SINGAPORE, AN AXIOMATIC APPROACH WITH

APPLICATIONS

OMER ZILBERBOIM

1. Normalize your money

The �rst thing you should do to get a proper sense of your money's worth is goto McDonald's. There you'll �nd that crispy chicken is 2 SGD, and an entire mealis about 6 SGD. A big bottle of water (1.5 litre) in a supermarket or a 7 elevenwould cost you around 2 SGD. A good map of Singapore (the o�cial map) willcost you 8 SGD (the price is written on it), and I strongly suggest you buy it, as itcontains some information on interesting sights and how to get there. In fact, if youare in Singapore for a few days, that's probably all you need. On this map you'll�nd enumerated markers that correspond to a list of places of interest. Again, Istrongly recommend to buy this map (could be found in some of the 7 elevens).On this note, let's say a word on the do's and don'ts: Do bring breathable cloths,preferably short and a swim suit. Don't bring any sort of weapons, drugs, chewinggum or tobacco.

2. There exists good, clean, cheap food.

Don't look for restaurants, look for food courts. These are spread all around andcan be found where the population is more dense. If you bought the map, you'll seesome of them marked on it (try looking for a fork and a spoon, for instance on theenlarged downtown part, L-15). Various types of food - Malaysian, Chinese, Indianetc. can be found in these food courts for about 3-7 SGD per person, depends onwhat you take. This does not include drinks, which are usually sold at a separatestall in the food court, and include the regular beverages from a can/bottle as wellas more exotic drinks such as: Bandung (roughly, milk with rose �avor), sugar canejuice (get it if you can �nd it !), lychee juice etc. Usually there will also be variousfruits, served sliced as a desert.

The more I talk to people who have been to Singapore it appears they havemissed out this point, namely, eating at food courts. I'm not saying you should eatonly at food courts, sometimes you're just not up for it, but I strongly suggest thatyou insist on going to one of the large food courts on your �rst-second day, and trythem out. I would recommend going to Albert Centre or Tekka Centre if you wanta safe bet (food variety-wise). It seems to put the whole Singapore experience ina di�erent perspective: Assuming you'll order 7 SGD (the more expensive meals)worth of food on EVERY meal, that you eat 3 times a day and that once a dayyou'll order a meal you don't like (in practice, that only happened to me 3 times ina month), you'll end up spending 28 SGD per day on food. Considering that a lotof the activities suggested in this paper are FREE, you can get a good bound onthe amount of money you'll spend per day (adding the cost of public transportationand accommodation).

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But the real joy of these food courts is the great variety of food on the sameplace. English is not always understandable (most of the times it is), but you canpoint out what you like, since everything is usually either displayed or shown inpictures.

Examples for these food courts are Albert Centre (if you are near Bugis MRTstation), Tekka Centre (if you are in little India), Food Republic (which is a chainof food courts, there is one in Vivo City for instance). These were just the bignames, but there are plenty more food courts, some are unnamed and might besmaller but just as good. There are also food courts at MRT stations (for instance,the one in Bugis station - NOT the Albert centre which is close by). After a whileyou'll see that those are a little di�erent, and of course malls are �lled with them(but usually more expensive). This section would be named: �All food in Singaporeis cheap and good� BUT:

2.1. There exists expensive food. If you go to Clarck Quay, which is by the waya nice place to hang out, you'll �nd some expensive restaurants. This can easilyseen to be related to the proximity to the Central Business District (CBD), theexpensive hotels, and to the massive amount of foreigners sitting there. No need toworry, the Clarck Quay MRT station is nearby, where you can �nd a food court.If you are willing to go a bit further, Chinatown is also close, where you can also�nd food courts and, of course, Chinatown itself. Don't skip Peoples Park which isacross the street from Chinatown, and where you can get a glimpse of real china.

