More Singapore Stars

It is hard to imagine, but travling by subway in Singapore it is possible to circumnavigate the country in less than an hour. Only the sight of the island from the air can provide a similar experience of the country’s size.

From 1987 – the year of its inauguration – the system had grown to more than a hundred kilometers of railways, some of them underground (in the City) and others over the ground. Still unfinished, it is planned to be larger than London’s Tube by 2030. Understanding the structure of the network allows making a stay in the city-state pleasant and the tours of the different attractions highly effective.

Lines

Three lines have been completed (the North South, East West and North East lines), while the Circle MRT Line and Downtown Line are still unfinished. Two other lines - the Thomson and Eastern Region ones – are planned.

North South Line runs between Jurong East and Marina Bay Bishan and is by far the most useful line in the system for the traveler, since it connects downtown (City Hall and Raffles stations) with Orchard Road, Jurong and other main locations. The Bukit Panjang LRT system (see later) is connected to its Choa Chu Kang station.

East West Line runs between Joo Koon and Pasi Ris or Changi Airport stations. It splits in Tanah Merah station, with most of the trains continuing to Pasi Ris. An important point to keep in mind is that the Expo (the international expositions grounds) and the Changi Airport are connected to the subway system. This is by far the most efficient way of travelling to or from the airport though many travelers miss that since the subway station is underground and out of sight.

North East Line travels from Harbour Front to Punggol stations. This line is useful for reaching Sentosa and it has two LRT systems attached to it, one is the "8" shaped one on Sengkang and the other on the Punggol final station.

The Stations

It is difficult to generalize on the stations since each one is different. However, all the underground stations are air conditioned and the biggest ones feature even 7-Eleven convenience stores. For those addicted to cellular phones, those work even while traveling underground in between stations. A point that caught my attention immediately – though later I found that also in different locations in China – was platform screen doors separating the people from the trains in all stations.

General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) and displays showing service information are available in all stations. Those located in special places usually display matching art works, like in Chinatown, where Chinese calligraphy welcomes the travelers.

General Ticketing Machines

The system operates with cards and the fare depends on the distance traveled. The system is integrated and one ticket is good even while combining lines operated by different operators in one trip.

Travelers should note that single trip cards are valid for only thirty minutes beyond the trip travel. That is important because it restrains the allowed time in the paid-area of the stations. If – for example – an aspiring Marco Polo wants to travel around Singapore in one hour and leave through the same station he entered the subway, he would be fined.

The EZ-Link card is the name of the actual cards system (though it had changed in the past and is scheduled to be replaced); it allows also paying at many retail outlets. Fares range from S$0.70 to S$3.20 for adults. It is important to note that the tickets include a complex deposit system and in the case of single trip ones they are more expensive than a card paid trip.

However, for tourists there is a better option, the Singapore Tourist Pass that offers unlimited travel for on public transport. It costs S$8 a day, and allows any number of rides on buses and trains. The card can be rented (for at least five days and with a deposit of S$10) at the main MRT Stations. Among the last are Changi Airport, Raffles, Bugis and Orchard. It includes promotions at many shopping attractions.

LRT

Of almost no concern to the traveler is the LRT (Light Rail Transit) train system that reaches public housing estates through closes loops connected to the main MRT system. Almost, because it provides an interesting glimpse into the local culture; since they travel in populated areas, these trains cross in front of apartments’ windows. Does that mean looking into the denizens homes? Not in Singapore. A basic system of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) windows was placed on all the cars. Whenever a car crosses a house, electric current is applied at the window and the glass becomes opaque so that the people’s privacy is respected.

Being tiny, Singapore is crowded with attractions that usually demand a much bigger country. Yet, the traveler doesn’t get a feel of crowdedness due to an excellent planning. I know no other city of such dimensions that has managed to create ultra-modern areas and yet keep colonial neighborhoods that feel authentic, though a bit over-scrubbed. Or even to combine both, like in Bugis Junction (see that entry I this journal).

