I just got back home from Singapore and Malaysia around 1:00 a.m., and I have one too many tidbits of information I learned while travelling in these neighboring countries. Well, you probably all know that you're not supposed to bring in gums in Singapore, and all those shenanigans, right? After all, Singapore is a "fine" country, at least that is what the souvenir t-shirts say. But I won't talk about things that will get you fined, but things that will make your life easier while in Singapore...those things that would not embarrass you. And things you can do to save money. So, this post is kinda long, but you'll get a lot of tips, for sure.
SHOPPING and FASHION
1. DON'T BUY COTTON-ON CLOTHES IN SINGAPORE AND WEAR THEM WHILE STILL THERE.
For some reason, this clothing store from Australia is a favorite not only among Filipinos who frequent the stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, but also to the locals in those countries as well. Yes, the clothes and the shoes tend to be really, really cheap when on sale, but if you have to buy Cotton On clothes while in Singapore, don't wear them while in there.
Trust me on this one. Don't do that. You'll find yourself dressed the same way as with the people you see on the streets. Yup. I bought two Cotton On mini skirts, called the Annie skirts, which cost 2 for SGD 19.95. Not a bad deal, eh? When my friend and I hit the malls, I changed from pants to one of the skirts since it was so humid. Well, it was a good thing that the skirts I bought were tamer than the Annie skirts in leopard and tiger prints because girls were wearing them around Singapore, too! And those Jenny dresses they have? Well, if you wear those, you'll come across at least 5 girls in Orchard Road wearing the same dress. Yup, wear those and you'd be a dime a dozen.
2. DON'T BUY MANGO ITEMS ON SALE AND WEAR THEM WHILE IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA.
We all know that Filipinos love Mango, especially if they're on sale. I bought a cream and blue drawstring dress on sale at Glorietta for Php 970. It was light and cottony, so I brought it with me to Singapore. Perfect for hot weather. Guess what? A lot of people were wearing the same dress, in all sorts of colors! Good thing I saw it so I didn't wear it while in SG. But I wore it in Malacca. But again, guess what? I passed by two girls on separate occasions wearing the same dress while I was wearing it, too. One wore the dress exactly like mine, the other, a different color. So embarrassing.
3. IT'S CHEAPER IN MALAYSIA.
It is. If you buy bus and train tickets to Malaysia from Singapore, say, for example, bus ticket from Malaysia to Malacca, you'd probably pay around SGD 22 TO 40, depending on the coach service. I bought mine online from Luxury Travel and Tours for SG D31. But if you're buying the tickets from Malaysia going to Singapore, you'd pay around MYR 22 up. Yup, for the same price but different currencies. SGD to PHP is around 35.5 while MYR to PHP is around 15.
It's almost the same with Mc Donalds. In Malacca, a double cheeseburger meal is more or less MYR 9, and in Singapore, it's almost SGD 8. Also, I've been to Kuala Lumpur, too, 2 or 3 years back and the Evita Peroni items in Kuala Lumpur cost less there than in Singapore.
4. BEWARE OF GIRLS WEARING HEELS AT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONS.
My friend and I went to Orchard Road via MRT from Vivo City. It was rush hour, around 6 pm and the MRTs were packed. We changed lines at Dhouby Gout station and what should have been a safe trip (it's just 2 stops away from Orchard Road station), became a disaster, at least for me.
Singaporeans love to wear pretty shoes, in all kinds of heels. They're either wearing really high heels or with much lower heels but stiletto-style. They'll walk in those as if their feet do not hurt all around Singapore and while riding the bus and the MRT. I say, those shoes are deadly at public transportations. If the bus or the MRT lurches, chances are, your feet would get squashed, speared and wounded by those heels. Something which happened to me at the MRT.
There was this lady who was at the door and not holding on to anything for support. When the MRT moved forward, she lost her balance, I saw it so I instinctively pulled my foot away from her, but what do you know? The girl still managed to stomp on my toe with her stiletto heels. It was painful. It was like getting speared. I shouted, "Ouch!" She said that she's sorry, and I understood her but I couldn't get past the fact that it was painful. I almost blurted that if sorry could cut it, we won't need the police anymore (very Meteor Garden/Boys Over Flowers). I said back to her instead, "It hurts!" Her stiletto skinned my second digit and left a circular wound, the size of her heels. And worse, it was bleeding! I wanted to tell her that it's her responsibility to hold on to the railings for support and that she shouldn't be wearing those shoes while riding public transportation if she couldn't balance herself while wearing those. They're deadly, really. So, stay away from stiletto-wearing Singaporean ladies, okay?
