Getting Connected in Singapore

Getting back on the Internet grid abroad has become a top priority for today’s travellers. Getting connected means back on communication. You can access your email, Skype, WhatsApp, iMessage, access to web pages, GPS, online travel guides, etc. Today, I will share about different ways to be back on the grid.

Communications is important, connected to people here and abroad can help you in many ways. Voice used to be done through international calls, either roaming or through calling cards. But with today’s technology, Voice over IP (VoIP), Facetime or Skype, allows you toll-free calls through the Net. All you need is a data connection.

Having trouble with some GPS systems? Google Maps or or other online navigation apps may need data connection to load maps and traffic information. Find My Friends, another useful app requires you to be on the grid. Other uses will be like accessing travel guides, like referring to the greatest travel resource in Singapore (My website *wink!), will require data connection.

I have hosted many travellers and I always recommend them to get data connection. Roaming or data-roaming can be really expensive and out of many of our considerations.  Fortunately, Singapore tel-cos do provide data connection plans for a number of days. There are also voice + data plans, but if you are savvy enough, data should be good enough and cheaper.

Starhub MaxMobile 5-day Data Plan: This 5-day plan($18) provides you a good amount of data everyday (2GB). Available in various SIM sizes, Starhub stores are pretty easy to find. There is one right at the departure lounge in Changi Airport Terminal 3, #03-22. Recommended for business travellers for just a week in Singapore, with light usage of data.

Singtel hi! Data Plan: Other options from other tel-cos include Singtel, which offer more variety of options, 1, 3, 7 days with fixed amount of data quota, slightly more expensive than Starhub’s, 14GB for 7 days@ $25.

M1 Mobile Data Plan: Another popular tel-co offers similar Starhub’s plan. 5-day unlimited data usage.

One thing to note, not all of these telcos provide all sizes of SIM cards. Some may not have prepaid micro or nano SIMS. But from my own experience, Starhub does have all sizes.

Having such prepaid data plans are perfect solutions for all Singapore travellers. Save on expensive hotel broadband charges or your own data-roaming charges. Get conencted and come back to this blog for the valuable guide to Singapore!

Best Afternoon Tea in Singapore

My girlfriend and I have been fans of Afternoon Tea. Just last week, we celebrated her birthday at one of the best hotels in Singapore, The Fullerton Hotel. I strongly recommend The Courtyard, at Fullerton Hotel if you like a quiet environment and have sweet tooth for small bites of desserts, like freshly baked scones, finger sandwiches, sugary macaroons.

   

The place, called The Courtyard, is a spacious area at the main atrium of the hotel, where natural sunlight shines through the frosted glass roof, enhances the ambience and environment. The traditional English Afternoon Tea comes with a selection of English Tea from TWG, one of the luxury tea salons in Singapore, with an assortment of sandwiches and desserts.

You will get to select up to two different types of Tea per pax, so my girlfriend and I had tried four different teas and all of them are special and tasted really well. Sandwiches, sweets and scones are all replenish-able. Unlike many afternoon teas or high teas, which you have to walk to the buffet bar to get your food, The Courtyard waitress will bring the food to your 3-tier dessert stand.

   

While all the food is good and the teas are legendary, I find that the place get pretty heated up after a while. With a good amount of food and natural light, I started perspiring and not as comfortable at other areas. If you are someone who like to stay cool and wanted to be in a more enclosed area, try the other hotel’s cafe, The Landing Point at The Fullerton Bay Hotel, it serves identical selection of teas and food, but it has a seaview and a cooler setting with marble floors and blue surroundings, compared to the warm setting at the Courtyard with red carpet and beige walls.

The Fullerton Hotel is one of the colonial buildings built when Singapore is still a British Colony. Over the years, it has been a General Post Office of Singapore, and through renovations and redesign, it has been transformed into a 5-star hotel in Singapore.

The Afternoon Tea will be $42++ per pax for traditional English Tea, or you can top it up with a glass of wine or champagne at $52++ or $62++ respectively.While it may seem like you are paying a high price for bite-sized treats and limited selection of teas, what you get in return is a perfect afternoon in Singapore. The Courtyard at Fullerton Hotel, without a doubt, has one of the best afternoon teas in Singapore.

The Fullerton Hotel is nearest to Raffles Place MRT (Red Line).

For Reservations, call : +65 6877 8128

Mon to Fri : 3pm – 6pm, Sat to Sun: 2-4pm, 4.30pm - 6pm

National Service in Singapore

Do you know that every Singaporean son is a trained soldier, or a policeman or a member of the civil defence? Yes! All male citizens of Singapore and non first generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 will need to serve National Service. Most of them will serve for at least 22 or 24 months in the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force or Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Recruits completed boot camp (photo from: http://kementah.blogspot.sg)

I am a national serviceman too! And national service does not stop after we had served for two years. Those who had completed their 2-year national service are considered as “operational ready” serviceman, or simply “reservists”, who are liable to called up for duty in the next 10 years or till the age of 40 or 50.Singapore is a small country and it is just not feasible to maintain a sizable active military force and therefore adopted conscription.

For males conscripted to the military force, they will undergo boot camp training to transform them from boys to men, from civilians to soldiers. Others will be trained as policemen or firefighters in the respective training institutes. Over the years, many people are very interested in how these boys undergo boot camp and the stories of their experiences in training. Many movies were made to tell these stories, recently #1 box office show was “Ah Boys to Men” and sequel “Ah Boys to Men 2”, tell stories of several boys who underwent boot camp and transformed into trained soldiers. It’s a entertaining and informative show, bringing you laughter and a glimpse of the interesting life as a recruit.

Transformation of the Singapore soldiers (Latest to the left) -- http://randomworksofterence.blogspot.sg

For myself, I feel that national service is important to us, not only protecting our own country, but also allow us to toughen ourselves, and know that we can do far more than we thought we could. It does play an important part in our daily life, the way of doing things, the discipline instilled in us plays a part in every thing we do. It’s also a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us! Who will actually plan a jungle outing, sleeping in tents that are half submerged in muddy water? Who will go for tough training to torture our selves and eventually build up our physical and mental strength?

The transformation is indeed obvious. Laid back boys who just like to slack around underwent National Service and turned themselves into responsible and proactive men. Violent and arrogant teenagers changed over two years to become calm and humble students. That might be one of the reasons that Singapore is successful and maintain low crime rate.

It’s a common sight in Singapore, you can see people in military uniforms on MRTs or along the streets and you know that they are doing their part to serve the Nation!

Singapore Changi Airport

 

One of the most iconic building in Singapore is the Singapore Changi Airport. Awarded The Best Airport in the World 2013 by Skytrax, Changi Airport serves over 110 international airlines to 240 cities in 60 countries worldwide. The world class facility handles 6,500 flights weekly and over a whopping 50 million passengers a year!

Changi Airport consists of three passenger terminals expanded over the last 30 years and terminals are linked up by a dedicated light rail, Skytrain which ferries transit passengers and also visitors. Not only evolved as a transportation hub, Changi Airport is also a shopping paradise! At the basement of latest Terminal 3, there are numerous shops, supermarket, restaurants and also food court! The best thing is, you can reach Changi Airport by many buses and also the convenient MRT!

Changi Airport is also a popular hangout place for families on weekends too. They don’t come to the airport to fetch passengers or board planes, but just exploring the terminals, wide spaces for their kids to run around and enjoy the amazing sights at the viewing galleries.

If you are visiting Singapore, this will be the your first destination! Customs and Immigrations are lightning fast. Baggage services are excellent and when you are out, you can be sure to find taxis at the nearby taxi stands. If you will like to go on public transport, MRT and bus services are available at terminal 3. Don’t worry about getting lost in this giant complex, there are directional signs all over the place.

 

MRT & Bus Services at Terminal 3

I am sure you will like Changi Airport very much. Transit visitors can enjoy the beautiful landscaped gardens and even a butterfly garden! Enjoy the various artistic displays like the recently added kinetic chandelier at Terminal 1! Look out for the eco-friendly Terminal 3, with green walls and natural sunlight illuminating the entire complex!

Don’t just rush to your hotel straight away or board your planes quickly. Spend some time and experience the world class facility, Singapore’s Changi Airport!

Popeyes! Tasty Fried Chicken!

Originated from Lousiana, USA, Popeyes has become one of the more popular fast food chain here in Singapore! Fried chicken lovers have now one more option to choose from other than the all time favourite, KFC, Popeyes Fried Chicken has its own unique taste and coupled with fantastic sides!

