Singapore

173

FOOD Singapore PERANAKAN CULTURE FOOD
Airlines’ air
As descendants of early Chinese immigrants who married Malay stewardesses
women, the Straits Chinese Peranakans developed a unique cuisine wear a modern
that blends Chinese ingredients with Malay sauces and spices. It is Pierre Balmain
commonly flavoured with shallots, chillies, belacan (Malay fermented interpretation of
prawn paste), peanuts, preserved soybeans and galangal (a ginger-like the traditional
root). Thick coconut milk is used to create the sauce that flavours the Nonya kebaya.
prime ingredients.

In the past decade there has been a resurgence of interest in Per-
anakan cuisine, which was once confined to the home, and there are
numerous excellent Peranakan restaurants.

Typical dishes include otak-otak (a delicious sausage-like blend of
fish, coconut milk, chilli paste, galangal and herbs, wrapped and grilled
in a banana leaf) and ayam buah keluak (chicken stewed with dark nuts
imported from Indonesia to produce a rich sauce – the black, paste-like
nut filling, eaten in small amounts with each mouthful, has an unusual,
earthy flavour).

Also don’t miss out on slurping the distinctive Peranakan laksa
(noodles in a savoury coconut-milk gravy with fried tofu and bean
sprouts).

174

Languages of
Singapore

The four official languages of Singapore are Malay, Tamil, Mandarin
and English. Malay is the national language, adopted when Singapore
was part of Malaysia, but its use is mostly restricted to the Malay com-
munity. Tamil is the main Indian language; others include Malayalam
and Hindi.

Chinese dialects are still widely spoken, especially among older Chinese,

with the most common being Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese

and Hakka. The government’s long-standing campaign to promote Man-

darin, the main nondialectal Chinese language, has been very successful

and increasing numbers of Singaporean Chinese now speak it at home.

In 2000 the govern- English is becoming even more widespread. After
independence, the government introduced a bilingual
ment launched a ‘speak education policy aimed at developing the vernacular
languages and lessening the use of English. However,
good English’ cam- Chinese graduates found that this lessened their op-
paign to improve the portunities for higher education and presented them

standard of English. with greater difficulties in finding a job. English was
the language of business and united the various ethnic

groups, and the government eventually had to give it more priority. It of-

ficially became the first language of instruction in schools in 1987. In 2000

the government launched a ‘speak good English’ campaign to improve the

standard of English.

All children are also taught their mother tongue at school. This helps

keep the various ethnic groups in touch with their traditions, and also

means that the population is effectively bilingual.

SINGLISH

You’re unlikely to spend much time in Singapore without finding yourself
at some point staring dumbly at someone, trying to work out what on
earth they are on about.A typical sentence might – confusingly – go some-
thing like this, ‘Eh, this Sunday you going cheong (party) anot? No ah? Why
like that? Don’t be so boring leh!’ Prepositions and pronouns are dropped,
word order is flipped, phrases are clipped short and stress and cadence
are unconventional, to say the least. Nominally English, the Singaporeans’
unique patois contains borrowed words from Hokkien, Tamil and Malay.

There isn’t a Singlish grammar as such, but there are definite charac-
teristics, such as the long stress on the last syllable of phrases, so that
the standard English ‘government’ becomes ‘guvva-men’. Words ending
in consonants are often syncopated and vowels are often distorted. A
Chinese-speaking taxi driver might not immediately understand that you
want to go to Perak Rd, since they know it as ‘Pera Roh’.

175

Verb tenses tend to be nonexistent. Past, present and future are in- LANGUAGES OF SINGAPORE SINGLISH
dicated instead by time indicators, so in Singlish it’s ‘I go tomorrow’ or
‘I go yesterday’.

The particle ‘lah’ is often tagged on to the end of sentences for em-
phasis, as in ‘No good lah’. Requests or questions may be marked with a
tag ending, since direct questioning can be rude. As a result, questions
that are formed to be more polite often come across to Westerners as
rude. ‘Would you like a beer?’ becomes ‘You wan beer or not?’

You’ll also hear Singaporeans addressing older people as ‘uncle’ and
‘auntie’. They are not relatives and neither is this rude, but more a sign
of respect.

For more, check out the Coxford Singlish Dictionary on the satirical
website Talking Cock (www.talkingcock.com).