Yet, not everything can be planed. Certain areas grew up into local creations that are difficult to classify. Orchard Road is one of them.

"It’s just a shopping area! What are you talking about?" some readers would exclaim by now.

They are right. Orchard Road definitely is a shopping area, and the biggest one in the city. However – as the name hints – not only that. "In the beginning were the orchards…" begins the story of the area. In essence, the orchards are still there.

The wide avenue is lined up with lush trees that give plenty of shade and hide the shopping mastodons’ higher levels. The traveler can begin a massive session of shopping or stroll under the green canopy and enjoy nature in the tropics. Having spent long period in the island, I’ve learned to enjoy both sides of Orchard Road.

Reaching Orchard Road

By far, the best way to travel around in Singapore is by the MRT; there are three MRT stations on Orchard Road: Orchard, Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut.

Orchard Road

Orchard Road begins at the intersection with Orange Grove Road, next to the Orchard Hotel, and advances southeastwards until it ends at the intersection with Handy Road, where it becomes Bras Basah Road. It is a one-way street and has an extensive underground infrastructure, including underground pedestrian walkways between the malls. Since the street is short and the malls are next to each other, I avoided giving the exact addresses for the sake of reading clarity.

The street got its name from the nutmeg, pepper and fruit orchards that delimited it in the nineteenth century; only in the 1970s it became a shopping area. Yet a lush trees canopy still covers the street creating an especially pleasant environment for the shopper in the tropics.

Hotels and More

The street is home to many upmarket restaurants, coffee shops, nightclubs and hotels. The last category includes the Holiday Inn Park View Singapore, the Sheraton Towers Singapore, the Royal Plaza, the Grand Hyatt, the Shangri-La and other favorites.

Orchard Road Shopping Malls

Centrepoint is next to Emerald Hill and houses the local branches of Robinsons and Marks & Spencer, as well as the Cold Storage Supermarket.

Far East Plaza is a cheap fashion and food outlet.

Forum - The Shopping Mall is aimed for children and mothers. It includes a branch of Toys "R" Us as well as an Emporio Armani and a Max Mara.

Heeren Shops hosts a HMV store and is aimed mainly for young people; it is placed within an attractive colonial building.

Hilton Shopping Gallery is located within the Hilton Singapore and hosts exclusive shops; those include Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Donna Karan and Dolce & Gabbana.

Liat Towers hosts Audemars Piguet, Massimo Dutti and Zara.

Mandarin Gallery is within Meritus Mandarin Singapore, offering to its guests The Link and Esprit.

Ngee Ann City is the largest shopping mall in Singapore; it hosts mainly Books Kinokuniya and the Japanese department store, Takashimaya, but also exclusive boutiques such as Vacheron Constantin, Louis Vuitton and Channel.

Orchard Point houses mainly the OG department store.

Palais Renaissance is another place for visiting exclusive boutiques.

Paragon is one of the biggest malls in the area and houses such names as Marks & Spencer, Metro, and Toys 'R' Us.

Pinoy Place specializes in shops selling products from the Philippines.

Plaza Singapura offers one of the main cinema complexes in the area, the Golden Village Cineplex, as well as Carrefour and other shops.

Shaw House and Centre hosts the huge Isetan department store – very similar to the one in Bangkok - and the Lido 8 Cineplex.

Specialists' Shopping Centre is one of the main malls in the area for electronic products, selling everything from a digital camera, through laptops to pocket computers; the prices are rather high here. Even if planning to buy in the electronics’ shops mentioned below, I strongly recommend visiting this one before and comparing the products offered; in Singapore new models appear by the hour, thus being updated may get especially tricky.

Tangs is at the Scotts and Orchard roads junction; founded in 1934, it was the first supermarket mall in Singapore.

Wheelock Place is a very important place in Singapore since it hosts a huge branch of Borders books chain.