2.2. There exists bad food. Durian. This is a fruit that smells so bad, it is notpermitted on the public transportation and hotels. It not only taste so bad, but itstaste tends to stay in your mouth/stomach. Try it at least once.

There are Durian cakes, shakes, ice cream, pancakes and many other ways toingest the foul fruit. Make sure you get yours fresh....

2.3. Specialty Food and Alcohol. This paper is not the right place to look fordirections to specialty food (chilli crabs, shark �n soup etc.), but you should beaware that there are exotic dishes which are considered very good in Singapore. Aword of caution though: don't be tempted to pay a lot of money for nonsense. Forinstance, a Singapore Sling (a local drink) would cost you a pretty penny at a hotelor a bar (probably since it is considered a �thing to do� for tourists in Singapore).Regarding alcohol, look for the places that have happy hours and remember thata big bottle of beer (Tiger, Carlsberg etc.) would cost you approximately 5-6 SGDat a drinks stall in a food court or on the street, and drinking like the locals do isan excellent experience.

3. Suppose you have a local sim card, Then you have free internet.

Let me explain: a local sim card would cost about 18 SGD for the simple pre-paid kind. Assuming it �ts in your phone (if your cell phone is not locked orincompatible), you could surf the web for free wherever there is a wireless@sg net-work hot spot (meaning a wireless LAN connection). There are many such spots,all over Singapore, so maybe it won't work inside your room, but you should beable to �nd it at most public spaces. A registration is required, and then an smsis sent to your phone containing your user name and password (so just buyingthe SIM card is not enough, you'll need a phone too). For more information see

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http://home.singtel.com/wirelesssg/. This is through SingTel's website, in case youhave an M1 or StarHub SIM card, you might want to check their websites as well.

4. Existence of Good Public Transportation

Public transportation in Singapore is very e�ective. A pass card could be boughtand charged with money, to be used in all the train lines (MRT, LRT) AND buses(EZ link is one example for such a card). Simply swipe the card upon enteringor exiting a bus and the right amount of money will be deducted o� of your card(according to millage). Once leaving Singapore, you can approach the customerservice counter at any MRT station (for instance, the one in Changi Airport) andcash back the remaining credit on your card. For a map of trains you can referto: http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp, though it is also possibleto just ask a small map in any of the MRT stations. If you got the o�cial mapof Singapore, then there is also a map of the MRT there. Lastly, there are cabs:�nancially they are the most expensive option, unless you are traveling by a totalcompany of 4 (or 3) people, in which case it is sometimes better to take a cabor combine MRT with them. It is illegal for a taxi driver not to run on a meter,and notice (usually on the back window) that there are extra charges (night time,airport drive etc.).

5. Accommodation

This is really an issue I hoped to avoid, but there is something to be said here:At the time of writing, there are at least two hotel chains that run in Singapore:�Fragrance Hotel� and �Hotel 81�. Both run hotels all around the island, at variouscosts and various levels of comfort, cleaning etc. It very well can happen that thesame chain has several hotels in the same neighborhood with similar prices butdi�erent facilities. Another thing to look out for, regarding location: there areconsiderably cheaper hotels in Gaylang (a district on the east side of the island),however, be sure to know that this is a red light district. The only golden rulethat I could recommend is that closer to Bugis is better (from the perspectiveof neighborhood, facilities, proximity to many areas of interest etc.), and moreexpensive. When you look for a place to stay, try to keep in mind the distance frompoints of interest and the fact that public transportation (MRT and buses) stopsat about 23:30 (give or take, it depends which kind). If you intend to stay for along enough time, try looking for small non-chain hotels as well. Some of these canbe found around Little India for instance, at reasonable prices.

6. Applications

This section gives you a collection of half a day to one day trips in Singapore.Some of these are day activities while some are better for night time. You shouldalways take into account the additional cost of transportation, and always checkonline to make sure that they are relevant to your time of stay, for instance: theSingapore �yer might be closed due to lightning storms, MacRitchie reservoir mightbe closed due to heavy rain and the swimming complex at Jurong might be closedon Mondays. Finally, I considered Bugis MRT station as point of origin, Googlemaps should be able to give you transportation directions from anywhere else, anddon't be scared to ask the locals - I always got very accurate directions whenever Iasked them, not to mention kind.

