Things to do in Singapore

Ah Kow is probably the name of the owner, literally means "doggie". The older generation of Chinese liked to name their children really awful names like this due to the superstitious belief that naming your kid nicely would tempt the evil spirits to snatch them away.

Hong Lim Food Centre is near Chinatown. If you happen to be here in the run-up to Chinese New Year, which usually happens in January/February, be sure to visit Chinatown to squeeze with everybody else buying Chinese New Year goodies from throngs of little makeshift stores set up just for this festive season. This is also the only place where you can see firecrackers in action, set off in a highly controlled manner by the authorities on Chinese New Year's Eve. 

My wife likes this one too, because it's not too oily.

My wife vaguely recalls queueing up for this with her parents when she was a wee tot and it was still at Newton Circus. It's been around for 40 years, and the uncle frying it is OLD. Don't miss it because he might retire soon!

12)    DURIAN

Just go to Geylang, there's a durian store almost every km apart. In some places, there are several stores next to each other. Go to a stall that "guarantees" the taste. These owners will open the fruit in front of you to let you taste it. If it's no good, you can apparently walk away. But be careful of cheats that try to sell you "special" durians at undisplayed prices. You might end up with a $20/kg bag of durians.

Other top food websites/blogs:

1) Geylang

The red light district central in Singapore. If you go to the right Lorongs (lanes in local dialect), you can see lines of trendily dressed girls just "hanging around" and waiting...... Well, they are mostly prostitutes. Because soliciting is illegal in Singapore, they simply stand around and wait to be approached by "customers". 

Sounds seedy, but the area is really quite safe, although ladies should go with some male company at night lest they be mistaken for a certain profession. 

And because of the steady supply of core nighttime clientele here, Geylang has over the years become a real night hub, with 24 hour restaurants and eating places, karaoke and....yes, DURIAN stalls that open late into the night.

http://www.the-inncrowd.com/geylang.htm 

Food here is generally good, because people either come here to eat or find nighttime entertainment. So just look for any eating place that's packed with locals and you'll be sure to get decent local food. But just in case, this is a really good Singapore food blog with a list of "to-eats" in Geylang.

2) Night Safari and Singapore Zoo

The Night Safari was the first of its kind when it opened. It seeks to replicate the nighttime safari experience in a controlled manner by having guided tours on trams that bring you pretty close to various safari animals resting in their compounds.  

3) Singapore Botanic Gardens 

In terms of tropical rainforests, Singapore does not have as much to offer as Indonesia or Malaysia. So I wouldn't recommend any of the local reserve trails unless you're staying in Singapore for an extended period of time. However, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a very well-organised park where one can see a good selection of local and Southeast Asian plants within just a few hectares. 

To me, the main attraction of the garden, however, is the National Orchid Garden. Singapore is one of the leading orchid hubs in the world, and the orchid garden features more than 700 species and 3000 hybrid orchids, including many rare and celebrity/VIP orchids (orchids named after famous people. There is even a cool house, which replicates the cool 20 deg climate of the tropical mountain environment and features many unusual orchids that grow under such conditions. Similarly, the orchid garden has free guided tours on the third Saturday of every month at 9am, 10am, 11am or 4pm, though one must pay $5 for entry to the orchid garden itself. (Children, students and senior citizens can go in free or at a discount.) Why do I know this? My wife used to be a National Orchid Garden guide.

If you'd like to see a coastal swamp in Singapore, there is Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin. My wife, who used to be a guide at Chek Jawa, tells me that the unique thing about coastal swamps in Singapore is that they are much more compact (i.e. you see alot more variation in a small area) than swamps in Malaysia or Indonesia. It is suspected that the reason is that Singapore and it's offshore islands are so tiny that the swamps have to compact alot more variety into a smaller area. 

Tours at Chek Jawa used to be free but one could strictly go there only under supervision of a guide. But now, boardwalks have been created for people to do DIY tours. Guided tours are still an option, but now there is apparently a charge.

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/popup/pulau-attractions.html

Once you are at Pulau Ubin, don't just go to Chek Jawa. Rent a bicycle and tour around the whole island. The island is almost a blast from the past, and is what Singapore used to look like as a small kampung village before it became so developed.

5) Museums

The National Museum of Singapore

It just re-opened last year after years of renovation. I have not been there myself, but it's worth a look, since it's the main museum of Singapore.

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

I put this first because as a tourist, you should know you can get back your 7% GST if you spend a minimum sum at most established stores. 

http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_do/shopping/shopping_tips.html  

2) