A walk through Singapore...some pics
Discussion
I'm a town planner so I find Singapore fascinating in that regards.
Although some people say it is boring, I didn't find that - it's quite unique and there's not really any equivalent around.
I highly recommend the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) museum if you have any interest in how a city operates. In terms of best practice for that area it is well and truly up there.
We stayed at the Conrad Centennial which was nice - but give the Golden Peony Chinese restaurant in there a miss. Over priced, over rated, and better food is available at any hawker centre.
Although some people say it is boring, I didn't find that - it's quite unique and there's not really any equivalent around.
I highly recommend the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) museum if you have any interest in how a city operates. In terms of best practice for that area it is well and truly up there.
We stayed at the Conrad Centennial which was nice - but give the Golden Peony Chinese restaurant in there a miss. Over priced, over rated, and better food is available at any hawker centre.
Colonial said:
Although some people say it is boring, I didn't find that - it's quite unique and there's not really any equivalent around.
Well it's certainly not as exciting as most other large Asian cities.And we always look at it from a tourist point of view. Actually living like 80% of the Singaporeans, in an HDB in Tampines or Toa Payoh is a vastly different experience.
But the stuff they do in the central and tourist areas is very impressive, and I personally think Western cities like Sydney should be copying them. Some fantastic buildings.
Colonial said:
. Over priced, over rated, and better food is available at any hawker centre.
The hawker centres are amazing value, designed to feed the oppressed masses cheaply and efficiently, but the food is very good. They are the social centre for working class people, pretty much the equivalent of the estate pub in days of yore in the UK. Guys do their drinking there, meet their girlfriends, wives, celebrate occasions and festivals etc.
The HDB tower blocks have provided accommodation for millions cleanly and efficiently, without producing the “ghetto” style misery usually associated with row after row of tower blocks. They are mainly built up on columns, so you can walk hither and yon underneath without having to stick to rows of identical streets.
One thing that amazed me when I went job hunting in Singapore in 1991, as a penniless backpacker, was how low the wages are for the masses, compared to how expensive the country generally is.
King Herald said:
One thing that amazed me when I went job hunting in Singapore in 1991, as a penniless backpacker, was how low the wages are for the masses, compared to how expensive the country generally is.
And they still are - security guards and many other jobs are on maybe $1800 a month, or less. (Indo and Pinoy nannies are on $600pm but different arrangement)And there is a 2 tier salary system, local salaries and expat salaries. A local would be lucky to earn say $120k in an average IT role, an expat would be on double that - possibly even a lot more if brought over on a package, however those are becoming very rare.
TheGuru said:
And they still are - security guards and many other jobs are on maybe $1800 a month, or less. (Indo and Pinoy nannies are on $600pm but different arrangement)
And there is a 2 tier salary system, local salaries and expat salaries. A local would be lucky to earn say $120k in an average IT role, an expat would be on double that - possibly even a lot more if brought over on a package, however those are becoming very rare.
In 1991 I started on a pitiful S$80 a day, which was a hell of a lot less than I was expecting, white boy in Asia, backpacker who walked in off the street.And there is a 2 tier salary system, local salaries and expat salaries. A local would be lucky to earn say $120k in an average IT role, an expat would be on double that - possibly even a lot more if brought over on a package, however those are becoming very rare.
But even as a clueless newbie in the sailing boat yard it was still 30% higher than any of the locals who worked there. After a few months I negotiated a 50% pay rise, based on the fact that many expat yacht owners specifically asked for me to spanner on their boats, as they had no confidence in the “should be okay, lah” attitude of Singaporeans mechanics.
The country was definitly an eye opener back then. For the first few months I stayed sober, used to go for long bicycle rides around the island, checking out places I remembered from the 60s.
Then the dreaded Singapore mailaise got to me, and I fell into the typical expats drinking habits....
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