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6.1. General Activities and Tickets. If all you want is to catch a show whileyou are in town, I recommend you check http://www.sistic.com.sg. Here youcan check the events calender as well as buy your ticket. If you happen to catch ashow at Esplanade Theatre, I suggest you also read the Marina Bay section of thisessay.

6.2. Pulau Ubin (Island).

• Duration: One day (with an option for more). Bring some insect repellantif have it (or buy on the island).

• Location: North East of Singapore (a 15 minutes bumboat ride is required).• Food: There is a great food court (actually there are two, and they areconnected) close to the point where the bumboats leave, as well as somerelatively non-expensive restaurants on the Island.

• Getting there: take a bus to Changi Village (NOT Changi Airport) andthen a 2.5 SGD bumboat ride. The bumboat service works until ROUGHLY17:30. If there aren't enough people it won't go, but, renting the whole boatfor yourself is 30 SGD. Still, don't wait too late.

Go to Pulau Ubin if you want to get a good feeling of how is it to be in a rain forest.The Island has some roads and there is a path for you to walk, but just one stepaway it looks like an untouched Jungle. Locals come here to pick Durians, and youmight be able to smell them (the Durians). Various local sources assured us thatthe Durians only fall from the trees at night (once you'll take a look at one you'llsee why this is a major concern, once you try to pick one up and feel its spikes you'llget even more concerned). Furthermore, some believe that Durians have eyes, andthis why they only fall at night and never on people. As for my advice: watch outfor them and stay on the path. Other things that might fall from trees here arecoconuts, but while you clearly know where on the coconut tree lye the coconuts,Durians seem to grow randomly on their trees, so they are harder to spot. Thereare other fruits on the island, and various plants that seem to have grown out of achildren book - in terms of colors and size.

Once you get to the island you can rent a bicycle (prices vary according to typeand store, but you can get them for anything from 2-10 SGD). Riding the bicycleis possible in most of the paths on the Island, but NOT on the Mangrove road,which is a deck that goes into the sea and back in. You'll be able to get a goodlook at trees which grow in sea water through their various stages of development.The occasional �oating coconut is also common...

For more information and a map of trails I refer you to a �do it yourself� (DIY)trail map, which is provided by the national parks' website http://www.nparks.

gov.sg/cms/docs/diy_guide/Ubin_trees.pdf.Staying on the island for more than one day is optional (and highly recom-

mended), personally I can only recommend Celestial Resort, as I didn't check anyother option. Especially great is the �sh SPA for 10 SGD an hour (as opposed tohigher prices everywhere else I checked).

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Figure 6.1. Mangrove Road, Pulau Ubin.

Figure 6.2. Pond next to the trail, Pulau Ubin.

Figure 6.3. Find the ant on the plant...

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Figure 6.4. Durian Tree (and a monkey).

6.3. Wetland Reserve (Sungei Buloh).

• Duration: About 3 hours. Bring some insect repellant if have it, somesunblock too.

• Location: Northern part of the island.• Food: There are some basic snacks which can be bought here, but considerbringing your own food. Drinks are available here too.

• Getting There: Take red line to Kranji station. From there you have twochoices, either take a cab (approximately 10 SGD) or take bus 925 to KranjiReservoir Car park station. After alighting at that station, you still haveto walk to the entrance of the park. This is not much of a problem, butyou might have to �nd someone and ask for direction, which could be hardsince there aren't a lot of people here. The walk is actually quite nice andpasses next to some farms (like the crocodile farm).

TheWetland is quite di�erent than what you might see on Pulau Ubin or MacRitchiereservoir. The emphasis here is on the water and the creatures that live in it. Be-tween the paths you'll see both rivers and standing water. Take a moment to lookat the pond next to the entrance. You might see some turtles there and also VERYlarge lizards. You can also buy some �sh food at the counter of the restaurant (ap-proximately 2 SGD) and feed the �sh (the turtles seem to like it as well). There areseveral trails, and it's very possible to do all. Among the animals you can see arethe large lizards, crabs, and if you are lucky even a crocodile (or unlucky, dependson the crocodile...). Here you might also be able to spot the Jack fruit tree, and alsosee some water plants. During your walk pay attention to incoming text messageson your phone, as you might be connected to the Malay network. At some points ofthe walk you can see Malaysia close up front, to a resolution where you can clearlysee houses and cars there. For more information go to http://www.sbwr.org.sg/.

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Figure 6.5. Water plants.

Figure 6.6. A dragon (in lack of a precise description...).

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Figure 6.7. Jack fruit tree.

6.4. MacRitchie Reservoir.

• From 2 hours to a whole day.• Location: About the middle of the Island.• Food: None. Doesn't even seem to be in the area. There is a water coolerat the ranger's hut, but bring your own water as well, since it is a long walkuntil you get there.

• Getting there: There are a lot of buses (980 for instance), but you'll haveto �nd the right bus stop - it is on Lornie Road, in front of MacRitchieReservoir Park - so you might want to ask around the bus. The trail beginsfurther inside, so if you are standing close to the water, start walking to yourright (counter clock-wise) until you see the beginning of the trail. Make sureyou check the weather, as it is forbidden to walk when it rains (you'll alsohere sirens warning from rain). For more information on getting there andwhere the trails are, look at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=49&Itemid=75 whichalso contains DIY maps etc.

This is a beautiful walk in the forest that surrounds the MacRitchie water reservoir.You'll be able to spot monkeys and see a variety of vegetation including plants withleafs the size of a whole person. Let me �rst clear something out: there is an optionto do a walk which starts here and ends at Bukit Timah, however, since I didn'tdo it and I don't know how long it takes, I am just referring to the walk up to theranger's hut and maybe the tree top walk (make sure you check online for the treetop walk opening hours). There is a reason I didn't do the entire walk on eithertime I was there: it's too moist ! Seriously, Singapore is moist enough, but keepin mind that this walk is inside a dense vegetation, near a water reservoir, so it'snot just the kilometers that exhaust you. In fact, if you don't have time or justnot up for a hike, you can just do the Prunus trail, which is a board walk near thewater and the forrest, and where you might be able to spot monkeys. In any case

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I recommend you do it as part of this activity. For a map of the trails you can goto the link above.

Figure 6.8. A monkey...

Figure 6.9. The path.

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Figure 6.10. The tree top walk.

6.5. Chinese Gardens + swimming complex+Jurong Point.

• Duration: 3 hours for the gardens, 3 hours for Jurong Point (it's a shoppingmall) and as much as you can for the swimming complex.

• Location: West side of the Island. For the gardens and the swimmingcomplex alight at the �Chinese Gardens� MRT station. For Jurong Pointalight at �Boon Lay� station.

• Food: Chinese gardens and swimming complex no, but that's why we putJurong Point here ! There is actually something to eat on the way fromthe MRT station to the swimming complex, but I never tried it.

• Getting there: To get to the Chinese gardens, just step out of the MRTstation (�Chinese Gardens� station) in the south direction. In a matter oftwo-three steps you are there. To get to the swimming complex, get outof the same station towards the west (towards �Boon Lay� station, walkthe road until you get to a crossing and cross. You should be able to seethe slides. Keep walking in the same direction of your crossing. To get toJurong Point, well, it's the mall attached to the station...

Ideally I would o�er you to start at the Chinese Gardens, then go to the swimmingcomplex and cool down in the water, and then grab something to eat at JurongPoint. In reality, you should be happy getting just two of these activities at thesame day. The Chinese gardens are beautiful, make sure you climb the pagoda allthe way. It is especially beautiful when the sun is at a lower point in the sky, butthat would mean you have little time left for the swimming complex. You'll be ableto spot turtles in the pools and interesting gardening on the way.

Next is the swimming complex. Not only does it contain a wave pool, with awater cannon spraying water on everyone inside, it also has a water river, which isa river of running water that you can try to walk (the water really pushes you), or�oat on a donut shaped �oating device (in the lack of a better description...). Ifyou have decided to rent this �oating device (at the cost of 3 SGD, plus a 2 SGDdeposit which will be returned to you upon safe return of the donut), then you canuse either of two donut dedicated water slides. There is a third water slide, whichis intended just for people (no �oating devices allowed). Be careful though, theprice of entrance on the weekends goes all the way up to 2 SGD (yes, 2). There is

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a place to wash up and change later, and also lockers (which cost 20 cents for a onetime use). Make sure you check for opening hours, the place is open until late, butis completely closed on Mondays. By the way, there is also a special zone for kids(as if all this wasn't enough...).

Finally there is Jurong Point. It is a convenient choice if you are around andhungry, and it also feels like a shopping mall you can actually use to buy stu� (asopposed to malls where everything is expensive, or feels expensive...). Maybe it'sbecause it is located in a local neighborhood, anyway it feels nice wondering here.If you are here for the food - don't go directly to the lower �oor, where there aremore expensive restaurants. Instead look for the food court and the sushi placeswhich are really cheap and fresh ! You can also �nd a �Fair Price� branch whichcontains everything from vegetables to bicycles and printers, and is open 24 hoursa day (the public transportation isn't though). You'll also be able to �nd a placethat sells Durian cakes...

Figure 6.11. The Pagoda at the Chinese Gardens...

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Figure 6.12. ...and the view from it.

Figure 6.13. The slides at swimming complex.

6.6. Clark Quay and Boat Quay.

• Duration: 2 hours.• Location: Down town, next to the river.• Food: There are lots of restaurants, mainly for tourists. If you want some-thing local to eat try the Clark Quay MRT station food stalls.

• Getting there: Alight at Clark Quay MRT station (purple line).

These are good places to walk at night, see the lights re�ect from the river andmaybe get a drink. You'll see a great deal of foreigners dine at Clark Quay anddrink at Boat Quay. You can start walking at Clark quay, cross the river on thenearby bridge (where there is an o�-Clark Quay hang out area) and continue easttowards the marina while passing through Boat Quay. This is a good option if youend your day nearby, and are too tired but still want to see something.

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6.7. Bugis.

• Duration: ∞• Location: Bugis (you can start from Bugis junction). http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Bugis+Junction+Victoria+Street+Singapore&hl=en&ll=1.

300266,103.855573&spn=0.001437,0.002642&sll=1.300355,103.855549&sspn=

0.001448,0.002642&vpsrc=6&hq=Bugis+Junction+Victoria+Street+Singapore&t=

m&z=19.• Food: Oh yes...• Getting there: MRT green line (East-West line). I also tried knocking myshoes together, closing my eyes really hard and wishing, but it just doesn'tseem to get you there... sometimes I still try...

Here you can �nd the BHG (a department store), and an excellent (although notthe cheapest) food court right under it, as well as more restaurants around - a littlemore high class than the food stalls in Albert centre which is close by. Just takea walk around, try some of the food, get a haircut for 10 SGD (they give you thecomb as a souvenir) and remember to try the pu�s (Eclairs with di�erent �llings).If you stand on Victoria street with the BHG at your back, and the junction ofVictoria and Rochor further to your right, you should see Bugis village ahead ofyou. Try walking through it at least once, although walking around it would befaster if you want to get to Albert Centre. Both the density of people and points ofinterest in it will slow you down. You can also check out the market surroundingAlbert Centre, you might be able to shop for some cheap gifts here (my favorite isthe three Singapore T-shirts for 10 SGD).