5. THE GREAT SINGAPORE SALE IS JUST LIKE A REGULAR END OF SEASON SALE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Well, I don't know if I went to Singapore at the wrong time, right in the middle of the Great Singapore Sale. There was not much of a sale in Singapore. The on-sale items at the stores are the same items on-sale in the Philippines. The Mango sale here is the same as the Mango sale in Singapore, and at the same prices, too. Dorothy Perkins, which has a few select items on sale here, also has a few items on sale in Singapore. The malls have their own respective sales but there aren't many. Just a few items here and there. We rounded up the malls at Orchard Road and well, what's on sale? Nothing much. It was disappointing, really. I am not sure if there was a sale at Chanel in Takashimaya, but there were a couple of people lined up at the doors. Even if Chanel was on sale, I could not afford to buy anything in there.
I bought a lot of stuff on-sale in the previous years I've been to Singapore sometime in October than during the Great Singapore Sale this year (shoes, sandals and bags). I didn't buy any on-sale this year.
6. SOUVENIRS ARE CHEAPER IN CHINATOWN.
Yup, it's cheaper in Chinatown. Those keychains are SGD 2 per packs of 6. The Singapore shirts are 3 for SGD 10, etc. Just don't complain about the quality. A similar looking keychain at Mustafa is around SGD 6.50, so it's 3x pricier, 3x heavier and thus, 3x more durable. The same is true with the Singapore t-shirts in Mustafa. While pricier, their shirts are more durable; thicker and cottony.
7. MUSTAFA IS THE PLACE TO BE.
I don't know, but Mustafa's the shopping center I really, really love in Singapore. The perfumes are way cheaper, the luggages and the shoes, too. There's not that much selection of clothes and shoes but they're cheap, and the best of it, the items are not even on sale. Chocolates are cheaper there, too. And, it's open 24 hours. Also, you don't have to haggle, so for those who are not good at haggling, like me, this is the place to go to. Did I say the products are authentic? Yup! And, the exchange rates are way better here.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AND RESORTS WORLD
1. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE IS SMALL, BUT FUN.
You can probably round up the entire park in 10 minutes, without stopping for pictures, of course. But most attractions are great; some are so-so, especially the kiddie rides. Let's just say that some kiddie rides look as if more fitting in Boom na Boom (the Madagascar carousel, for one) rather than at an international theme park.
There are few rides but the studios compensate it with lots of shows, like the very funny and entertaining Shrek 4D experience, the Lost World, Lights Camera Action, Monsters Rock, etc. I think we've just gone to the Madagascar water ride, the Jurassic water ride (you get wet, a lot), the Revenge of the Mummy, the Sahara dessert-like kiddie ride, and that's about it. We just couldn't get the courage to ride the Battle Star Galactica loops, as with most people. In fact, there are no lines in there, and very, very few people try the ride. It's scary, you know. And we didn't get to ride the canopy at the Jurassic Park because there was some technical problems. And that's after we waited in line for 15 minutes.
Also, there are a lot of Filipinos visiting the park. It's as if you never left home. And some performers are Filipinos, too, like the Rockefeller Streetboys who seemed to capture the hearts of the young Indonesian girls who were watching their performance when we were there.
I almost forgot to add that there are limited rides for the kids. Oh well, at least there are a lot of shows to watch.
2. USE YOUR MASTERCARD FOR BUYING TICKETS AT THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE AND YOU'D GET 20% DISCOUNT PLUS A SGD 10 VOUCHER (Only for this year, I guess).
I was trying to buy tickets online because I thought there's a 20% discount if you use Mastercard in buying your tickets. Apparently, it was just until May, and the new promo is for August onwards or something. So, when I bought tickets at the gates last Saturday, I was surprised when the staff told me there's discount if buying with Mastercard, and we got the SGD 10 voucher since we're the first 200 to sign up for that. Cool! You can use it to buy souvenirs from the stores inside the USS.
3. WHEN GOING TO RESORTS WORLD HOTEL TO CHECK-IN OR WHEN COMING BACK TO THE HOTEL, SHOW YOUR HOTEL CARD KEY OR BOOKING CONFIRMATION TO THE TOLL GATE ASSISTANT AT SENTOSA.