Slanging Like a Local

a bit the very; as in Wah! Your car a bit the slow one
ah beng
every country has them: boys with spiky gelled hair, loud clothes, the
ah lian latest mobile phones and a choice line in gutter phrases

aiyah! the female version of the ah beng: large, moussed hair, garish outfits,
alamak! armed with a vicious tongue; also known as ah huay
ang moh
‘oh, dear!’
ayam
blur exclamation of disbelief or frustration, like ‘oh my God!’
buaya
can? common term for Westerner (Caucasian), with derogatory under-
can! tone; literally ‘red-haired monkey’ in Hokkien
char bor
cheena Malay word for chicken; adjective for something inferior or weak
confirm
slow or uninformed; popular phrase is blur like sotong
go stun
womaniser, from the Malay for crocodile
heng
hiao ‘is that OK?’
inggrish
kambing ‘yes! That’s fine.’
kaypoh
kena babe, woman

kena ketok derogatory term for old-fashioned Chinese in dress or thinking
kiasee
used to convey emphasis when describing something/someone, as in
He confirm blur one (He’s not very smart)

to reverse, as in Go stun the car (from the naval expression ‘go
astern’)

luck, good fortune (Hokkien)

vain

English

foolish person, literally ‘goat’ (Malay)

busybody

Malay word close to meaning of English word ‘got’, describing some-
thing that happened, as in He kena arrested for drunk driving

ripped off

scared, literally ‘afraid to die’; a coward

LANGUAGES OF SINGAPORE SINGLISH176 literally ‘afraid to lose’; selfish, pushy, always on the lookout for a
kiasu bargain
coffeeshop
kopitiam generally an ending for any phrase or sentence; can translate as ‘OK’,
lah but has no real meaning, added for emphasis to just about everything
‘like that’; used for emphasis, as in I so boring lai dat (I’m very bored)
lai dat take a look
looksee a meal; to eat
makan embarrassed
malu girlfriend
minah general suffix for questions, as in Can or not? (Can you or can’t you?)
or not? wait and see what happens
see first tired; often expressed as I damn shack sial
shack good, great, delicious
shiok Malay for ‘squid’, used as an adjective meaning clumsy, or generally
sotong not very switched on
well done, excellent; an expression of praise
steady lah general exclamation of surprise or distress
wah! boastful, as in He always ya ya; also expressed He damn ya ya papaya
ya ya

177

Survival Guide

TRANSPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

GETTING TO SINGAPORE. . . . . . . . . 178
Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
GETTING AROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Mass Rapid Transit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Trishaws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Car & Motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

DIRECTORY A–Z . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Business Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Customs Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Discount Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Gay & Lesbian Travellers. . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Internet Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Legal Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Medical Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Post. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Public Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Taxes & Refunds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Tourist Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Travellers with Disabilities . . . . . . . . . .186
Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

MENU DECODER. . . . . . . . . . . . 187

178

Transport

GETTING TO Jetstar (%800 6161 977; head to the Golden Mile
SINGAPORE www.jetstar.com) Complex (off Map p204; Beach
Tiger Airways (%6808 4437; Rd) where there are many bus
Singapore is a major air hub www.tigerairways.com) agencies selling tickets. You
that services both regional can also book online at www.
and international flight routes. Airports busonlineticket.com.
There are also budget airlines Most planes will land at one
operating out of Singapore. of the three main terminals Check latest prices and
Travellers will have no trouble or the Budget Terminal at book tickets with these com-
accessing most parts of the Changi Airport (www.changi panies:
world to and from Singapore, airport.com.sg).
making it a great stopover city. Aeroline (%6358 8800; www.
You can also catch trains to Regularly voted the world’s aeroline.com.sg; 1 Maritime
Malaysia and Thailand. A slew best airport, Changi Airport is Square, 02-52 Harbourfront
of comfortable privately run vast, efficient and amazingly Centre) Coaches to Kuala
buses also run through Malay- well organised. Among its Lumpur and Penang departing
sia up to Thailand. Book flights, many facilities you’ll find free from Harbourfront.
tours and rail tickets online at internet, courtesy phones for
lonelyplanet.com/bookings. local calls, foreign-exchange First Coach (%6822 2111;
booths, medical centres, left www.firstcoach.com.my; 238
Air luggage, hotels, showers, a Thompson Rd, 02-33 Novena
gym, swimming pool and of Square; mNovena) Daily buses
Singapore’s location and course, plenty of shops. to Kuala Lumpur departing from
excellent facilities have made Novena Square.
it a natural choice as a major For information on how to
Southeast Asian aviation hub, get into the city from Changi Grassland Express (%6293
with direct services all over the Airport, see the boxed text, 1166; www.grassland.com.sg;
world. It is also serviced by five p179. 5001 Beach Rd, 01-26 Golden
budget airlines, which often Mile Complex) Daily buses to
offer extremely cheap deals if Bus Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Meleka,
you book well in advance. Perak and numerous other
Malaysia destinations.
For further travel within the For information on getting to
region, the following budget Johor Bahru (JB), see p128. Transnasional Bus Service
airlines operate out of Singa- (Map p204; %6294 7035; www.
pore. Routes change all the If you are travelling beyond transnasional.com.my; Lavender
time, so check websites. JB, the simplest option is to Street Bus Terminal, cnr Lav-
Air Asia (%6307 76883; www. catch a bus straight from ender St & Kallang Bahru) Daily
airasia.com) Singapore, though there are buses to numerous destination
Berjaya-Air (%6227 3688; more options and lower fares all departing from Lavender
www.berjaya-air.com) Daily travelling from JB. Street Bus Terminal.
flights to Tioman and Redang
islands in Malaysia. Numerous private com- Transtar Travel (%6299
Cebu Pacific (%agents 6735 panies run comfortable bus 9009; www.transtar.travel; 5001
7155, 6737 9231, 6220 5966; services to many destinations Beach Rd, 01-15 Golden Mile
www.cebupacificair.com) in Malaysia including Melaka Complex) Luxury coaches to
and Kuala Lumpur. The buses Kuala Lumpur, Genting, Ipoh and
depart from various points in Penang.
Singapore. If you’re stumped,