IMPORTANT: There is another place, called Albert Centre Temporary Marketand Food Court, which is close by and is located across the street from Ra�esHospital. That's NOT the the place I'm talking about, in fact, I never went insideand you are welcome to try it.

It seems I have little to write regarding Bugis, but make no mistake, you canspend a whole day here without noticing it. In fact, I highly recommend markingit as your base point for relaxing if you intend to go to little India or Arab district.

6.8. Arab District.

• Duration: 2-3 hours.• Location: Surrounded by Victoria st. and Ophir Rd. Easily approachedfrom Bugis MRT station which is located south west of Arab district. Eastpart of the city area (enlarged part of the map).

• Food: There are lots of restaurants here, including reasonably priced ham-burgers. Personally I didn't try any of the places that sell �Arab� food,rather I tried the restaurant at the junction of Baghdad and Bussorah,which was very good. At the same junction you can �nd a place that sellsfried, oily sweet food, to go along with your co�ee.

• Getting there: I suggest walking from Bugis.

This place is a sharp change of scenery from the surrounding area. First noticehow low the buildings are, in contrast to the giant buildings of the city, which youcan see from almost any point at this place. Apart from walking the streets hereand enjoying the view, I recommend you go to the Malay heritage centre, whichis closed at the time of writing, but has beautiful gardening around it. Nearbyis the Sultan mosque, with Bussorah street leading to its entrance. At Bussorah

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street you might also be able to �nd cheap souvenirs from Singapore, some are moreinteresting than others. You can also �nd a lot of stores selling fabrics and carpets.

Figure 6.14. Malay Heritage Centre.

6.9. Little India + Tekka Centre.

• Duration: from 2 hours to a half a day.• Location: Stretching from �Little India� MRT station to Jln Besar.• Food: There are lots and lots of restaurants, including vegetarian ones,BUT, if you are here for the �rst time I strongly suggest you eat at TekkaCentre.

• Getting there: I suggest alighting at �Little India� MRT station and walkto the south east (you can also start at Bugis, but it is further and thereare many attractions on the way that may slow you down).

If you alight at �Little India� MRT station Tekka Centre should be right next toyou (depending which exit you take). A word of caution: Tekka Centre has a �shmarket on one side. The �rst I went there I only saw the entrance going through the�sh market, the smell of which caused me to give it up completely. Later we foundanother entrance that goes to the other side, where there is a food court which youde�nitely shouldn't pass (and where you don't smell the �sh). On Bu�alo Roadwhich is next to Tekka Centre, you'll be able to see some very interesting groceryshops, and smell various spices. On your way to Dunlop St. and Campbell lane youwon't be able to avoid the strong smell of fresh �owers, made into string bouquets.The �owers are so fresh, that bees still come for them. The streets I suggest youwalk �rst are Dickson, Dunlop, Campbell lane and Hasting Rd. You'll be able to�nd various stores that sell Hindu clothes, bracelets and dresses. Also to be foundthere is the Abdul Gafoor mosque, which has a wonderful display of architectureand colors. Little India is also a great place to look for accommodation, there aremany hotels and hostels here, and the location is great. Once you reach Jln Besaryou can walk along it if you want to �nd stalls that sell drinks.

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Figure 6.15. Flower chains at Little India.

Figure 6.16. Bees approaching the fresh �owers.

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Figure 6.17. Masjid Abdoul Gafoor.

6.10. Bukit Batok.

• Duration: 2 hours.• Location:• Food: I didn't �nd any food around, the best thing to do would probablyask for a local to point you to the nearest food court, or bring your ownfood. There are, however, some water fountains.