Wisma Atria offers a large aquarium at its basement which is popular with children and one of the biggest food courts in the area which is managed by BreadTalk.

Few places seem to represent Singapore more than the Raffles Hotel and Raffles City area which combines the classical lines of colonial times with ultra-modern shopping centers and hotels.

Explaining how to access the area would be superfluous, after all this is Singapore’s very center, but in any case the subway City Hall Station is connected to the Raffles City Shopping Mall. The station is one of the two interchange ones linking the north-south lines with the east-west ones, providing thus superb access to anywhere in the country.

Raffles Hotel

Named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles and dating back to 1887, the Raffles Hotel is one of the better known attractions in the city-state. Built in a Victorian-Colonial style it is located at the very center of Singapore’s downtown, unobtrusively blending among the eclectic architecture of the area. It includes a tropical garden courtyard, a museum, and a theatre; in 1987 it was declared a National Monument.

In Singapore as in Singapore, the original location was next to the sea; however the reclamation process left the hotel half-kilometer away from the modern shore.

The hotel was renamed Syonan Ryokan During World War II, meaning "Light of the South Hotel," the first part being the Japanese name for Singapore. By the end of the war, more than 300 Japanese troops committed suicide in the hotel.

The actual structure is the result of an extensive renovation process that ended in 1991. The owners claim to have recreated the 1915 look. However, it includes a shopping arcade and rooms in a new wing which did not exist back then.

The Long Bar

Within Raffles, the Long Bar is famous for the Singapore Sling cocktail, which can be enjoyed in its tropical surroundings while reading some fine book about the southern seas. Wouldn’t Conrad’s Victory be a good fit? He was here, as well as Rudyard Kipling, W. Somerset Maugham, Anthony Burgess and Queen Elizabeth II.

Singapore Sling’s home, the stylish brown wood plain decor of the Long Bar reminds of a Malayan plantation building circa 1920. Its open design lets refreshing breeze in; moreover, it features a very attractive cooling device: wooden-fans were attached to an electric motor creating a strangely old-fashioned look.

The bar also serves traditional pub dishes and snacks; during the evenings a band performs contemporary and popular hits.

The Singapore Sling History

In the hotel's museum, visitors can appreciate the safe in which Mr. Ngiam locked away his recipe books, as well as the original Sling recipe.

The Singapore Sling was commercially prepared at the Raffles Hotel for the first time in 1936 by a Hainanese-Chinese bartender called Ngiam Tong Boon. He prepared the drink with a recipe written in a hurry on a bar-chit by a hotel visitor who asked the waiter for it. Thus, the origin of the recipe is not exactly known, despite the various legends surrounding it.

In the beginning, the drink was meant as a woman's drink, hence its shocking pink color; nowadays it became a drink enjoyed by all, mainly due to its fame.

Operating Hours

Cocktails are served from Sunday to Thursday between 11 AM and 12:30 AM, for the kitchen services arrive between noon and 7:45 PM. Friday, Saturday and public holidays’ eves, the bar stays open until 1:30 AM.

Raffles Hotel Arcade

The hotel shopping arcade includes brands like Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and others; several of the classiest hotel restaurants are located there. There is a separate access to the area from the main road.

Raffles City

Occupying an entire block bound by Stamford, Beach, Bras Basah and North Bridge roads, Raffles City houses two hotels and an office tower over a central area which contains a shopping mall and a convention centre.

In front of the Raffles Hotel, this complex was built in 1980 on the site of the Raffles Institution, the first school in Singapore. Its shiny aluminum finish and high tower create a sharp contrast with the Victorian lines of the hotel, creating thus a symbol of modern Singapore.

The 73-storey Swissôtel The Stamford is the world's sixth tallest hotel, while the Fairmont Singapore occupies a lower tower; the Raffles City Tower is occupied by offices.


