Known as the garden city of Asia, Singapore is definitely a clean and green oasis where foreigners can expect to find some world-class dining establishments and even attractions.
But although we may seem to be a country that has truly become, it has to be understood that we are still an Asian country and like Malaysia, we are multi-cultural. If you are planning a trip to our sunny island, here are three things you need to be aware of so as not to put yourself in any sort of predicament while you are here on your holiday.
#1 Singapore is a Fine City
In every aspect of the word, Singapore is not only home to many fine dining and leisure establishments; we are also quick to issue fines whenever the situation calls for it.
The thing about Singapore fines is that you will see the signs everywhere. Those are the warning signs for you to not try to do any of the fine-able actions so if you are caught doing them, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Some to take note of would be things like spitting, getting rid of your cigarette butts anywhere else besides the allocated cigarette bins and eating in our public transport. How else do you think we maintain the cleanliness of our streets and transportation?
#2 Food here is diverse and interesting
While you may find really delicious and tantalising fare all around the island, you will also see some of the local food that may not whet your appetite very much. Although we may not have the weird insects and stinky tofu options, we have the king of fruits and dishes like frog legs and gecko or snake wine to get you started on your exotic foods experience.
Photo Credits: Food Panda Sg
The contrast can be stark because as far as we have come, Singapore still preserves much of its history for foreigners to experience and for us locals to be nostalgic about.
#3 We are a multi-cultural and tolerant society
Singapore has been a melting pot of various ethnicities, cultures and religions for as long as we have been around. Most of us locals have friends in the different race groups and we have no qualms about it. In our society, we don’t just tolerate but accept whole-heartedly the differences in our beliefs and are sensitive to each other.
Photo Credits: Ring.tv
Being in any way racist or intolerant of the different cultures in Singapore is highly frowned upon. Travellers to our land need to understand that we do not condone racism and that anyone who visits has to be respectful to the people and the establishments of worship around the island. If you have local friends who invite you to their place, it is always a good idea to find out from the other locals on what is a befitting gift or action to take when you go to their place for whatever reason, just to make sure you aren’t making yourself look silly in front of the rest of their guests.
