G or via exits H and I which are on Kitchener. Neither H nor I have signs near the centre of the station; follow the signs for G to find them. H puts you near three more upmarket hotels including Parkroyal, while I leads through the City Square Mall so it is not always open but when it is it is a convenient way to reach two decent budget hotels, Tai Hoe and Hotel 165.

title: Singapore/Little India


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Singapore/Marina Bay

Marina Bay is Singapore's newest district, created on reclaimed land just east of Riverside. It includes the areas east of Shenton Way and Esplanade Dr. Marina Bay is now truly the focal point in many visitors' itineraries: mixing business, shopping, entertainment and culture in one accessible district.

Understand
The label "Marina Bay" is a little fuzzy. The bay is the body of water created by reclaiming land around the mouth of the Singapore River and blocked off from the sea by the Marina Barrage, but Singaporeans used to associate the name "Marina" with the Marina Square shopping mall and the many hotel developments around it on the north shore of the river. The half to the south of the river, or Marina South, was mostly unused reclaimed land until the government targeted it as Singapore's new downtown hub, turning it into the core of Singapore's urban transformation efforts. Now its centrepiece, the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino, dominates the city skyline while sharing the spotlight with the super trees of Gardens by the Bay.

Get in
Marina Bay is very well connected to all parts of Singapore. From the airport, Marina Bay Sands Hotel guests can use a shuttle bus for $9.

The northern side of the bay is best accessed through the Circle MRT Line, with stations at Esplanade (for Suntec City) and Promenade (for Suntec City and Millenia Walk, also on the Downtown Line). Or, you can walk for approximately 15 minutes through the underground (and air-conditioned) CityLink shopping mall from Raffles City (at the City Hall MRT station where the North-South and East-West lines intersect).

If you wish to head to Merlion Park, a less-touristed option would be to walk through an air-conditioned linkway within the Fullerton Hotel complex (near Raffles Place) towards the Bay.

The southern half, i.e. Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, is best accessed through the Downtown MRT Line, with stations at Bayfront (for Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay), and Downtown for Lau Pa Sat and the Financial District. The eponymous Gardens by the Bay station of the Thomson-East Coast line is located on the southern side of the Gardens, and walking from here to Bayfront is a good options for exploring Gardens.

Get around
Suntec City, Marina Square, Millenia Walk and the Esplanade in the north are all conveniently linked, either by underground malls or covered walkways. If you don't mind a bit of a walk, the Marina Bay Sands can be reached from the northern half by walking south for 20 mins on the Helix Bridge, which has several viewing platforms overlooking the bay.

Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands hosts a slew of attractions. The easiest on your wallet would be to simply sit and enjoy the view of Shenton Way and the Esplanade from the shore, which are great in the day, but even more spectacular at night.

Gardens and parks
Marina Bay adds a whole lot of greenery back to the city, all brought in and replanted. Some trees in the Gardens by the Bay are hundreds of years old, and some even date back a millennium. A visit to the Gardens can easily be combined with Marina Bay Sands, since Bayfront and Gardens by the Bay MRT stations are about 1 km apart and there's a shuttle bus ($3) between Bayfront and the Flower Dome.

The Marina South Pier offers a few ferry services out of the city to the Southern Islands of Kusu and St. John. The journey is probably more remarkable than the destinations.

Do

Events

 * Singapore Grand Prix is an on-street Formula One race held in Marina Bay. The next races are 20-22 Sept 2024 then 3-5 Oct 2025.

Budget
As per usual in Singapore, cheap eats may be found in the food courts of the local shopping centres such as Food Republic and Fountain Food Terrace in Suntec City and The Gallerie in Marina Square. Don't expect any bargains within Marina Bay Sands though: even the Rasapura Masters food court is around twice the usual price.

Mid-range
There are a lot of mid-range eateries in the shopping centres but not many are of note and are mostly part of standard food franchises found elsewhere. The Gardens by the Bay also has some casual dining if you decide to rest in the middle of a walk.

Splurge
Marina Bay Sands has brought in a constellation of big names, with Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck, Santi Santamaria, Guy Savoy, and Tetsuya Wakuda all opening restaurants in the complex.

There are a few interesting places around Marina Square and in the Gardens of the Bay as well.

Drink
This is the place to be if you are someone, know somebody or just want to get away from the common masses.

Sleep
As the glitzy new waterfront of Singapore, Marina Bay accommodation is all made up of high-end hotels, most of which boast expansive city and water views. Cheaper hotels will be found in neighbouring districts. The area is particularly busy during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in September, with many booking hotel rooms to be right in the middle of the races. Bayfront Ave will be closed, so traffic to the Marina Bay Sands will be limited through the south end. The Helix Bridge will also be closed during the race weekend (except for those with Zone 1 tickets), making it more difficult to get around.

Go next
Head eastwards to Riverside for its historic buildings or bigger nightlife, or north to Bugis for street shopping. Both are within walkable distance with frequent breaks, although the MRT may be a more comfortable ride, especially from Marina Bay Sands. You can also take bus 133 if you are heading from Marina Bay Sands to Bugis.

title: Singapore/Marina Bay


text:
Singapore/North and West

The northern and western parts of Singapore are the city's hinterlands, consisting of jungle dotted with public housing blocks and a significant industrial area in Sungei Kadut and the reclaimed area of Tuas. In addition there is a reclaimed island, Jurong Island, made from the merging of 7 previously smaller islands, but this is devoted to the petrochemical industry and off limits unless you have a permit.

Get in
The western junction of Jurong East is 20 minutes away from the city center on the MRT East-West Line. Traveling there by the North-South Line will take closer to 60 minutes as it goes one big loop to Woodlands and the North.

See Johor Bahru for information on crossing the Causeway and the Second Link from Malaysia.

See
The sights of Singapore's hinterland can be easily divided in two: there's the zoos, and then there's everything else.

Wildlife

Without a doubt the top attraction in the area, the Mandai Wildlife Reserve comprises four separate wildlife parks, all located next to each other: Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and Bird Paradise. In addition to individual tickets, you can buy multi-park "ParkHopper Plus" tickets valid for one week, ranging from $80/50 adult/child for two parks to $110/80 for all four. Each park is quite large and it's hot out there in the jungle, so the best strategy is to pick one per day, head out early in the morning and aim to wrap up by lunchtime. True to the name, the Night Safari operates only at night and is best tackled as a separate excursion.

For most visitors, taking a taxi/Grab is the easy option, but if you're not in a hurry, you can take the North-South Line to Khatib MRT and hop on the Mandai Khatib Shuttle ($3 return, every 15 min). Alternatively, take Bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio bus interchange, Bus 927 from Choa Chu Kang bus interchange or Bus 138 from Springleaf MRT. To travel between the West and East zones, you can take the Mandai Khatib Shuttle for free.

When leaving the zoo, queues for taxi/Grab can be quite long, so it may make sense to hop on a bus/shuttle out first. If you do catch a cab out, there's a $5 surcharge after 1pm.

Gardens

Historical
Quite a few sites related to World War II are scattered around the island, but most will appeal only to war history buffs.

The Sembawang area was also home to a British naval base until 1970, with a large number of colonial houses in the area that survive as a reminder of that era. Most of these are still occupied as residences and cannot be entered, though they can be viewed from the outside. Today, the British naval presence has been reduced to a small logistics detachment, though the port of Sembawang frequently host port calls by vessels of the American, British, Australian and New Zealand militaries.

Other

Do
To find out what a sauna full of bugs feel like, go for some steamy jungle hiking. Best times are very early in the morning or in the late afternoon.

And there are a few things to do that don't involve stomping about in the jungle:

Buy
There is little noteworthy shopping in the north or west. The major shopping malls are Jurong Point at Boon Lay MRT, Westgate, IMM Mall and Jem around Jurong East MRT and Northpoint at Yishun MRT. A stroll around the HDB heartlands may uncover interesting finds, though, not to mention an authentic taste of ordinary Singaporean life.

Tourist attractions such as Singapore Zoological Gardens, Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Botanic Gardens have gift shops overflowing with cute plush toys and tacky local kitsch.

Budget
Hawker food is cheap in the boondocks, and there are a few culinary gems to be found — if you can find them, that is. There are also clusters of good western cafes and restaurants in Holland Village and Dempsey Hill.

Splurge
The Bukit Timah area to the west of the city is one of Singapore's poshest residential districts featuring many high-quality restaurants, particularly in the expatriate enclave of Holland Village. Another good option is Dempsey Hill, a convenient cluster of British-era army barracks converted into restaurants for the expat set, just ten minutes from Orchard Rd.

Another small cluster of upscale restaurants is nestled on the grounds of the Botanic Gardens.

Drink
Except for the odd karaoke TV pub, beer at your favourite hawker stall and a few low-key hangouts in expat enclave Holland Village, the north and west of Singapore were long virtually devoid of nightlife. However, since 2006 there has been a veritable boom of colonial black & white bungalows being repurposed into upscale dining and drinking complexes, with areas like Portsdown Rd, Rochester Park and Tanglin Village (Dempsey Rd) now buzzing on weekends.

Sleep
There are very few choices when it comes to accommodation in the west and the north of Singapore, and you are probably better off staying in the centre and taking the train out from there. If you really want to stay in this region though, there are a handful of choices:

title: Singapore/North and West


text:
Singapore/Orchard

Orchard Road is Singaporean consumerism at its most manic, a two-kilometre stretch of interconnected shopping malls, hotels, and hotels with shopping malls catering to all budgets and tastes. North of the Singapore River, to the west of Marina Bay, Orchard Road turns into Tanglin Road to the west and Bras Basah Road as it heads east. Only at the eastern Bras Basah end do the shopping malls briefly peter out, with some fine colonial architecture and a few of Singapore's top museums to be found instead.

Understand

Orchard Road is named after the fruit and nutmeg orchards that used to line it in the 1830s, one of them coincidentally belonging to a Mr Orchard. The manhole covers along the road all depict various tropical fruits. Large trees still shade the road, providing a modicum of relief from the heat. Fortunately, Orchard Road has an extensive network of underpasses that connect many of the malls providing even more shelter from the blistering equatorial heat and, on occasion, rain. Weekends in the area are often packed with locals and visitors alike out to consume en masse.

The Christmas decorations along Orchard are mildly famous and entirely over the top, with reindeers cavorting through palm trees and gingerbread houses topped with fake snow.

Get in
Orchard is centrally located about 30 minutes from Changi Airport by taxi.

Most of Orchard Road is served by the North-South Line, which runs under the eastern section of Orchard Road. MRT stations located in this section comprise of Orchard, Somerset, Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall.

Formerly an area not served by the MRT, the westernmost end of Orchard Road (also known as Tanglin) is now served by Orchard Boulevard on the newly-opened Thomson-East Coast Line. To get there from the rest of Orchard Road, you will need to change trains at Orchard.

Get around
Orchard Rd is walkable, at least allowing plenty of breaks in air-conditioned shopping centres. There is still heavy traffic on the road itself, but there are quite a few underpasses and walkways, and sections of the road starting with Dhoby Ghaut are set to be fully pedestrianized from 2025. You can no longer cross the central Orchard/Scotts intersection on foot: instead, take the air-conditioned underground walkway system that links Orchard MRT/Ion Orchard to Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and Lucky Plaza (east), to CK Tang/Marriott (north), and to Shaw House and Wheelock Place (west).

If you're in a hurry, the North-South MRT (red) line runs under the road for most of its length, or if heading east, hop on any bus for a few stops. To head west, you'll need to walk a block over to Penang/Somerset Rd/Orchard Blvd, since Orchard Rd is one-way only.

See
Two of Singapore's top museums are in Bras Basah, within striking distance of Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah MRT stations.

Do
It's difficult to find anything more strenuous to do on Orchard than lugging around shopping bags, getting pampered at a spa and watching a movie.

Buy
Orchard Road and neighbouring Scotts Road form Singapore's premier shopping district, with several kilometres of road lined on both sides by practically nothing but shopping malls.

Orchard Road also participates in the annual Great Singapore Sale in June. During this period, street events and late night shopping (till 11PM on Fridays and Saturdays) are held at selected malls, and tourists are entitled to additional privileges.

Malls

While most malls in Orchard are distinctly upmarket, there are one or two that still cater to the average Singaporean wallets. Most of the shopping centres operate from 10AM to 10PM. A selection of malls, from west (Orchard MRT) to east (Dhoby Ghaut MRT):

Eat
Orchard is a good place to sample not just Singaporean food, but food from all over the planet. That said, if you're pinching pennies, prices tend to be slightly inflated by Singaporean standards, but well, at least it's not as bad as Sentosa.

Budget
Almost every shopping mall has its own food court, but for gourmet snacking, it's hard to beat the collection of shops and stands at Takashimaya's basement. Be careful though, those $2 squid balls won't fill you up.

Splurge
Orchard Road is brimming with fiercely competitive restaurants. One easy option is Crystal Jade, a popular chain of Chinese restaurants with outlets in nearly every major shopping mall in Singapore, including Suntec City, Shaw House, and Paragon.

Drink

If you're looking for a caffeinated beverage, you're spoiled for choice in Orchard. Seemingly every franchise in the world ranging from Starbucks to Taiwanese bubble teas like Chicha San Chen and Japanese master brewers Hoshino have outlets in the area, and there are plenty of independent, more quirky shops tucked away in the malls too.

If you're looking for something stronger, Singapore's nightlife is concentrated just south of Orchard Rd by the riverside, but there are still a few notable nightspots. The largest cluster is opposite Somerset MRT, a beautifully restored cluster of shophouse bars. Most bars here require patrons to be 25+.

A few places of interest lurk elsewhere along the strip.

Sleep
Accommodation on Orchard Rd incurs a hefty premium for the location and is uniformly expensive (at least by Singapore standards). Cheaper rates are usually offered only by older hotels in varying states of decay.

Splurge

If you want to splurge, there are two major styles to choose from, colonial hotels, harking back to the turn of the century, and modern hotels, firmly in the present.

Connect
Most shopping malls at Orchard offer free wifi. If you're looking for an old school Internet cafe, you can still find some at Lucky Plaza.

title: Singapore/Orchard


text:
Singapore/Riverside

The Singapore River forms a central artery in Singapore's densely packed Central Business District (CBD). The north bank of the river is where Raffles landed and founded his colony, and to this day many central government buildings can be found in the area. The newer south bank, laden with skyscrapers, is where Singapore's bankers make (or break) their fortunes. Between the two are the bulk of Singapore's nightspots, found along the riverside streets of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay.

Get in
The riverside is best accessed by the MRT stations Raffles Place (North-South/East-West Lines) for Boat Quay and the Merlion, City Hall for Raffles Hotel and Chijmes, and Clarke Quay (North-East Line) for the bars and nightlife. There is no convenient MRT station for the western end of the river though: you'll have to hike on foot for 15 minutes, try to work out the buses, or hop on a bumboat.

By boat
A popular way to see the heart of the city is with Singapore River Cruises. Stations are scattered along both banks of the river and reservations are not necessary. Prices start at $3 for a short ride.

On foot
The Esplanade/Merlion/Boat Quay area has some great views of Singapore and makes for a fine walk (or jogging trail if staying nearby). It can get quite hot during the day though; evenings are cooler and breezier, and the nighttime skyline is equally attractive.

See
The bulk of Singapore's historical attractions are packed by the river, and the best place to start your tour is at the mouth of the Singapore River. While this area has formed the downtown core of Singapore since the early 19th century, sadly, most of the once-iconic shophouses and street markets have given way to modern skyscrapers and shopping centres, and those who wish to experience a more authentic slice of colonial Singapore life would do well to head up north to the Malaysian island of Penang instead. Not all is lost though, and several important government buildings and places of worship dating back to the 19th century survive, and provide a rare glimpse into the city's colonial past.

Monuments

Museums

Religious buildings
As the historical hub of Singapore, there is no shortage of religious buildings that date back to colonial times.

Do
The entire Singapore river area is a lovely place for a walk, with small green gardens, old-style bridges and historical buildings, and the nightlife-rich expanse of Clarke Quay and Boat Quay.

If you'd like something a little more adrenaline-laden, head to Clarke Quay:

Jogging along the Singapore River is the best way to combine sightseeing and a workout, but there are two other options right next to Raffles Place MRT if you're willing pay for the air-con.

Try a Singapore Sling. Tourists typically head to the supposed birthplace at the Raffles Hotel's Long Bar (see section).

Buy
There are some shopping malls of interest around the City Hall MRT station, but serious shoppers will wish to head to Orchard Road for their shopping instead.

Eat
You're spoiled for choice when eating at the riverside. Prices tend to be slightly inflated by Singaporean standards, so avoid any place that needs to use touts to get customers.

The west end of the river (around Robertson Quay) houses a significant Japanese expat community, and consequently the Japanese restaurants nearby serve up some of the best fare this side of Tokyo. Peninsula Plaza, which is located across the road from St Andrew's Cathedral, is the favourite hangout spot for Singapore's Burmese community, and is thus the place to go for authentic Burmese food.

Splurge
The best places for a splurge with a view in the evening are Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay, which have many riverside restaurants offering al fresco dining. However, especially on Boat Quay, avoid any restaurant that has to resort to touts to find customers.

Another good choice popular with the expat crowd is CHIJMES (30 Victoria St), the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, now an atmospheric assemblage of high-end food & beverage outlets near the Raffles Hotel.

Drink

Singapore's nightlife is almost entirely concentrated near the river. The main party zones are Boat Quay, on the south of the river next to the financial district (MRT Raffles Place, exit G) and Clarke Quay on the north bank a few blocks inland (MRT Clarke Quay or Fort Canning). Less well known but also worth a look are Circular Road, parallel to Boat Quay just behind it, and Robertson Quay, an up-and-coming nightlife/restaurant zone at the western end of the river. Bars and pubs come and go with dizzying speed, so just head out and find today's hip spot. All four are within crawling distance of each other. Mohamed Sultan Rd, inland from Robertson Quay, used to be the place to be, but was severely eclipsed in the early 2000s by newer upstarts and most bars have been replaced by restaurants and furniture stores.

Nightclubs
At all clubs listed below, arrive early (or very late) because otherwise you may be stuck in line for a while. ID is theoretically required but rarely checked.

Sleep
Unless you're a shopping maven intent on maximizing time in Orchard Road's shopping malls, the riverside is probably the best place to stay in Singapore.

Mid-range
There is a large cluster of older mid-range hotels on and near Havelock Rd at the western end of river. Havelock MRT station now offers good connections to Orchard and Marina Bay, while SBS bus 51 serves Chinatown and Clarke Quay.

Splurge
In addition to the hotels below, check out adjacent Marina Bay, which has a major cluster of high-end hotels.

There are some luxury hotels of note scattered elsewhere on the river.

title: Singapore/Riverside


text:
Singapore/Sentosa and Harbourfront

Sentosa is an island just off the southern coast of Singapore. This district also includes Harbourfront and the Southern Islands.

Understand
Formerly a malarial swamp known by the rather unattractive name of Pulau Belakang Mati ("The Island of Death From Behind" in Malay) and the centrepiece of Britain's spectacularly unsuccessful "Fortress Singapore" strategy in World War II, Sentosa has been renamed after the Malay word for "tranquillity" and remade into one big tourist attraction, popular among Singaporeans as a quick island getaway. The jewel in the crown is Resorts World Sentosa, an enormous complex comprising of the Universal Studios theme park, S.E.A. Aquarium, the Adventure Cove water park, a casino, shopping malls and hotels.

At the eastern tip of the island is Sentosa Cove, Singapore's poshest residential neighborhood, where prices for a modest bungalow start at $10 million and climb into the stratosphere.

The small southern islets of Kusu Island, St. John's Island, the Sisters Islands (closed for remediation works until 2024), and Pulau Hantu (literally "Ghost Island") are a little to the southeast of Sentosa. Various plans to develop them have not come to much and they remain off the beaten track, but by no means undiscovered. The first three can be reached by public ferry, while Pulau Hantu can only be reached by chartered boat.

Get in
The island is open to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Entry fee for admission into Sentosa via most modes of transport have been reinstated since 1 April 2023; however, walking or biking is free, hotel guests can get their admission waived, and Sentosa Islander "Insider" members get free entry and parking.

By train
Take the North-East (Purple) Line or Circle (Yellow) Line of the MRT to Harbourfront MRT station. Make your way up to Level 3 via Lobby L to take the Sentosa Express monorail into Sentosa.

The fare including Sentosa island entry is $4, payable at the gates by tapping your EZ-Link or credit card. Children under 0.9m tall are free. The train operates from 7AM to midnight, and taking the train back from Sentosa to the mainland is free.

By bus
Bus 123 connects Orchard Road and Tiong Bahru directly to Sentosa, while bus RWS8 connects from Harbourfront/Vivocity. Standard bus fares apply.

For access to Sentosa Cove, there is a private shuttle bus ($2) that operates every 30 min or so from HarbourFront Bus Terminal.

By cable car
Alight at Harbourfront MRT and take Exit B to Harbourfront Centre. Take the cable car from Harbourfront Tower II via the Mount Faber line. The Mount Faber Line covers three stations: Mount Faber Peak, Harbourfront and Sentosa. Located within a 3-5min walk from Sentosa Cable Car Station, the Imbiah Lookout Cable Car Station is part of the Sentosa Line, which covers Merlion (closed), Imbiah Lookout and Siloso Point Cable Car Stations.

By car or taxi
Entry fee for cars and taxis range from $2 (noon-2PM, 5PM-7AM) to $6 (7AM-noon, 2-5PM). Island Admission can be auto deducted via the CashCard inserted in the in-vehicle unit (I.U.) or via cash paid to the counters at the gantry. Parking lots can be found at Beach Station, Imbiah, Tanjong Beach, Palawan Beach and Sentosa Cove Village Parks. Carpark charges are $1.20 per hour (7AM-5PM) and $2.40 per entry (5PM-7AM).

By ferry
To visit the Southern Islands, head to downtown Singapore's Marina South Pier for the ferry to Kusu and St John's Island. On weekends and public holidays only, there are also direct ferries from Sentosa Jetty @ Cove to Lazarus Seringat Jetty (roundtrip $20/15 adults/children, or family package for $64). Departure times from Sentosa Jetty @ Cove are 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, and 3PM, while departure times from Lazarus Seringat Jetty are 10:30AM, 12:30PM, 2:30PM, and 5:30PM.

On foot or bicycle
Admission to the island by foot via the Sentosa Boardwalk or by cycling is free. The boardwalk starts from Vivocity, is mostly shaded and even have a few travellators.

Get around
All transportation around Sentosa (except taxis, private hire and the cable car) is free. This includes taking the Sentosa Express back to the mainland.

Beach Station is the terminus of the Sentosa Express monorail and the primary transport hub for the island, with connections to all other bus services. As the name hints, it's walking distance to both Siloso and Palawan beach, or you can hop on the open-air beach trams that shuttle people between Beach Station and all three beaches every 10 minutes.

For long distances, there are three shuttle buses on the island, coded as Bus A, B, and C. All bus services come every 15 minutes, with Buses A and B operating from 7AM to 12:10AM daily, while Bus C operates from 8AM to 10PM daily.

There is also an internal shuttle service within Sentosa Cove, but it's open to residents with access cards only.

See and do
Long a bit of a joke, Singaporean wags used to quip that "Sentosa" stood for "So Expensive and Nothing to See Actually". Well, it's still expensive, but there are now more than enough attractions to spend a day or two taking it all in, especially in the family-oriented Resorts World Sentosa. In fact the crowd during the weekends and school holidays can be quite daunting, and it's never easy waiting in long sweaty queues under the mid-day sun but Universal Studios Singapore is a standout experience for theme park lovers and for those who haven't been to Orlando or Hollywood. For all attractions below, a "child" is defined as being between three and twelve.

Sentosa heavily promotes their Fun Pass token system, which gives minor discounts (5-8%) on some attractions if you purchase large packages. Most of the big-ticket attractions do not accept these, leftover tokens are useless outside Sentosa and cannot be exchanged back, and all attractions also accept credit cards, so there's little reason to bother with this.

Resorts World Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa can be reached via the Resorts World station (previously Waterfront station) of the monorail or via the dedicated buses RWS8 from Harbourfront and other points in Singapore (see Get in). If you plan on visiting more than one park, check out the Multi-Park Passes. The most comprehensive, which includes Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, Maritime Experiential Museum and Adventure Cove Waterpark, costs $188/136 for a two-day visit and is curiously more expensive than the individual tickets combined, but allows for switching between attractions as you like.

Beaches

Among Singaporeans, a popular reason to go to Sentosa is to hit the beaches: Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong from west to east respectively. All three are artificial, but does it really matter? Unfortunately the water is rather murky due to the never-ending parade of ships across the Straits. Siloso has a nice beach promenade full of clubs and restaurants, some rather noisy, while Palawan claims to be the southernmost point of continental Asia (if you count the bridge connecting Sentosa, and ignore any competing Malaysian claims, and other parts of Singapore or even Sentosa that are further south). Tanjong, the quietest of the three, is the place for beach volleyball.

Activities

 * Gogreen Eco Adventure, 51 Siloso Beach Walk, 10:30AM–7:30PM daily. Rent bicycles, kick scooters and other retail items to travel around Sentosa’s beaches.
 * HeadRock VR, 80 Siloso Road, ☏ +65 6963 4127. M–F noon–7PM, Sa Su and public & school holidays 11AM–7PM. Singapore’s first VR theme park with 8 themed virtual reality experiences in the VR Play Zone, and the kids media interactive zone with a ‘Hello! My Dino’ children’s playground.

Family fun

 * Nestopia, 6 Siloso Beach Resort, ☏ +65 6371 1067, W–F 2–6:45PM, Sa–Su, PH and school holidays 10AM–7PM. Open-air space with 17 play sections fitted out with obstacle courses made up of three giant nests situated 7.5 m off the ground with two long slides. A 1 hr Play ticket costs $12.
 * Ricochet Sentosa, 1 Larkhill Road, ☏+65 8200 9417, 7AM–10PM daily. Ricochet Padel’s first club in Singapore offering padel equipment and accessories for rent and sale. Court booking prices are $72/hour at off peak hours (noon–4PM) and $84/hour at peak hours (7AM–noon, 4–10PM), while padel racket rental is $10 per racket.
 * Trickeye @ Southside, 80 Siloso Road, 11AM–7PM daily. Four different themed zones that use 3D, augmented reality technology and mobile app ‘XR Museum’ to create interactive displays. A standard ticket costs $32 for adults (aged 13 to 59 years old) and $28 for children (aged 4 to 12 years old) and seniors (aged 60 years old and above).

Relaxation and sightseeing

 * Sentosa Nature Discovery, 40 Imbiah Road, 9AM–5PM daily. The nature trail includes eight types of habitats with interactive exhibits, sculptures, and a lookout point. The Geology Gallery displays earth processes and rock formations, geological maps, coastal forests, rock samples and fossils that formed Singapore and Sentosa. Admission is free.
 * SkyHelix Sentosa, 41 Imbiah Road, ☏ +65 6361 0088, 10AM–9:30PM daily. An open-air gondola that rotates and ascends to 79 m above sea level with a 360° view. Choose between one standard non-alcoholic drink or a souvenir (included in the ticket). A standard ticket costs $20 for adults (aged 13 years old and above) and $17 for children (aged 4 to 12 years old).
 * Sentosa Nature Discovery, 40 Imbiah Road, 9AM–5PM daily. The nature trail includes eight types of habitats with interactive exhibits, sculptures, and a lookout point. The Geology Gallery displays earth processes and rock formations, geological maps, coastal forests, rock samples and fossils that formed Singapore and Sentosa. Admission is free.
 * SkyHelix Sentosa, 41 Imbiah Road, ☏ +65 6361 0088, 10AM–9:30PM daily. An open-air gondola that rotates and ascends to 79 m above sea level with a 360° view. Choose between one standard non-alcoholic drink or a souvenir (included in the ticket). A standard ticket costs $20 for adults (aged 13 years old and above) and $17 for children (aged 4 to 12 years old).

Elsewhere

 * Sentosa Cove. Singapore’s oceanfront residences, home to more than 2,000 villas, bungalows, mansions, and condominiums. The area comprises The Residences at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove hotel, and Quayside Isle.
 * Sentosa Cove. Singapore’s oceanfront residences, home to more than 2,000 villas, bungalows, mansions, and condominiums. The area comprises The Residences at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove hotel, and Quayside Isle.

Southern Islands

St. John Island and Lazarus Island are connected by a causeway, and it's a sweaty, largely unshaded 15-min walk from the ferry pier at St. John to Lazarus; rent a bicycle or kick scooter from GoGreen to ease the pain ($25/2 hours). St. John is also a popular spot for fishing.

There are a few sights of minor interest on Kusu Island. The name means "Turtle Island" and there are indeed lots of the reptiles scampering about, but don't expect an unspoiled tropical paradise: the island was thoroughly reworked with land reclamation in 1975 and looks similar to Sentosa. Kusu island can be reached by ferry from Marina South Pier.

Facilities on all three islands are limited to toilets. There are no regularly open places to buy food or drink, not even vending machines, and the tap water is not potable, so bring everything you'll need with you including water. On busy weekends or (for Kusu) during the festival season enterprising hawkers may set up shop to sell basic drinks or snacks out of a cooler, but you can't count on this.

Buy
Every corner of Sentosa is inundated with gift shops filled with all the plush Merlion toys you will ever need (and then some).

Eat
As you might expect from a giant amusement park, food on Sentosa is (by Singaporean standards) rather pricey and mediocre. Local chains have some outlets, though. Since the opening of the casinos, good (though still pricey) fine dining options are available at Resorts World Sentosa. For cheaper food options, grab a bite at either VivoCity or HarbourFront Centre.

Mid-range

 * CHIFA!, Resorts World Sentosa, ☏ +65 6577 6558, M Tu Th F noon–3PM, 6–11PM; Sa Su noon–11PM (closed on W). Peruvian-Chinese cuisine food $18-24.
 * Gin Khao Bistro, #01-12 Quayside Isle, 31 Ocean Way, ☏ +65 6570 2208, M–Th noon–3PM, 5:30–10PM; F Sa noon–10:30PM; Su noon–10PM. Thai cuisine food is priced between $15~25.
 * Kailash Parbat, 42 Imbiah Road, ☏ +65 6592 5545, 10AM–10PM daily. Indian vegetarian food items served at prices between $10~20.
 * Le Faubourg, Block 17 #01-02, 2 Gunner Lane, Mess Hall, ☏ +65 6677 7128, 8:30AM–6PM daily. French cuisine food $20-26.
 * Le Faubourg, Block 17 #01-02, 2 Gunner Lane, Mess Hall, ☏ +65 6677 7128, 8:30AM–6PM daily. French cuisine food $20-26.

Drink
There's a string of beach clubs on Siloso Beach that offer chill tropical vibes, but the party ends at 10 PM sharp every night to avoid disturbing the beauty sleep of the billionaires next door in Sentosa Cove. There are, however, occasional special events that run much longer, especially during events like F1 or New Year's Eve. The most famous of these is ZoukOut, a massive yearly outdoor party organized by Zouk featuring a roster of international and local DJs. Beaches, beer, bikinis, and booming bass. What more do you need?

Beach bars

 * +Twelve, 54 Palawan Beach Walk, The Palawan @ Sentosa, ☏ +65 6277 7089, M–Th 10AM–9PM, F–Su holidays 10AM–10PM. Serves beers from $14 and cocktails from $21.
 * Rumours Beach Club, 40 Siloso Beach Walk, ☏ +65 6970 0625, M–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa eve of public holiday 10AM–10PM, Su & public holidays 10AM–9PM. Serves beer from $15 and cocktails from $19.
 * Sand Bar, 52-54 Siloso Beach Walk, Sa & public holidays 3PM–1AM, Su 3–9:30PM, M–F closed. Serves beers from $12 and cocktails from $15.
 * Splash Tribe, 54 Palawan Beach Walk, The Palawan @ Sentosa, ☏ +65 6277 7089, M–Th 10AM–7PM, F–Su & public holidays 10AM–10PM. Serving beers from $14 and cocktails from $19.
 * Rumours Beach Club, 40 Siloso Beach Walk, ☏ +65 6970 0625, M–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa eve of public holiday 10AM–10PM, Su & public holidays 10AM–9PM. Serves beer from $15 and cocktails from $19.
 * Sand Bar, 52-54 Siloso Beach Walk, Sa & public holidays 3PM–1AM, Su 3–9:30PM, M–F closed. Serves beers from $12 and cocktails from $15.
 * Splash Tribe, 54 Palawan Beach Walk, The Palawan @ Sentosa, ☏ +65 6277 7089, M–Th 10AM–7PM, F–Su & public holidays 10AM–10PM. Serving beers from $14 and cocktails from $19.
 * Sand Bar, 52-54 Siloso Beach Walk, Sa & public holidays 3PM–1AM, Su 3–9:30PM, M–F closed. Serves beers from $12 and cocktails from $15.
 * Splash Tribe, 54 Palawan Beach Walk, The Palawan @ Sentosa, ☏ +65 6277 7089, M–Th 10AM–7PM, F–Su & public holidays 10AM–10PM. Serving beers from $14 and cocktails from $19.

Hotel bars

 * 1-Altitude Coast, 10 Artillery Avenue, The Outpost Hotel, ☏ +65 8879 8765, M–Th 11AM–10PM, F Sa 11AM–2AM, Su 11AM–midnight. Rooftop restaurant, al-fresco deck and infinity pool serving beers from $12 and cocktails from $23.
 * Boater’s Bar, #01-01 11 Cove Drive, ONEo15 Marina Club, ☏ +65 6305 6988, W–Su, eve of public holidays and public holidays 5–11PM, M Tu closed. Floating bar at Sentosa Cove that serves beer from $11 and cocktails from $16.
 * Bob’s Bar, 1 The Knolls, Capella Singapore, ☏ +65 6377 8888, 11:30AM–11:30PM daily. Serves beers from $16 and cocktails from $22.
 * LeBar, 2 Bukit Manis Road, Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, ☏ +65 6708 8310 / +65 6708 8362, noon–midnight daily. Outdoor pavilion lounge that serves beers from $17 and cocktails from $25.

Sleep
Sentosa is not a particularly convenient base for sightseeing elsewhere in Singapore. Most of the accommodation targets visitors looking for a beach or theme park holiday, and is priced accordingly: don't expect any cheap hostels or the like. However, the Sentosa Express monorail has improved access to the mainland, and good deals can sometimes be found if you scout around.

Budget
The cheapest place to stay is actually off the mainland on the Southern Islands: you can camp for free on St John's Island, the Sisters Islands and Pulau Hantu, but free camping permits from the Singapore Land Authority are required, and you'll need to get somebody with Singapore ID to register for you. And because the islands have zero facilities, you'll need to bring everything with you, including drinking water.

Splurge

 * Oasia Resort Sentosa, 23 Beach View, ☏ +65 6818 3388, info.orsentosa@fareast.com.sg. Hotel with 191 suites and rooms, in-house spa, a 22.5-m pool with sun lounges, three function rooms, and 9 dining establishments.
 * Oasia Resort Sentosa, 23 Beach View, ☏ +65 6818 3388, info.orsentosa@fareast.com.sg. Hotel with 191 suites and rooms, in-house spa, a 22.5-m pool with sun lounges, three function rooms, and 9 dining establishments.
 * Oasia Resort Sentosa, 23 Beach View, ☏ +65 6818 3388, info.orsentosa@fareast.com.sg. Hotel with 191 suites and rooms, in-house spa, a 22.5-m pool with sun lounges, three function rooms, and 9 dining establishments.

 * The Barracks Hotel Sentosa, 2 Gunner Lane, ☏ +65 6512 2202, info.tbh@fareast.com.sg. Hotel that is housed in a conserved colonial building, it has 40 rooms and suites, pool and Jacuzzi.
 * The Outpost Hotel Sentosa, 10 Artillery Avenue, ☏ +65 6722 0801, info.toh@fareast.com.sg. Hotel with 193 guest rooms, 7 function rooms, and a rooftop Sky Pool and bar for hotel guests only.
 * Village Hotel Sentosa, 10 Artillery Avenue, ☏ +65 6722 0800, info.vhs@fareast.com.sg. Hotel with 606 hotel rooms, 7 function rooms, and a pool deck with 4-themed pools – Lazy River Pool, Children’s Play Pool, Adventure Pool and infinity Pamukkale Pool.

Resorts World Sentosa
All the hotels in Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway, can be booked via reservations@rwsentosa.com.

Go next
Chinatown and Little India are easy stops on the North-East MRT line. Or check out the other integrated resort at Marina Bay.

title: Singapore/Sentosa and Harbourfront


text:
Singaraja

Singaraja is the largest city in North Bali, and the former colonial administrative capital of not only Bali, but the whole of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Singaraja still has some of the feel of an old colonial capital. The streets are wider and grander than elsewhere in Bali and some of the old houses set in large gardens recall days long gone.

Understand

Singaraja just looks different to other towns and cities in Bali. This is also a noticeably multi ethnic city. The Arabic influence is especially apparent in the district near the old docks called Kampung Arab and the largest Chinese temple in Bali is here.

This is major academic centre with two universities, and the number of students residing swells the population to just over 100,000, making Singaraja Bali's second largest city.

By car
It takes 3 to 4 hours to drive to Singaraja from the south of Bali. There are three main routes: east via Kintamani, taking in the stunning active volcano and mountain vistas, west via Pupuan, through beautiful rice-paddies, spice and coffee plantations; and central, via Bedugul with its famous market and botanical gardens. Whichever route you take, the journey is sure to be scenic and interesting.

By motorcycle
The ability to overtake on single lane roads reduces the travel time significantly especially when delays abound during peak hours.

By taxi
A prepaid taxi from the Denpasar airport will cost Rp 600,000-800,000.

By bus or bemo
Annoyingly for a city of its relatively small size, Singaraja has three bus terminals. Local bemos ferry passengers between the three terminals, many of which seem to be blue.

 * is just west of the town centre on Jalan Jendral Achmed Yani, and operates buses and bemos to all points west. Buses to and from Gilimanuk (2 hours, about Rp 30,000) and bemos to Lovina (20 minutes, Rp 10,000) arrive and depart from here. There are also several long distance bus companies here who have overnight services to and from Surabaya and further afield in Java. You buy an all in ticket which includes the ferry crossing to or from Java. Expect to pay about Rp 180,000 to get to or from Surabaya (12 hours), Rp 250,000 to Yogyakarta (15 hours) and Rp 400,000 to Jakarata (1 day).
 * Penarukan Terminal is about 2.5 km east of town and is served by buses and bemos from Batubulan terminal in Denpasar (2.5-3 hours). Local bemos arriving from and departing to East Bali also operate from here.
 * is 3 km south of the city and is served by buses from Ubung Terminal in Denpasar. This route goes via Bedugul and is the cheapest way for budget travellers to get to Singaraja (and on to Lovina) from there. Bemos may depart directly from nearby Jalan Raya Sukasada next to terminal, just before road gate and alfamart. gojek drivers will drop you there.

Get around
Almost no visitors stay in Singaraja, it is more of a passing through town. Visitors therefore normally explore the city and surrounding areas in the car they arrived in.

GoJek and Grab provides motorcycle taxi service in the area. Local bemo inside city can be more expensive than car-hailing app (e.g., bemo between the two bus terminal asking Rp 30,000 while motorbike-hailing was Rp 20,000).

Nearby

Do
Visit local temples, the museum and take in the remaining old colonial grandeur of Singaraja.

Visit the Aling-Aling waterfall, 15 minutes south of the center. Entry is 150,000rp per person and includes a tour guide (who only is paid 6,000rp).

Buy
Singaraja is a notable production centre of high quality silk and cotton ikat. There are weaving centres on Jalan Dewi Sartika and Jalan Veteren. See the weavers in action and buy direct from the makers.

Eat
Along the front in Jalan Erlangga there are some stilted restaurants with great views out over the water. The most well known of these is called Dewi Sitha.

 * Spice Beach Club, 15 minutes west of Singaraja. Expensive but delicious western food on the beach, with pool access for people visiting for lunch/dinner and special events. One of the only places to get western food in and around Singaraja.
 * Spice Beach Club, 15 minutes west of Singaraja. Expensive but delicious western food on the beach, with pool access for people visiting for lunch/dinner and special events. One of the only places to get western food in and around Singaraja.
 * Spice Beach Club, 15 minutes west of Singaraja. Expensive but delicious western food on the beach, with pool access for people visiting for lunch/dinner and special events. One of the only places to get western food in and around Singaraja.

In the city
Due to the proximity of Lovina virtually no visitors stay in Singaraja. Look for accommodation in or around Lovina and not here.

Connect
The area code for Singaraja is 0362.

If you find yourself in desperately in need of the internet, there is an uninspiring internet cafe with a slow connection close to the post office on Jalan Imam Bonjol.

Go next
Few visitors stay overnight in this town but pass through on their way west to Lovina, Pemuteran and West Bali National Park, south to Bedugul or east to Amed and Mount Agung.

It is possible to get a bus from Singaraja to Surabaya in East Java. This is an overnight journey that takes about 10 hours and the buses depart from Banyuasri station on Jalan Jendral Sudirman.

title: Singaraja


text:
Sing Buri

Sing Buri (สิงห์บุรี) is the provincial capital of Sing Buri Province, in the central region of Thailand.

Understand
Sing Buri was a great city in Thai history for the heroic act of the villagers of Bang Rachan in battle. On the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, about 142 km from Bangkok, it has an area of around 841 sq km. Geographically, it is a basin where three rivers, the Chao Phraya, Noi, and Lop Buri, flow through. Somdet Khrom Phraya Damrong Rajanuphab described the city thus, "Sing Buri is an ancient and large city with a fortress, a royal palace, and Wat Maha That". The reclining Chakkrasi Buddha image is larger than others in Thailand. It is an imitation of the Indian Buddha image, like the one at a cave in Yala province. Sing Buri was called by different names: the city of Singha Rachathirat or the city of Singha Racha. The city sits by the Chakkrasi, a large river 200 sen (Thai measurement equivalent to 40 m) away from the Chao Phraya River. Since the Chakkrasi River has been shallow, the city of Sing Buri has become a mysterious city. The city of Sing Buri was established as Sing Buri Province in 1895 during the reign of King Rama V.

Among the charms of Sing Buri, many roads in the town of Sing Buri are named after the heroes of the Bang Rachan village, such as Nai Thaen, Nai Dok, Nai In, Nai Mueang, Khun San, etc. Besides, there are a great number of Buddhist temples, both of the old and new ages.

By car
From Bangkok, there are two routes:

 * Take Hwy 1 (Phahonyothin Rd) and, at km52, switch to Hwy 32 (Asian Hwy), past Bang Pa-in in Ayutthaya. Then, change to Hwy 309, past Ang Thong to the town of Sing Buri, a total distance of 135 km.
 * Take Hwy 1 (Phahonyothin Rd), past Wang Noi in Ayutthaya, Nong Khae in Saraburi, and Lopburi. From Lopburi, take Hwy 311, past Tha Wung and drive towards Sing Buri, a total distance of 179 km.

By bus
The Transport Company Ltd. on Kamphaengphet 2 Rd operates an air conditioned bus service from Bangkok to Sing Buri every day. For more information, call Tel. +66 2 9362852-66. A private operator, Wiriya Tour Company Limited, offers a daily bus service. For more details, call Tel. +66 2 5122565, or contact the Sing Buri office at Tel. +66 36 511259.

Go next

 * Ang Thong, Lopburi or Chai Nat

title: Sing Buri


text:
Singida

Singida is a city in the Central region of Tanzania.

Get in
Bus service is available from Arusha, Dodoma, and Mwanza. All roads have unpaved sections, so the going can be slow and uncomfortable.

From:
 * Arusha: TSh 14,000 on Mtea or Airborn City
 * Katesh: TSh 5,000
 * Dodoma: TSh 12,000 on ABC
 * Dar es Salaam: TSh 25,000 on ABC

There is train service from Dodoma on some days, but it is primarily a freight line (slow) and only third class service (hard benches, substantial overcrowding) is available. TSh 4,800. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended.

Taxi
Taxis within the downtown area are Tsh 1,500, and Tsh 2,000 outside of town.

See

 * Lake Singida: This saline lake lies just outside of Singida Town. It attracts many birds, like pelicans and flamingos.
 * Regional Museum: This museum shows artifacts from Singida Region's tribes, like weapons and jewellery. It is located at the Open University of Tanzania.

Banks
Singida has CRDB, NMB, and NBC. Only NBC has an ATM.

Sleep
Stanley Hotel, Scene Lodge, Aqua Vitae are some of the higher-end hotels in town.

Social Training Center, run by nuns, offers rooms for Tsh 4,800 a night.

Cheyo and Lutheran Center offer rooms for Tsh 2,000 a night.

Go next
There are some nice villages nearby:
 * Kinam: TSh 3,000.
 * Sepuka: TSh 1,500.

title: Singida


text:
Singkawang

Singkawang is a city in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Understand
The city of Singkawang is along the west coast of Kalimantan, about halfway between the provincial capital Pontianak and the border with the Malaysian state of Sarawak. About 70% of the population of Singkawang is of Chinese descent, with most being Hakka people. Singkawang is small trading town and it is famous for its multi cultures and religions people. Singkawang had many nicknames, such as "The City of One Thousand Temples", or Amoy City (Amoy means "Girl in Hakka dialect.)

Indonesian government had given Singkawang honors for being one of the cleanest city in Indonesia.

Climate
Singkawang has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Talk
Almost all of the Singkawang people use either Indonesian or Hakka Chinese for conversation.

Get in
There is no airport at Singkawang; it is served by Supadio International Airport. It is connected by road, can be reached by bus or taxi from Pontianak. Take a bus from Pontianak to Singkawang. The trip takes about three hours or 150 km and cost around Rp20,000. It is also connected by road to Kuching in Malaysia via the Aruk/Biawak border and Sambas.

See

Eat
Chinese food especially Hakka style dominates the food stalls or small restaurants, but Teochew style is also available. Minang style food can also be found here. Unique food like Rujak Ju Hie (鱿鱼炒; rojak with dried squid) is one of delicacies in Singkawang. Tofu (bean curd) Singkawang is famous in West Kalimantan, also Kembang Tahu (腐皮; silky smooth tofu with sugar gravy) is very popular in this city. Singkawang is also famous for its cakes. The variety of cakes is surprising and available from early morning till midnight. Choi Pan (菜粄:Steamed vegetable dumplings) is one of the many special traditional Chinese delicacies. Believed to be of Hakka origin, it consists mainly of fragrantly stir-fried yam bean wrapped in a slightly chewy translucent skin and is steamed to perfection. There are also have several Malay food such as Bubur Paddas (Malay's spicy porridge), Pedak (fermented shrimp paste) and Nasi Lemak. One may enjoy various food in Pasar Hongkong from porridge, kwetiau, fried rice, nasi lemak, rujak (fruit & vegetables salad), cakes coffee stall. And the prices of the food are surprisingly cheap.

Drink
Kopi tiam (咖啡店; local coffee shop) with strong bitter robusta coffee can be found every where. Peaceful and safe feeling for everyone makes Singkawang to be one of the cities with lively night.

Stay safe
There have been allegations of human trafficking in Singkawang, based upon the town's mail order bride illegal business. Most of the men who travel to Singkawang looking for young women to marry are from Taiwan, Mainland China, or Singapore. These men arrive and get in touch with brokers, these brokers then approach families with suitably aged daughters and generally offers these parents some money for each girl.

title: Singkawang


text:
Lingga Islands

The Lingga Islands form the southernmost part of the Riau Islands. The main islands are Lingga and Singkep.

Understand
The district of the Lingga Islands consists of a large number of islands where Singkep and Lingga dominate both in size and population. Other relatively large islands include Sebangka and Bakung.

The more populated Singkep Island had a lot of tin mines but they were shut down by the government. The district government of the Lingga Islands resides on Lingga instead of the much more populated Singkep.

