Singapore

We received numerous queries from viewers about Singapore. We hope the following information will help before journeying out.

Have a nice stay!

We also would like to thank Captain Yeap, Mrs. J. Yeap and  Mr. Lok for their help in this section.

A prince of Sumatra named the island "Singa Pura" meaning Lion-City in Sanskrit, after he defeated the ruler of the island settlement.

Stamford Raffles arrived in "Singa Pura" on the 29th of January, at which time it was under the rule of The Sultan of Johor. Raffles helped the elder son of the late Sultan to secure the throne; in return of the granting the British a lease to establish their trading port on the island, the annual rent was paid to the Sultan. Later the island was ceded to the British in return for increased payments to the Sultan and his Island representative. Within three years, a small village became a boomtown with a population of 10,000 immigrants.

First election was held and the Island became a separate crown colony after the previous Straits Settlements crown colony agreement was dissolved.

People’s Action Party (PAP) was established, headed by Mr. LEE Kuan-Yew, a young Chinese Lawyer who graduated from Oxford.

Britain agreed to establish an elected 51 member legislative assembly; Mr. Lee’s party gained 43 seats and he then became the first prime minister.

Mass Rapid Transit - North-east Line, East-west Line and South-East Line, provides a convenient way to travel around the Island.

Initial fare starts from USD1.30.
Surcharges will be added on certain routes, public holidays, boot-luggage, more than two adults, telephone reservations, trips made between midnight and 6am, trips originating from the CBD Restricted Zone etc.

From Singapore Keppel Station through the west coast of Malaysia to Thailand.

Accommodation

Visitors arriving without pre-booked reservation, SHA (Singapore Hotel Association) in Changi Airport can help with Hotel bookings, prices range from USD16 to USD520.

Note:- If price quoted with "+++", implies that 10% service charge, 1% government tax and 5% goods and service tax are included.

Food

Different varieties of food can be chosen, such as Cantonese, Teo-chew, Hak-ka, Sze-chuan, Indian, Japanese, Malay, Nonya, Thai, European etc.

Check this out! Do visit a Food-Centre is good adventure to experience the local life, where individual stalls are selling their own secrete recipes, with vast mouth-watering selections to choose from, one will end up with a really full stomach. "Yam Yam".

Note:- One can sit anywhere, just go to order food from stall(s), let them know where you sit, they will deliver your food when ready.

Shopping

Shopping in Singapore is quite easy and fun, since there are lots of Shopping centers around as well as the famous area, Orchard Street.

Tipping

This is prohibited at the Air-port and not encouraged in Hotels and Restaurants since 10% service charge is already included. Extra tipping for excellent service can be added if one may wish.

Language

Over 54 different languages are spoken in this multi-racial society with four official languages, such as Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English.

Smoking

Prohibited in most public places.

Other Places of Interest

Sentosa Island - A Disney-type Resort, consists of underwater-world, parks, museums, golf-course, restaurants, Hotels etc.

Arab District - The area is between the boundary of Beach Road and North Bridge Road to the south and north, scattering numbers of blocks to both sides of Arab Street, the center of this area is the Sultan Mosque, which was built in early 1820 and rebuilt in 1928.

West Coast

Haw Par Villa (Tiger Balm Gardens) - It was reopened after renovation in 1990, providing an interesting theme park and also Chinese mythology, such as ten courts of Hell etc.

Chinese Garden (Yu Hwa Yuan) - With a size of more than 34 acres, the construction resembles the Chinese Imperial Gardens, consisting of temples, courtyards, bridges, pagodas etc.

Jurong Bird Park - More than 600 species of birds can be found in here together with the world tallest man-made waterfall.