If not staying at the hotels, the best excuse for visiting the complex is provided by the shopping mall, which is conveniently away from the endless line of shopping centers on Orchard Road and just next door from the City, Singapore’s downtown. On the large inner space at the mall’s center, exhibitions often take place; I photographed a fashion one especially for this entry.

Beyond a high-end supermarket, a Robinson Department Store and a huge Marks & Spencer shop, the mall offers a Food Junction court on its third floor. This food plaza may be the largest one in Singapore, and is probably the best place for trying local food.

The menus are very clear, with an exceptionally graphic display. The central area offers comfortable seats. Following are four typical dishes, which would give the hungry visitor a truthful taste of South East Asian cuisine.

Laksa

It is hard to point at a specific Singaporean dish, but not impossible since the tasty Laksa soup is available everywhere. The heavy, hot soup prepared with coconut milk, chili, rice noodles, small omelettes and sometimes even clams and shrimps is a winner despite the hot local climate.

The variation served in Singapore is actually Curry Laksa – to differentiate of the Assam Laksa which belongs to other coasts – and is a fusion of Chinese and Malay cuisines.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a general term referring to dishes including Indian spices, basmati rice, meat, vegetables and yogurt; the word is derived from the Farsi and means "fried." The spices may include saffron, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, wasabi, bay leaves, coriander, mint, ghee, ginger, onions, and garlic.

The version served here included three different colors of rice, orange, yellow and natural white. Each one is cooked separately and gets the color of the specific spices used for the process. Just before the serving they are mixed up together creating a cheerful sight. A crispy nan-like bread, pickled vegetables and peanuts covered with a tasty sauce accompanied an awesome piece of chicken.

Pork Ribs Claypot

In this Chinese cooking method, an unglazed clay pot is submerged for a few minutes in water before cooking, then filled up with the food and placed into an oven. The walls of the pot help to diffuse the heat, and as the pot warms it releases the water as steam.

Many dishes are so prepared; I found the pork ribs claypot to be the most attractive. The fat pork meat benefits from this oil-less cooking method. The meat and accompanying vegetables are placed atop a generous ration of white-rice.

Ice Kachang

Ice Kachang ("Kachang" is Malay for "bean") is a popular dessert made with red beans and corn on ground ice and covered with sweet flavored, bright colored syrup and jelly. Concentrated milk is drizzled over the whole creation. Some of the shops serving it add fruit toppings; the customer is allowed to choose from the enormous variety of tropical fruits available in Singapore.

The most popular resort in Singapore is located on an island just south of the city. It features a two-kilometer long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, golf courses, five-star hotels, and the upcoming Resort Worlds at Sentosa, which includes the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.

The name means "peace and tranquility" in Malay, a strange choice for a place hosting five million visitors per year.

The Island

500 meters south of Singapore’s main island, Sentosa occupies an area of five square kilometers. Almost three-quarters of the island are covered by secondary rainforest in which native flora and fauna thrive; it features also a very long beach of white sands. The island is in the process of being enlarged.

Access

Buses are the best way of reaching the island and moving around, but other options exist. A cable car links it with Mount Faber through Harbour Front. The Sentosa Express monorail has four stations on Sentosa and links the island with the VivoCity shopping mall. The mall can be reached by the Harbour Front MRT station of the North East MRT Line. Within Sentosa there are three bus services, named Blue, Yellow and Red lines, and a tram service called the Beach Train.

Attractions

Tiger Sky Tower

The tower is the tallest free-standing observation tower in Asia, reaching 110 meters above the ground and 131 meters above sea level, offering the visitors views of Sentosa, Singapore, and the Southern Islands, including parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. A disc-shaped cabin with glass windows revolves upward the tower’s column. Located in the Imbiah Lookout zone in the centre of Sentosa, it can be reached by Cable Car, Sentosa Luge Chair Lift or by bus.

Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom

This park includes fifty species of butterflies housed in a cool conservatory, ranging from tiny (25mm) to giant (150mm). Nearby, the Insect Kingdom shows over three-thousand species of rare insects from the world, including the giant Hercules beetle. In a sense, this park completes the animal’s world display of the zoo, night safari and Jurong park.

Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon

This oceanarium is on the western part of Sentosa and includes more than 250 living species from oceans and rivers from around the world. It is an underground facility and includes an 83-meters long "travelator" that moves the visitor along a submerged glass-windowed tunnel. The marine life can be seen through the glass, and includes a coral reef, stingrays, moray eels, sharks, and others.

In the "Dive-with-the-Sharks" program visitors can scuba dive in the oceanarium; qualified scuba divers can also "Dive-with-the-Dugong." The facility includes a Dolphin Lagoon which is home to some Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. "Meet-the-Dolphins" and "Swim-with-the-Dolphins" programs can be enjoyed.

Songs of the Sea

If staying after dark, this show includes a pyrotechnics displays on the sea. It lasts 25 minutes and is held daily at 7:40 and 8:40 PM; an extra S$8.00 is charged.

Media Shows

In the Sentosa 4D Magix the visitor can see the "Pirates" movie while sitting in a chair with built-in speakers, seat vibration, leg ticklers, water-movement features and base shaker features. The movie lasts fifteen minutes.

The Sentosa CineBlast is a cinema ride, featuring high definition wide-screen projection, digital technologies and state-of-the-art six-axis motion systems. The show is held in capsules hosting up to six people.

Fort Siloso

Fort Siloso was built by the British in 1880s to guard the western entrance of Keppel Harbour. In 1939 it was armed with two 6-inch Mark2 guns and two rapid firing 12-pounder guns; nowadays it is the only surviving coastal gun battery with such weapons.

Visitors can enjoy a collection of artillery guns dating from the 17th century to World War II, which includes many photographs, documents and film clips. In a less happy note, the place was a political jail until as recent as 1993.

Merlion

Resembling the one next to the Quay in the city, this statue is thirty-seven meters tall. It is possible to take to the top and see Singapore from above.

Sentosa Luge & Skyride

The Sentosa Luge & Skyride is a self-steering, gravity-driven three-wheel cart that allows the rider to speed down a hill ending at the Siloso Beach.

Sijori Wondergolf

This miniature golf park includes three different 18-hole courses.

Beaches

The sheltered beach of more than two kilometers is divided into three portions: Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach, and Tanjong Beach; the three of them are artificial with sand bought from Indonesia and Malaysia. Dining and shopping is possible in them.

Hotels

There are six hotels and resorts in the island, including the Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa, a beachfront five-star hotel, the Sentosa Resort & Spa and the Costa Sands Resort which operates a number of chalets and fifteen kampung-like huts.

What was I doing there?

My visit to Sentosa had very little to do with the touristy resort. Along time I have developed a collection of visits (or travels) to (or through) points of special interest for travelers. I did visit Mount Everest, the Aconcagua Mountain, the lowest point on Earth, the Center of the Earth, traveled around the globe (though not at once), and visited several special points as … Sentosa.

Simply, from the Palawan Beach – at the center of Sentosa’s southern coast - is a suspension bridge that leads to a small islet; this is the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia, since technically the islet is connected to the Asian continental shelf. A really silly thing to do, but being so close to it, it was unavoidable.

Inaugurated in 1995, Bugis is a commercial complex located between Victoria Street, Middle Road and North Bridge Road, near Singapore’s downtown. Occupying a former neighborhood, it keeps its original streets under a glass cover, combining a modern air-conditioned environment with an attractive colonial look of wonderfully restored 1920s shophouses.

The mall consists of the Bugis Junction Tower, the Parco Bugis Junction (the covered streets mall), the Seiyu (BHG) Bugis Junction and the InterContinental Singapore. Main tenants include BHG, which is a large department store, Books Kinokuniya, Cold Storage (a supermarket which is a feast to the eyes), Food Junction, and the Bugis Cineplex.