Popeyes Fried Chicken are less spicy and do not have as much frying powder than KFC, are also extremely juicy. The meat are tender and fresh. One thing I learn about having fried chicken is to patronize outlets with queues. The more people are queuing and buying fried chicken, the fried chicken are served steamy hot and hence taste better than those left on the rack for a while.

There are several outlets in Singapore, but apparently the outlet at Changi Airport, Terminal 3, tasted the best! I was there after my recent cycling trip at Changi Beach Park, and I don’t know why, I craved for the juicy chicken nearby! Me and my girlfriend had 2 piece meals and various sides.

Popeyes’ side dishes are also the reason why people choose it over KFC. Mashed potatoes are not just plain potatoes paste, but with small crumbs of vegetables and carrots, which tasted so much better than KFC’s. Fries are cajun fries with dash of barbeque powder, added another flavor to your tastebuds. Don’t forget their biscuits too, the muffin–like biscuits with strawberry jam is something you will remember when you think about Popeyes!

 

If you wanted something that served fast and tasty, try Popeyes, especially the outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 3. If you had Popeyes in Singapore is definitely different from the US, and I bet you will have whole new experience here in Singapore’s Fast Food dining.

 

Popeyes Singapore Website: Click Here

Bubble Tea! Or tea with bubbles?

 

Bubble tea is one of the very common beverage that young adults and teenagers enjoy. There was a bubble tea fever more than 10 years ago and it died down due to the huge number of stalls competing in a small market. Bubble tea makes its comeback a few years ago and with big Taiwanese players, Bubble tea seemed to be staying for quite a while. 

Bubble tea is generally red tea with added flavor or milk tea. The term bubble is derived from the large chewy black pearls made of sago powder (jelly kind of ingredient) and you will have to use a larger than usual straw to suck up the pearls. Bubble tea today comes in more than fifty different flavors, from fruity apple to the more traditional green tea bubble tea.

   

Look at gigantic straw! The queue number is the last two digit on your receipt No.

One of my favorite bubble tea stall is Gong Cha, a Taiwanese-based bubble tea chain. It does not sell the fruity kind of bubble tea, but more of the uniquely concocted mixes like Grapefruit Green tea, Taro Milk or my favorite, Lemon Roasted Melon Tea! It is definitely more tasty than many of the usual powder mixed flavor teas, but cost at a much higher price. But still, it is quite affordable and I always get one when I past by one of its stalls.

The Gong Cha stall has a very systematic queuing and collection process. First you have to select your drink and then place your order at the counter. The counter will issue you the receipt with a queue number on it and you will just hang around and watch the LED screen for your number. When your number appears just head over to the collection counter and collect your drink!

My Lemon Roasted Melon Tea is a mix of lemon and roasted melon, and it tasted like iced lemon tea but with a tangy citrus kind of bitterly sweet. You can choose to add pearls in it too, I added white pearls as it tasted better, more crunchy than the usual black pearls. You can watch how the staff make the drink. It is just like a pub barrister shaking your cocktail!

If you really like to try some localized Asian kind of beverage or when you just need to have some cooling drink to quench your thirst, grab one along the way! Gong Cha has numerous outlets all over Singapore. In shopping malls, MRT, shophouses. You have to try one when you are in Singapore. 

Photo from http://foodiefc.wordpress.com

Cycling in Singapore!

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Singapore may be a busy city with tons of concrete and miles of roads. The roads are always busy and in heavy traffic. However, do you know that this so-called Garden City does have quiet and serene places where you can totally relax yourself and just enjoy the surroundings? Cycling is an almost forgotten activity in many Singaporean's’ lives, everyone is into computer games, shopping malls and theme parks. In fact, cycling is one of the most affordable and healthy activity!

Just yesterday, Me and my girlfriend made a trip to East Coast Park, the longest and biggest park along the east coast of Singapore. It is one of the favorites among family kind of activity where there are BBQ pits, white sandy beach, and dedicated pathways for jogging and cycling! There is even a extreme skate park for the bicycles and skaters! Our plan that day was to cycle from East Coast Park all the way to the end of it, and through the park connectors that will bring us all the way till Changi Beach Park, another great park behind the Changi Airport.

