I’m not like most travel bloggers out there, who travel or blog full-time and have the luxury of a flexible schedule. Like most other folk out there, I have a full-time job, which gives me the money to travel, but severely limits how much I can do so with a fixed number of leave days. It’s easy to get sucked into work and forget about taking these holidays, which is exactly what happened to me 3 years ago, when I found at the end of one year that I had too many leave days to carry over to the following year.
Thus The Occasional Traveller was born, as a reminder to myself and to other working folk like myself to travel more, and to prove that one can indulge in a love for travel even with a time-consuming full-time job. I’ve found that one of the best ways to sate this perpetual wanderlust is to take many short trips close by – which for me is around the Asian region as I have lived in Singapore all my life.
So I’ll be talking a lot about the Asian countries that I’ve visited here on GoSeeWrite, giving simple travel tips for visiting these places and telling you interesting stories about them, which will hopefully inspire you to put them on your bucket list whether you’re based in Asia or not. It’s a highly diverse and relatively inexpensive region to visit, and I hope to spend more time exploring this region and maximize my travels in the meantime.
For starters, here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about my home town of Singapore:
Like a teenager, we’re still growing every day
Singapore’s renowned for being the ‘little red dot’ on the world map, but did you know that our land area has increased 25% over the last 40+ years? With our population exploding from 1.6 million to the current 5.3 million in that time, we need all the space we can get and have since reclaimed around 200 sq m of sea; what was once a diamond shaped country is now… a rather bloated looking diamond. If you visit Marina Bay, East Coast or Tuas, know that not too long ago this once was water!
All this used to be open sea, now it’s become a major tourist attraction, image source Daniel Peckham
You can chew gum here, really
Our infamous chewing gum ban has been relaxed some. You can bring in your personal stash on a holiday without worrying about the authorities confiscating it at customs, though you’re still not allowed to sell it here and you’re not going to see it sold in stores. They do sell nicotine gum for the reformed smokers, so chew on that if you’re really desperate, or head up to neighbouring Malaysia for your gum fix.
You’ll never find something like this in Singapore! Image source Ewen Roberts
You’re not going to find Singapore Noodles in Singapore
If you happen to be a big fan of what is known as ‘Singapore Noodles’, a dish of fried vermicelli noodle with curry powder – is not actually something you can find widely here – the closest approximation is 星洲米粉 or Sin Chew Bee Hoon. We do have a whole variety of noodles and a plethora of other great food at relatively inexpensive prices in our hawker centers, so you won’t be missing your Singapore Noodles much.
Singapore has many different types of noodles, including vermicelli or ‘Bee Hoon’, but not quite done ‘Singapore Noodle’ style – image source Alpha
Singapore is not just an island, but an archipelago… sorta
Singapore is actually made up on 63 islands in total! Most tourists spend their time on the main island, but if you’re feeling adventurous and want to get out of the city, a hop to a nearby island (or Pulau in Malay) by ferry is a great way to get a quick of nature. Some popular islands: Pulau Ubin in the north east is popular for outdoor enthusiasts and a rich wetland called Chek Jawa. Down south, Pulau Hantu (that’s Ghost Island), Sisters Island and St John’s Island and for those looking for something a little more disneyfied, you can drive, walk or take a cable car to Sentosa which is an island resort with a casino and Universal Studios.
Can you believe this spot can be found in one of Singapore’s offshore islands called Pulau Ubin? Known as Chek Jawa, it’s one of Singapore’s few remaining wetlands. Image source William Cho
Our national language is Malay
Most visitors to Singapore are generally surprised that Singaporeans speak quite fluent English, not particularly common for most Asian countries, but that’s because most of the younger generation grew up in an English education system. The country recognizes four official languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil), but our official National language is actually Malay due to historical reasons. It’s used in our National Anthem, Majulah Singapura, and military commands mostly these days, and more commonly used by the Malays and some older folk.
Our National Anthem is in Malay, ‘Majulah Singapura’ translates to Onward, Singapore, image source Josephine Poh
Did you know all this about Singapore already, or is this new to you? If any of you are visiting soon do drop me a note, I’ll be quite happy to give you some tips or take you out for a spin!