179

Thailand Changi Point Ferry Ter- bourfront Ferry Terminal. Ferries TRANSPORT SEA
The main terminal for buses minal (Map p222; %6546 to Nongsapura depart from the
to and from Thailand is at the 8518; g2, 29, 59, 109) Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
Golden Mile Complex (off Located 200m north of the bus
Map p204; Beach Rd). Among terminal. Berlian Ferries (%6546
the travel agents there spe- 8830) Ferries to Pulau Batam
cialising in buses and tours Harbourfront Ferry depart from Harbourfront Ferry
to Thailand are Grassland Terminal (Map p218; www. Terminal.
Express (%6293 1166; singaporecruise.com; %6513
www.grassland.com.sg), with 2200; mHarbourFront) Bintan Resort Ferries
buses to Hat Yai, and Phya (%6542 4369; www.brf.com.
Travel (%6294 5415; www. Tanah Merah Ferry Ter- sg) Ferries to Bandar Bintan
phyatravel.com) and Kwang minal (Map p222; www. Telani depart from Tanah
Chow Travel (%6293 8977), singaporecruise.com; %6513 Merah Ferry Terminal.
both with bus services to Hat 2200; mTanah Merah,
Yai and beyond. Most buses then g35) Indo Falcon (%6275 7393;
leave around 6pm and travel www.indofalcon.com.sg) Ferries
overnight. Indonesia to Pulau Batam and Tanjung
Direct ferries run between Pinang in Bintan depart from
Sea Singapore and the Riau Harbourfront Ferry Terminal.
Archipelago islands of Pulau
There are several main ferry Batam and Pulau Bintan. The Penguin Ferries (%6271
terminals with services to ferries are modern, fast and 4866; www.penguin.com.
Malaysia and Indonesia. For air-conditioned. sg) Ferries to Batam Centre,
information about ferries Sekupang, and Tanjung Balai
to the Southern Singapore These are the main ferry depart from Harbourfront Ferry
islands, see p122. operators: Terminal. Ferries to Tanjung
Pinang depart from the Tanah
There are several main BatamFast (%6270 0311; Merah Ferry Terminal.
ferry terminals: www.batamfast.com) Ferries to
Batam Centre, Sekupang, and
Waterfront City depart from Har-

GETTING INTO TOWN FROM THE AIRPORT

Bus
Public bus 36 runs from terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Orchard Rd and the Colonial District
($1.80, one hour). Buses leave roughly every 15 minutes, the first departing at 6.09am
and the last just after midnight.

Faster and more convenient are the airport shuttle buses (adult/child $9/6, 20 to
40 minutes) that leave from all main terminal arrival halls and drop passengers at any
hotel, except for those on Sentosa and in Changi Village. They leave from Terminals 1
and 2 and the Budget Terminal (6.15pm to midnight, every 15 minutes; all other times
every 30 minutes) and Terminal 3 (6am to 10am and 6pm to 2am, every 15 min; all
other times every 30 minutes). Booking desks are in the arrival halls.

Train
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is the best low-cost way to get into town. The station
is located below Terminals 2 and 3, the fare to Orchard Rd is adult/child $3/$1.60
(including a $1 refundable deposit) and the journey takes around 45 minutes. You
have to change trains at Tanah Merah (just cross the platform). The first train leaves at
5.30am and the last goes at 11.18pm.

Taxi
Taxi lines at Changi are fast-moving and efficient. Even at the Budget Terminal you
rarely have to wait long. The fare structure is complicated, but count on spending
anywhere between $18 and $35 into the city centre, depending on the time of travel.
The most expensive times are between 5pm and 6am, when a whole raft of surcharges
kick in. A limousine transfer service operates 24 hours a day and costs a flat $45 to
anywhere on the island. Enquire at the ground transport desk at the airport.