East Coast Park Area C PCN Pit Stop

To get to east Coast Park, we boarded the MRT to Eunos MRT (Green Line) and took a bus (No.13) and alighted at Marine Crescent. From there, we are able to cross to East Coast park via an underground tunnel over the East Coast Parkway (An expressway in Singapore). There are numerous bicycle rental stations over here, but only one offers you to rent and return somewhere else along the park, “PCN pitstop”, have multiple stations along East Coast Park and Changi Beach Park. Thats why we can make an one way trip without having to cycle your way back to East Coast Park! PCN Pitstop we went to is located at Area C of East Coast Park, very near to Burger King and the Long Beach Seafood Restaurant.

We rented mountain bikes which cost like $10 for 2 hours, which is pretty cheap and of good quality. The bikes there are very well maintained and all sorts of sizes are available. You can choose from one seater mountain bikes, or twin bikes and even a four-seater family cart! But well, for long distance, you really need the mountain bike to make it all the way there!

The distance from Area C to Changi Beach Park is around 18 kilo meters (11.2 miles) and you definitely have to be prepared to perspire and tire out along the way. Trust me, the sense of achievement and with the Changi wind blowing on you is going to overwhelm you and worth everything you have put in. Don’t worry about water and rest, there are plenty of water points and shelters for you to rest and refill.

Just to get you prepared, mentally and physically, here are some descriptions  of various segment along the journey:

• Area C to the End of East Coast Park (near NSRCC Resort) –> There will be curvy path ways and more crowded with people. Expect uphills and down slopes. No traffic light junction, so you are safe from the cars.
• End of East Coast Park to Changi Airport Runway—> This is a Park Connector known as  Changi Coastal walk. Great scenery, expect curvy roads . It cuts through vegetation but the road is cemented and well maintained. Expect one of the 3 traffic light junctions, dismount and cross the road.
• Changi Airport Runway to Changi Beach Park –> This is the toughest part of the route. The path is parallel to the Changi Airport runway. So basically you are cycling from the end of the runway to the other, straight and even path. No great scenery, but you will experience the engine sounds of planes taking off and landing. The road is just straight and can be boring, so maintain speed and endure for this 8 kilometers.
• Changi Beach Park to Changi Village—> You will know that you have conquered the runway when you hit another traffic light. Here is another PCN Pitstop which you can buy some well deserved drinks and ice cream. Changi Beach park will bring you to another stretch of beaches, you will see many fishing along the way and witness planes landing over your head.

Changi Beach Park PCN Pitstop

Your destination is Changi Village, the end of Changi Beach Park where another PCN pitstop is located. You can return your bike here and show the guys your receipt. Changi Village is one of Singapore’s first settlements and now built up nicely where you can find good food at the hawker center. Nasi Lemak, or Coconut Rice, is a malay delicacy and Changi Village have one of the best Nasi Lemak in Singapore. There are many stalls selling, but as a rule of thumb, go to the one with the longest queue!

 

Changi Beach Park and Changi Village Hawker Center

You can get back to Tampines MRT station by taking a bus (No.29) from the bus terminal at Changi Village and leave knowing that you have spent a good day covering 42% the width of Singapore! You have burnt 488 calories! Great job!

This cycling route is one of the longest in Singapore, you can even go on from there till you hit Pasir Ris Park! It is pretty safe as there is only three traffic light junctions and the paths are all well maintained. I strongly recommend to those who enjoy the beaches and winds.

 

Things to take note:

• Getting to East Coast Park – > Taxi is the most convenient. Tell the driver to bring you to Area C carpark. Buses are available at Eunos MRT (No.13) alight at Marine Crescent and walk through a few apartment estates to reach the underground tunnel that brings you to Area C.
• Rent your bikes at PCN Pitstop if you are going to return at Changi Beach Park. Note that you will need a Singapore Pink IC to do that. Other forms of identification can be used, however you will have to return your bikes at this PCN pitstop.

Expect to be under the Sun! Use sunscreens and sunblocks with you want to avoid getting tanned! Bring water bottle and you can refill at various water points along the way. There will be stalls selling drinks with you crave for something ice cold.

• Changi Village, a small residential area with a bus terminal. Buses there can bring you to Tampines MRT (No.29). Good food available there.