Otherwise, you'll be charged SGD 3.00, if I remember correctly, for toll fee.
4. WHEN STAYING AT A RESORT WORLD HOTEL, ASK THE CONCIERGE FOR THE COMPLIMENTARY MONORAIL UNLIMITED PASS VALID FOR 3 DAYS.
Just in case the concierge or the front-desk receptionist forgets to tell you that they have complimentary monorail passes for check-in guests. Generally, a room is allowed 4 mono rail passes, but you can ask for more. I saw a family of 2 adults and 3 kids being given 5 monorail passes. Heck, the room I booked is good only for 2 adults but they gave me 4 monorail passes when I asked them. If you don't have the monorail passes, you'd be constrained to take a cab to get out of the hotel with SGD 3.00 surcharge on your fare, or take the boardwalk (a good 10 to 15 minutes on foot to Vivo City) or wait for the bus or something.
5. WHEN STAYING AT A RESORT WORLD HOTEL, DON'T BE SHY TO ASK FOR COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLES OF WATER, OR FOR MORE TEA/COFFEE/MILO, ETC., OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
For the price of your stay at the Resorts World chain of hotels, you should be able to stretch every dollar you paid for and ask for complimentary bottles of water, as well as for their teas, coffees, milo, sugar, etc. Besides, bottled water is expensive in Singapore, so don't fret! And, the hotel staff who brings the water to your room are good looking, too.
In fact, you should do this at every 4 or 5-star hotels you're staying at. They're not stingy on water and refreshments. Really. It never hurts to ask.
6. TRY TO VISIT THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN THE MORNING, EAT LUNCH OUTSIDE FOR BETTER AND CHEAPER OR MORE EXPENSIVE CHOICES, SLEEP AT YOUR RESORTS WORLD HOTEL IN THE MEANTIME, AND RETURN WHEN IT'S NOT THAT HOT ANYMORE.
Yes. If you're staying at a Resorts World hotel, you should do this. Besides, the USS is small, and it's hot in Singapore. By lunch time, head out for the exit but don't forget to get your skin stamp for re-entry, eat where you want to, nap and freshen up in your room, and return to USS when it's not hot anymore. Don't worry, USS closes at 9pm and there's not much of a line by the time you return to USS. In our case, we returned to USS around 4:30 p.m. in time for the Lost World show, and we stayed there until closing time for the fireworks.
GETTING AROUND SINGAPORE
1. TAKE A CAB IF YOU'RE 3 OR 4 IN THE GROUP.
Yes, there is this thing called the Singapore tourist pass for bus and MRT rides. Yes, I know that public transportation is way cheaper than hailing a cab. However, if you're 3 or 4 in a group, why not take a taxi and split the cost three-way or four-way? It'll save you the hassle of transferring, of walking great distances under the heat, of getting lost, etc., etc. It's very convenient, too, and time-efficient.
If you're going to somewhere far, far away, then, that's the time for you to take public transportation, I think. But anyway, we've taken cabs from many points in Singapore and we didn't have to spend more than SGD 20.00 per trip. For shorter trips, we just spent around SGD 7.00 up, and even less for super short trips. From the airport to Mustafa Center, we paid only SGD 17.00, surcharge for late-night ride already included. And from there to Chinatown, we paid around SGD 7.00 or so.
2. KNOW AT LEAST ONE TAXI SERVICE FOR LATE FRIDAY NIGHTS OR RUSH HOUR.
Despite claims that it's easy to hail taxi cabs in Singapore, it's quite hard to find one during Friday nights and during rush hours. Most cabs by that time, even after midnight, mind you, are either HIRED, or BUSY, as their lighted signs say. When the cab says, BUSY, or something like that, it's going to pick up a passenger who called for a taxi service. And during Friday nights, it's really, really hard to hail a vacant taxi.
In our case, we got stuck for more than an hour waiting for a cab at Mustafa on a Friday night. We walked further the road, the last MRT had already departed, and still, we could not get a vacant cab. I presume most people were still partying somewhere, hence the lack of vacant taxis.
At taxi bays, there are signs telling you which numbers to call when you're in need of a cab, but there are some places with no such bays at all, so if you don't know at least one number to call for a cab, good luck to when when your luck runs out of gas. Heehee.