• Getting there:

Monkeys ! lots of small monkeys. They walk around and don't seem to be botheredby you, however, do not approach them or stare at them (as instructed by theNational Parks website). I can only add that this applies especially when they areextracting food from the trash cans. This site is a nature park that features amemorial and an abandoned quarry with a pond at its base. The paths are pavedand there are many places to sit on, as well as a playground and toilets. The sceneryis great, especially closer to the quarry, and there are tables in case you are herefor a picnic.

Figure 6.18. The Quarry at Bukit Batok

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6.11. Zoo.

• Duration: 2-4 hours (just the zoo, not the night safari).• Location:• Food: There are some restaurants next to the zoo entrance, mainly fastfood (Burger King, Pizza, Ben&Jerry's etc.). I have to warn you that ifyou are counting on the restaurants at the safari (a di�erent entrance fromthe zoo), then know that they are extremely expensive next to the foodcourts (about 15 SGD per person).

• Getting there: By bus.

This is a great place to watch a variety of animals, not in cages ! I have to admitthe elephant ride that you can pay for doesn't seem very appealing, but you cansee the elephants up close, as it is with most animals there. Make sure you checkfor the closing time and feeding times. You can also try the �sh spa. Regardingthe night safari: it almost seems like they move the same animals from the zoo tothe safari, and keep them up so we can try to look for them in the dark. There areessentially two options, either take the mobile tour or go by foot. I only took themobile tour.

6.12. Singapore Flyer.

• Duration: Not counting any time you need to stand in line (as this mayvary), the big Ferris wheel takes about half an hour to go around.

• Location: East part of the city area, north-east corner of the marina.• Food: If you are just here for the �yer, then food is better found at SuntecCity mall which is close by, but you can actually buy tickets that include awhole dinner while taking the �yer.

• Getting there: The MRT is just around the corner from it, Promenadestation (orange line).

If you need to choose, do this during the day, when you can get a clear view of theships waiting at sea to enter the harbor. You also get beautiful views of parts ofthe island that normally you would never see. It would be best if you could timethis to start at day time but late enough so you can see the sunset. Tickets areabout 30 SGD, but you might be able to get a discounted ticket if you check forspecial o�ers for certain credit card holders and other deals. We bought our ticketswhen we bought the Zoo and Safari Tickets, so we got them for about 20 SGD perperson, however, be aware that some discounted tickets are limited to certain hours(ours happened to be regular tickets). Other than the regular tickets, you can alsobuy tickets that include a glass of champagne, or even a whole dinner. For moreinformation: http://www.singaporeflyer.com/.

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Figure 6.19. A view of the city at sunset, as seen from the Flyer.

Figure 6.20. Ships waiting at sea.

6.13. Funan.

• Duration: ∞• Location:• Food: There is a nice food court on one of the upper �oors.• Getting there: Alight at City Hall MRT station and walk south-west onNorth Bridge Road until you see it to your right.

Funan, the digital mall. It's just great. A lot of computer stores, where most ofthe computers can be found up and running (an important thing if you are lookingfor a computer and you want to test it �rst). You'll also have no problem �ndingaccessories here, from cables to expensive bags. On the last �oor you'll �nd the�Challenger� store, which contains essentially everything you saw on all the rest ofthe �oors and more in one store (although there is a smaller �Challenger� store onone of the lower �oors, just in case you get tired on your way up). On the lowest�oor (as in many shopping malls) there are sometimes sales. They could be laptopdeals and they could be women lingerie (what could be further from one another...).

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Figure 6.21. Funan.

6.14. Chijmes.

• Duration: 1 hour.• Location: Downtown.• Food: Relatively expensive in this area, but you can eat at the food courtin Ra�es City Tower (a fancier food court than usual).

• Getting there: Alight at City Hall MRT station, Chijmes is at the cornerof North Bridge and Stamford Roads. You'll see a short wall, you want toget inside.

This is an excellent walk if you are downtown, or if you are approaching happyhour and want to get a drink at a pub. Besides some great architecture, you'll �ndsome pubs and what used to be a convent.