About Me
Jaclynn Seah is The Occasional Traveller, a deskbound wanderluster with a full-time job who hopes to remind other working professionals like herself to get out and travel more. You can find her over at theoccasionaltraveller.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
we will be definitely near Singapore area when we get to ASia, and we would love to explore Singapore too. Thanks for the insights!
if you need any tips on Singapore Hannah, just drop me a note on my blog! will be happy to point you around or even buy you a beer 🙂
The offshore islands, Pulau Ubin reminds me of Lamu archipelago in East Africa. The Marina bay is a place I would like to visit one day.
Marina Bay honestly used to be just a patch of open green field with a seafood restaurant and kite flying next to the sea when I was a kid, the transformation in a decade or so is pretty remarkable. That said, quite a lot to do in that area now – I’d check out the Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Barrage, or just sit by the waterfront and enjoy the city view
Pulau Ubin is one of Singapore’s last rustic areas with a village like atmosphere! Visit soon because with the rate Singapore transforms, you’ll never know when it’ll disappear…
I loved my short stop in Singapore and you’re right – I never did know that about Singapore noodles. Right, off to do some research on what that’s all about 🙂
Yup, I hope you’re not a fan of Singapore noodles 😛
(to be fair, a really Singaporean food called Hainanese Chicken Rice doesn’t actually exist in Hainan either)
I will introduce you to our other noodley wonders if you’re ever in town!
i <3 domo
Who doesn’t? Domo is awesome!
Great tips Jac. Been a few years since I went to Singapore, need to get back again soon! A few friends have moved there!
Come and visit us all at once Helen!
My time in Singapore was cut short (to only a day) due to getting injured. But I really want to return soon!
Yikes I hope you do come back uninjured and healthy! Also, prep your stomach for a lot of eating and be prepared to sweat it out because it gets HOT here…
Really by reading this blog i am surprised about Singapore………you have such a great knowledge and thank you for your effort to make this post awesome by nice pictures………..
Thank you! 🙂
I love to travel to asia. I love the food, the weather, the culture and the women are also cute but I have to admit that I have never been to Singapore.
I currently live with three girls from Malaysia and after I have submitted this comment I am going to ask them if the first language in Singapore really is Malay. Hard to believe but this is definitely an interesting fact.
To clarify, many Singaporeans would probably consider English as their first language since that’s the language of education and business in school.
Mother tongue (based on your race, Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil) is taught in schools as either the first or second language, and many Singaporeans still use these languages as their main form of communication.
Malay is a bit of a throwback to our heritage, and our geographical location…
We visited Singapore before our nomadic life and had a ball.
We loved the city. Easily the cleanest city we have been to. Also the zoo there is amazing.
We hope to be back towards the middle of next year and enjoy it on a more personal level than just dropping in for a quick holiday.
Great to hear Michael! Hope you do enjoy it the next time you come by (do say hi when you do!)
https://deserttojungle.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/boogie-wonderland-on-the-bangkok-to-chiang-mai-night-train/
I’ve been to Singapore many times and it’s one of my very favourite cities in the world. I could definitely live there (if it wasn’t so expensive for accommodation). It has a particularly special place in my heart because exactly one year ago today I ran my first marathon there so one of the most amazing days of my life was in the city.
I’m hoping to take the train from my home in Chiang Mai to Singapore sometime in the next few months. I can’t wait to hit Little India for lots of food and buying bangles!
Sounds like an exciting trip! I’m glad you loved your time in Singapore and hope you have a smashing time again here 🙂
Amazing pictures.I like to visit this country atleast once.
book a trip and you will be able to 🙂
Nice details, I have not yet been. But on the upside, posts like yours are providing the appropriate motivation. Thanks for writing!
thanks for reading, hope you have a chance to visit someday!
I’ve wanted to visit Singapore for a long time. Hopefully soon! Thanks for the mini-lesson. I can certainly relate to having to work full time and trying to fit in as much travel as possible.
Hope you have a chance to come by Singapore soon Melissa! 🙂
Am currently planning ahead for 2014~