Bugis, the People

Bugis is the name of the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, on Indonesia's third largest island. They have a legend-like reputation for being honorable, pirates, sailors, sea-traders, fierce warriors, industrious and rice growers; they converted from animism to Islam in the early 1600s.

In the nineteenth century, some of them were mercenary soldiers of the English Empire, and helped to the establishment of the British colony in Singapore. However, they are also considered to be the pirates pestering the adjacent coasts during the same period. They were awarded a neighborhood next to downtown Singapore, known now as Bugis; eventually, they left city-state shortly afterwards.

Bugis, the Mall

In the 1980s, the old Bugis neighborhood was remodeled as a covered shopping mall, simply by enclosing the historical street under an attractive transparent cover and remodeling the houses. Nowadays, the visitors walk along wooden corridors connecting between the shops occupying the former houses.

Conveniently, the Bugis MRT station is under the street level of the department store in the complex, allowing easy access from anywhere in the city. The mall looks like a life-sized museum of the colonial era in Singapore; the boutique shops occupy the original wood structures.

Flat Fountain

The covered plaza within the complex features an extremely minimalist and attractive flat fountain which offers music and light shows at night. The black stone wonder is unobtrusive allowing giving full attention to the show and the surroundings.

Known as a zero-water-depth fountain, it has no splash pool, allowing for safety and hygiene. The result is that children play amidst merry streams of water and light.

BreadTalk

Bread Talk is a chain specializing in bread, with more than twenty outlets all over Singapore; they have also spread out to nearby countries. The bright lit shops are very pleasant and modeled in a clear, minimalist, clean glass design. The shops feature see-through kitchens, separated from the counter and sitting space by transparent glass panes. The contrasting colors used for the décor are unique for each store; the one in Bugis faces also the main street outside the mall.

Bread is a foreign concept in the rice-oriented cultures of South East Asia, and it was quite a challenge for the prophet who created BreadTalk to penetrate the market. To accomplish that, the variations of the basic product were created; many of them approach what westerners would call a cake.

However, despite definitions, the creations are unique delicacies. Creams, vegetables, meats, and everything edible has found its way into these breads, which feature creative names as well. The signature product is the pork floss buns, which is available also in a spicy version.

Books Kinokuniya

The Japanese bookstore chain has a store in Bugis (and another one in Ngee Ann City on Orchard Road), offering an excellent opportunity to re-stock in reading material. It has a decent choice of books and magazines in English.

Bugis Cineplex

The cinemas are located at the top level of the Parco covered mall, next to the fountain and in front of the department store. Movies in English – sometimes with subtitles – are shown in the awesome colonial setup.

Cold Storage

Visiting a supermarket while in vacations may seem strange; yet, Cold Storage offers an awesome view into life in the tropics. Strange fruits – everything from durian to dragon fruit – can be studied and tasted at leisure. Eating local dishes inside is also possible and recommended, but taking pictures is not allowed.

Food Junction

Located next to Cold Storage, the Food Junction offers a wide offer of Asian dishes, including Chinese Moon Cakes and many variations of noodle soup. In some stalls the customer can choose the ingredients to be put inside the soup. The most attractive stall – people just stood next to it in order to see the preparation technique – was the one offering "Octopus Balls." The wonder was prepared by using needles in the shaping of perfect spheres out while the blend is cooking on a heated plate.

InterContinental Singapore

The InterContinental presents itself as the only Peranakan-inspired luxury hotel. Peranakan is a term used for the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the British Malaya and the Dutch-controlled Java, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities. Even if not planning to stay there, it is worth taking a look at the intricate mirrors, batu ribbons and louvred windows along the corridors.

Special Performances

The central plaza is home to special performances from time to time, usually right after the quick tropical sunset. I have seen there a fascinating performance of Thai Classical Dancing.



Early Twentieth Century wooden structures, a glass dome, pork floss buns, shiny fountains, and sophisticated shopping and entertainment options, Bugis Junction has something to offer for every traveler.