Singapore...The Lion City

Nicknamed " The Lion City ",Singapore got its name when the the Prince of Palembang Sang Nila Utama embarks on a dangerous sea journey to fulfill his destiny. Caught in a fierce storm, he throws his crown overboard to appease the Lord of the Sea. After weathering the storm, his ship lands on the island of Temasek. He encounters a magnificent and exotic animal – the “Singa” or Lion. Inspired by the beast, the Prince decides to stay on the island and build a new Kingdom, known as “Singapura”, or Lion City. Singapore eventually becomes a great cosmopolitan trading port in Asia. Today, Singapore emerges as one of the top tourist destination in Asia for the past years. We knew from day 1 that traveling here is gonna be expensive.

Taxi or Mtr?

Taxi rides in Singapore can be rather expensive – if you don't know about . Apart from the base fare, there are also a number of surcharges depending on the area you hail your taxi in. Taking the Mtr from the airport to your hotel can be a challenging one for first timers, but it's far more cheaper than taking a taxi. 



How we toured around without spending a single cent?

From Clark Quay, we took a 15 minute walk via fullerton road to the iconic Merlion and cross the bridge to the durian inspired theater building "Espalande". 

 

After the quick walking tour, we took a short Mtr ride from Clark Quay to Chinatown to buy some souvenirs.

 Fun things to do

• Eat ice cream sandwich around SGD 1
• Visit Universal Studios and Jurong Bird Park
• Ride the 167 meter Singapore Flyer


 Tuklasera tips

• Taxi's have night rates and surcharges
• Food is expensive in Singapore, eat where the locals eat (food courts, fastfood etc...)
• Settle for budget hotels and inns.Just avoid Geylang district.