If ever you've seen my instagram posts, you may already have a hint on my latest adventure: Singapore!!! Singapore is nothing short of wonderful. This beautiful city left me oftentimes in awe. Sadly, during my whole stay, I can't help but compare our own country from theirs. How I wish someday, our mass transport could be like theirs the least. That way we won't be needing Uber/Grab that badly because let's face it, Public transport in the Philippines sucks!
I don't really know what to expect when we planned our visit in Singapore except for the tourist spots that I really wanted to visit. And so to help you guys who are still clueless, here are the 7 IMPORTANT things that a tourist should know when you visit Singapore:
1 IT'S FREAKIN' HOT!
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| Girl Scout ang lola mo. Sa laki ng bag ko, I already have everything I needed to combat the veery hot weather! |
I already knew beforehand that Singapore has a very hot weather but living in a tropical country since birth, I thought I could handle it. But NO. It's freakin' hot! Their mass transport is well-ventilated but if you plan to do a photowalk at some of Singapore's artsy places, better be ready to be all sweaty and oily. Bring lots of water and wear very comfy clothes. Don't forget to wear a sunblock(Yung hindi mainit sa balat!) if you don't want to get sun burnt and bring an umbrella.
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| My Day 3 Outfit. Thank goodness I wore this! Sobrang init. Yun nga lang. Sunog. :P |
2 SG IS A FINE CITY
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| Watch out for signs like this kung ayaw mo mamulubi :O |
The Singaporeans are known to be very disciplined citizens. I grew up in Marikina and our city really wants to instill the same kind of discipline Singaporeans have to Mariquenos. So when I saw this sign in their train, I realized that they really are very strict in implementing laws. And that kind of strict implementation is one of the reasons why Singapore is prospering as a country. 500 SGD for eating????!! That's a lot! So when you ride the public transport in SG, make sure to take note of this and be aware of public law signs if you don't want to pay your pocket money to the Singaporean Government. Also, chewing gums are strictly prohibited in Singapore so better not bring one.
3 LEFT IS THE NEW RIGHT
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| How I wish there are also double-decker buses here |
Vehicles in Singapore are right-hand drive vehicles so expect that when you drive in Singapore, you should drive at the left side of the road. Aside from that, when you use the escalator or walkalator be mindful to STAND AT THE LEFT AND WALK AT THE RIGHT which is the opposite of what we have here.
4 EXCHANGE YOUR PESO IN SG
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| Bye Bye moolah |
While you will have a hard time exchanging Peso in American or European countries, it is quite easy in Singapore. There are lots of money changers in Singapore where you can convert your Peso to Singapore Dollar at an even lower price than having it exchanged in the Philippines. You still need to exchange Peso to SGD in the Philippines though. Because there are instances that the immigration asks for it. But do not exchange everything here, just exchange enough money on a day's worth so you could exchange the remaining in SG.
5 TAP WATER IS POTABLE
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| But I guess this one's not really safe to drink |
A bottle of water costs around 1 SGD in Singapore. You may want to bring your own water bottle when you go there especially during long walks. Good news is, water coming from the kitchen faucet(not the comfort room) is safe to drink according to our local host. So if you're on a tight budget, you could save a few dollars from not buying a bottle of water if you bring your own.
6 THEY USE TYPE G PLUG AND OUTLET
Singapore uses a different kind of power outlet than in the Philippines. Be sure to ask your hotel if they have adapters for your gadgets. If not, you need to buy your own if you don't want a low battery to keep you from capturing photos and using other apps. I bought mine in Chinatown, Singapore and it costs 4 SGD. I'm not sure how much it costs in the Philippines though.
7 SINGAPOREAN CULTURE
And the most important thing that we tourists should be mindful of when we travel to new territories is of course, their culture. While some things are okay for us to do, it may not be the case in foreign land. In Singapore, you should not give tips since this is their standard practice. Also, there are times where you can experience a very distinctive smell which may not be pleasing to your nose. Try hard to ignore it. They may also have mistaken ladies with hairless underarms as prostitutes so be careful and try not to be offended especially if you're alone.
Hope this helps you out to getting ready for your future Singapore trip! More posts coming from my Singapore experience in the next few weeks! For more things not to do in Singapore, you can read this: 15-things-not-to-do-in-singapore
15 comments
Oh wow! This is an informative post. I am surely going to use this as a guide when I visit Singapore :)
ReplyDeleteThank you sushmita! :)
DeleteI was especially happy to hear about the tipping policy, hehe. Thanks for the informative post =)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Anna :)
DeleteThis is super informative. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou;re welcome :)
DeleteGreat tips, these will help me as I am planning to travel to Singapore next year. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I'm actually going in a couple of weeks so I'm glad I read this now, thank you!
ReplyDeleteYay! Do visit my other posts. It might help you plan your visit :)
DeleteHi.. very informative post.. especially the plug socket thing and the currency exchange
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, I am definitely pinning this. Hoping to visit in about 5 years.
ReplyDeleteThis is one helpful and informative post. I don't think so anyone ever mentioned of the Plug point before. Thanks for sharing this :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you said in this post. I recently visited SG too and like you, I couldn't help but wish our country had an awesome MRT system like theirs. It's easy to understand, fast, clean, and cheap! <3
ReplyDeletewww.thewanderingdreamer.com
Yes I just wish one day our country would have an efficient transport system. Commuting in Manila sucks :(
DeleteI have learnt a lot. Greats tips, they will help when I am travelling to Singapore more especially the currency exchange.
ReplyDelete