Singapore: Holland Village

Holland Village

Estimated time spent: 3 hours

Holland Village is an interesting place to be at. There are a variety of eateries and shops which are sure to attract both the foreign and local tourists. With malls and shops that sell items unique to the three main ethnic groups in Singapore, namely Chinese, Malays and Indians, the area transforms into a nightlife district once the sun sets.

With the opening of the Circle Line, Holland Village was unveiled to be one of the stations on the new train route. Holland Village is also also gaining popularity as a place to go to while travelling along the Circle Line (which includes attractions such as Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum and Gardens By The Bay).

Following signs within the MRT station, you will be able to find your way to Holland Road Shopping Centre at Exit C. The mall houses a supermarket, where you can get your hands on those local tidbits and Malaysian brand coffee at a cheap price, and shops that sell items ranging from Chinese tea sets to Malay batik design clothing to Indian carpets at a good bargain.

If you are unsure of how to use the items or is simply curious about the item itself, friendly shopkeepers are more than happy to serve you (though be sure to avoid peak business hours i.e. 9am-10am/ 5pm-6.30pm). 

Concept themed cafes and restaurants can be found littered around the area. A good exploration of the area aided with a healthy dose of curiosity will be sure to lead you to surprises.

Singapore: Public Transportation System in Singapore

Public Transportation System in Singapore

The public transportation system in Singapore is made up of trains (MRT and LRT), bus and taxi (or, as some may know it, cab).

It is important to buy smart cards known as EZlink card which is used as a form of payment for transportations in Singapore. You will have to tap in at the entrance and tap again to exit for both trains and buses. Some taxis allow for EZlink payments too.

Payments are judged by distance so it is important to remember to tap out at exits especially for buses where it is easy to forget to tap out before alighting. If you should forget to tap out when alighting the bus, the fare for the entire bus route will be charged to your EZlink card.

EZlink cards can be easily bought from any train station's Passenger Service Centre, 7-Eleven and any post office. SGD$5 will be charged for the cost of the card while there is a deposit value of SGD$7 and SGD$5 when you buy the EZlink card from train stations and 7-Eleven respectively. There is no required deposit value when the card is bought from the post office.

MRT & LRT

As a country that places high importance on its tourism activities, the train system reflects according to the developments of local attractions. As a result most, if not all, of the main attractions in Singapore are accessible by train. For those that are not, such as the zoo, shuttle bus services provide the solution by transporting visitors between attractions and designated train stations.

LRT is the Light Rail Transit system that is used in Sengkang, Punggol and Bukit Panjang areas that is linked to the MRT system.

 
Credits of photo go to Land Transport Authority.

Train fares are free when commuters alight at the selected train stations around the Central Business District (CBD) before 7.45am. This free train fare scheme is till 24 June 2014 so take note if you will be in Singapore before then and are willing to wake up early.

Taxi

Cabbing in Singapore is based on meter charges so you do not have to worry about being charged at 'foreigner prices' or 'tourist prices'.

There might be additional charges such as ERP (Electronic Road Pricing), an electronic toll collection system that is placed all around the CBD. It collects tolls at specific hours and the gantry will show the toll charges whenever it is activated. These surcharges will also be shown on the taxi meter. To further drive away any worries one might hold towards cabbing in Singapore, a table of the meter charges is pasted onto the windows of taxis and taxi drivers are pretty friendly. So feel free to clarify any doubts in the fare charges and they will gladly explain it to you.

Singapore: Marina Bay Sands & ArtScience Museum

Marina Bay Sands & ArtScience Museum

Estimated time spent: 4 hours 30min 

What is Marina Bay Sands all about? If you are looking for shopping, grand dining, some place to try your luck, getting the best views in Singapore and getting a feel of the Singapore night life, Marina Bay Sands is everything you need and more!

With the ArtScience Museum (yes, no spacing there) sharing its compounds, and a theatre that has broadway shows and other forms of arts performed within it all year round, Marina Bay Sands is definitely the place to go to for an all-rounded experience. For the typical local with a bit of spare cash on hand and tourists who are looking to get a compact experience of Singapore's high end society, Marina Bay Sands will be the perfect answer.

A close distance from Gardens By The Bay, Marina Bay Sands shares the same Bayfront Station which has an exit leading to Gardens By The Bay. One can start the day off with a trip to Gardens By The Bay and continue on to Marina Bay Sands through the train station with the help of signage that point out the direction at every turn. These signage, together with maps and service counters, are scattered throughout the mall so do not worry if you cannot find a specific location (eg. ice-skating rink).

The mall provides a relaxing atmosphere for shopping without the crowds commonly found in the Central Business District (CBD) (though this can probably be explained by the price tags you might expect at most stores in the mall).

A day of shopping can be accompanied by a bit of a fun boat ride along the water canal that occupies the length of one of the 3 stretches that make up the mall. These boats do share similarities with the Venetian gondola in that they are also used as a means of transportation near coastal areas. However, as opposed to the gondola, they are really Chinese fishing boats known as sampan. The term is derived from the Chinese dialect Hokkien term 三板 (sam pan) which is translated as 'three planks'. This is a reference to the three main planks that form the boat. Sampan boats are still in use in certain parts of Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, which makes them a signature of the Southeast Asian culture.

The rides themselves cost SGD$8 per person. The ride leads to a water collection pit that is designed as a means to help collect water and also provides a source of visual entertainment on regular intervals (depends on perspective and what you want to make of it really).

Appearances can be deceiving. Although Marina Bay Sands might seem to be a place dedicated to the rich and famous, there are actually (surprise!) reasonably priced stores and restaurants hidden in it. The local culture of food courts, which provides a variety of local foods at an affordable price is definitely the to-go place for lunch while Toast Box will be a nice breakfast place for the early birds (the Kaya Toast is a must-try item on the menu). There is also an ice (or wax) skating rink beside the food court where children (energy bunnies that they are) can play in it while their parents rest their tired feet after a day of walking.

Casinos might be seen as an attraction for the adults. There are six hundred gaming tables and over a thousand slot machines with the casino opening 24 hours. A note to keep in mind is that the casinos require locals to pay SGD$100 for entrance- which explains the need to check your passport at the casino's entrance (and thus a need to bring your passport along to the casino). It admits foreigners for free so while locals (such as myself) may feel discouraged from entering, foreigners may feel free to wander around one of the only two casinos in Singapore and perhaps try their lucks on the tables. 

A place for afternoon tea that I would recommend is TWG which provides excellent services at a reasonable price. There are two branches of TWG in Marina Bay Sands and I would recommend the larger branch near the theatres. It is in a more open area and allows for more space with orchids decorating all sides of the restaurant.

ArtScience Museum

The ArtScience Museum, as the name suggests, is a museum that displays exhibitions associated with the arts and sciences from all over the world.

There museum has hosted exhibitions such as Titanic and Egyptian artefacts since its opening and continues to host special exhibitions that attract much tourists and locals alike to visit it.

Opening hours are: 10am-10pm on both weekdays and weekends

Ticket prices are:

Adults- SGD$30

Senior Citizens- SGD$27

Child- SGD$17

The lotus pond that envelops ArtScience Museum echoes the source of inspiration for the ArtScience Museum's design- the lotus flower. The building also represents an open hand where rainwater is collected at the roof of it.

The sidewalk beside ArtScience Museum leads to the Double Helix Bridge that connects to Suntec City and the Singapore Flyer. The bridge itself is inspired by the form of DNA strands and even has the letters C, G, T and A which light up at night.