6.15. Marina Bay.

• Duration: Anything between 4 hours to half a day.• Location: East to the downtown area.• Food: There is a great food court next to the Esplanade theatre. Thereare also restaurants in the area but expect them to be very expensive.

• Getting there: Alight at Ra�es Place Interchange and walk North-Easttowards towards the Merlion Park.

This is a great night time activity, so you can start at about 19:00 and end it at22:00 or so, but the scenery is a little di�erent during the day. What I suggest isto circle the marina in the mathematical positive direction (fancy talk for counterclockwise...). This way you can end your walk at the food court and decide whetheror not you wish to continue the walk. Start the walk at Merlion Park, walk southwith One Fullerton to your right. The problem is that once you have past OneFullerton, the pavement close to the water stops and continues again after theCustom House. So you'll have to �nd a way around Cli�ord Pier and the Customhouse in order to get back to the pavement closest to the water, until you get tothe Marina Bay Sands area. To get to the north part of the marina, you'll have

SINGAPORE, AN AXIOMATIC APPROACH WITH APPLICATIONS 20

to cross the bridge. Keep walking west until you get to Esplanade Theatres on theBay (you might have to the Marina Bay Multi Purpose Facility, by walking somedistance on Ra�es Avenue). Just before the Esplanade Theatres (East to them),you'll �nd a great food court, and in front of the Esplanade Theatres you'll �ndthe Outdoor Theatre right next to the water, where there are often live concerts oflocal bands in the evening.

Figure 6.22. A view of the Flyer from the marina.

6.16. Southern Islands.

• Duration: Half a day to one day.• Location: South of Singapore (a 45 minutes boat ride is required).• Food: NONE ! better bring your own, preferably stu� that doesn't melt inthe sun and heat. Make sure you bring a lot of water too, though there istap water at least on St. John's Island. You can buy basic things such asbeverages in the shop next to the tickets stand, at Marina South Pier.

• Getting there: One option is to take the MRT to Marina Bay (red line)and then catch a bus (ask at the customer service counter). However, thebus comes at a low frequency, so a cab from the MRT station (you mighthave to call one) would be a good option in this case.

Get to Marina South Pier and �nd the tickets counter. There is a timetable ofboats between the pier, St. John's Island and then Kusu Island (the boat runs in acircular line). Out of these two, St. John's Island is probably a better choice sinceKusu seems too small and touristy. The water feels a little oily, but the beach isgreat and the boat ride is wonderful. Make sure you bring sun block, since it is veryeasy to get burned here (even just from the boat ride which takes about 45 minutes),so those of you who wish to get a tan might �nd this is the right place to do so.A picnic would be a nice activity for this place, or just a walk on the beach. Moreinformation can be found here: http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/nature/southern-islands/. Pay attention (!): indeed the information is found in the Sentosa website,but these islands are not approachable from Sentosa (they are not even close).

SINGAPORE, AN AXIOMATIC APPROACH WITH APPLICATIONS 21

Figure 6.23. St. John's Island as seen from the boat.

Figure 6.24. Kusu Island as seen from the boat.

7. Open Questions

The following are mainly things I intended to check, but didn't have time to doso. In fact, some of them I will never be able to do.

7.1. Zouk. This is a name of a nightclub that was recommended to me, I guess itjust wasn't the type of thing I was interested in.

7.2. Bukit Timah. In fact, the the MacRitchie trail goes all the way to BukitTimah, but I never had the strength to go on with it.

7.3. Rafting from Changi Village to Malaysia. One day when we were walkingin Pulau Ubin we saw some people with rafting boats. They were crossing fromSingapore to Malaysia. The crossing is dangerous since there are ships on the way,and the water is very polluted.

7.4. Pulau Semakau. I was not aware of this place when I was traveling in Singa-pore, it should be interesting: http://www.nea.gov.sg/cms/wmd/SL%20Brochure.pdf.