Singkep

 * Jago - North port of the Island where the ferries from Tanjung Pinang dock.
 * Dabo - Main city

Lingga

 * Daik - Main town and the seat of the local governor.
 * Resun - Small village in the middle of the island close to the Resun Waterfall.

Talk
It is very necessary to talk some basic Bahasa Indonesia since most people don't know one single word in English.

Get in
The ferry from Tanjung Pinang (Bintan) leaves at 11AM everyday. There are 3 different ferries making the tour and the trip takes between 3-6 hours depending which one since they make different numbers of stops. To get to Tanjung Pinang you may take a ferry from Batam or Singapore with many departures everyday.

Leaving Tanjung Pinang is easy. The national ticket booths are next to the entry to the pier and a ticket to Pulau Lingga is Rp 113,000 (Nov 2009). Add an extra Rp 3,000 for the sea port tax and then board the ferry. Some of the ferries have numbered seats but otherwise just pick a seat; outdoor or indoor. You may even make your way up to sit next to the captain, an area frequently used when the ship is full (i.e. double the number of people than there are seats).

The ferry steers it way south stopping a couple of times on small islands on the way. Then arriving to Jago on Singkep before its last stop on Lingga. The port on Lingga is called Tanjung Buton (Tanjung, Tg. means Cape). In the port you will find motor bike taxis ("ojek") and the ride to Daik is about 10 minutes.

Get around
Cars are not very common and the local transportation consist of motor bike taxis known as "ojek".

Try to rent your own motor bike to easily get around. Ask for "rental moto" and pay between Rp 50,000-100,000 per day. On the smaller islands the prices are much higher and expect to pay Rp 10,000 for one bottle of petrol (price on mainland Rp 4,500). The bottles of petrol are bought next to the roads from local people and there are often many places even in the most remote villages.

To get between Singkep and Lingga there are two alternatives; one power boat that frequents the 20-30 minutes ride a few times a day. However; the schedule is confusing so the second alternative is to ask a local fisherman to get a ride in his boat. A good price for that ride would be around Rp 60,000.

See

 * Small fishing villages of Kelume and Kedo,
 * Small fishing villages of Kelume and Kedo,
 * Small fishing villages of Kelume and Kedo,
 * Small fishing villages of Kelume and Kedo,

Itineraries

 * Sunrise a 6.00 o'clock and the time you must get up to get the most of you visit to these remote islands. The local population uses the daylight and all the locals will be on the street when you step out at 6.15 looking for something to eat.

Do
Rent a motor bike and get around. Many of the roads are very new and wonderful to drive upon. Others are old and full of potholes. But the bikes can get anywhere (even the beach) and use one for two people to be able to talk while driving.

Eat
The local food is rice and fish. Of course you should also drink the coffee; Kopi susu for coffee with condensed milk. And in the city (close to pasar), lots of small eateries (within walk distances) with nice food and some sell bread (freshly baked) and kaya (sweet coconut jam), its delicious as the bread is homemade but limited (most open in the morning). At night, "Caparinyo" is well known for its "satay", but also serve other food like fried rice. Just ask locals for direction.

Only restaurants are in Daik. They serve rice and fish, maybe if you're lucky chicken and noodles.

Go next
Ferry leaves Lingga at 7.00 o'clock but be there at least 30 minutes before to be sure to get a ticket back (at least on Sundays which is the main traveling day). 07.00 the ferry docks in Jago (Singkep) and continues afterwards up through the archipelago stopping trice or more on the small islands with the tiny fishing villages.

title: Lingga Islands


text:
Singleton

Singleton is a city of 24,577 (2021) in the Hunter region of New South Wales. It is northwest of Newcastle.

Understand
Before European settlement, the Wonnarua Koori people lived in the Singleton region. The fledgling colony of NSW discovered the area around 1820 and it was originally named St Patricks Plains. Major industries include coal mining, power generation, dairy farming, and viticulture. See the Singleton Information Centre.

By car
Singleton is a 45-minute drive from Newcastle on the New England Highway and Hunter Expressway. Singleton is almost exactly 200 km north of Sydney by road via the Pacific Motorway, Hunter Expressway and New England Highway.

The Putty Road, a picturesque route through Wollemi National Park, connects Singleton to Sydney's western suburbs.

A little further off the beaten track is the Wollombi Road which follows sections of the original Great North Road into the region, now also known as the Convict Trail, this links to Sydney and the Central Coast via areas such as Peats Ridge, St Albans and Wiseman's Ferry. Parts of the route have a compressed gravel surface, passable (with care) by a normal 2WD vehicle.

A bypass has been proposed that will form a southern bypass around Singleton. The two-lane freeway will have various exits that enter various different parts of Singleton. Construction is set to begin in 2023 and open in 2026.

By train
NSW TrainLink provides both Intercity and Regional services that stop at Singleton on the Hunter Line. When catching trains from Newcastle, be sure to board a Hunter line train bound for Scone (those headed for Dungog divert at Maitland and will not pass through Singleton). These trains run at regular intervals throughout the day, but are infrequent, so check the timetables.

By bus
Hunter Valley Buses operates route 180X which goes from Maitland station to Singleton station. There are 14 services per week in each direction.

Do

 * Each year, Singleton plays host to the Festival of Wine and Roses.
 * See the Singleton Art Prize, held over several days in early July each year.
 * See the Singleton Art Prize, held over several days in early July each year.

Cope

 * Singleton's local newspaper is the Singleton Argus.

Stay safe
Avoid the flying foxes, which may harbour the harmful lyssavirus.

Go next

 * The village of Broke is a short drive from Singleton, and is located within one of the Hunter Valley's main grape-growing areas.
 * Visit Lake St Clair (also known as Glennies Creek Dam), a 1540 ha dam completed in 1983. There are various recreational facilities, including camping sites, picnic-barbecue areas and a boat ramp.

title: Singleton


text:
Singye Dzong

Singye Dzong is in sacred valley in Lhuentse district, Bhutan.

Understand
Singye Dzong is not a Dzong (fortress) but a sacred valley in Lhuentse district near the Tibetan border. The temple there was founded by Yeshi Tsogyal, and Guru Rinpoche visited the region on his second visit to Bhutan. However, partly due to the fact that the valley is located in a sensitive area near the border and also partly due to Bhutan wishing to preserve the sanctity of its sacred sites, the valley is not open for tourists.

Due to mud in the summer and snow during the winter and spring, the only time the paths are accessible is during October.

Climate
Himalayan

Get in
A three-day walk from the village of Khoma.

Fees and permits
Special permits are required, but tourists are not allowed to visit the area.

Get around
on foot

Eat
All provisions must be carried in. After Khoma, there are no shops. Pack horses to carry the provisions can be arranged locally.

Sleep
The monastery in the valley itself offers simple accommodation, but it is often full. There is no accommodation during the three day trek, except simple shelters.

Stay safe
Watch out for bears.

Respect

 * Circumabulate sacred objects in a clockwise direction.
 * Do not burn garbage in the area.
 * Very important - do not take photographs inside the temples.

title: Singye Dzong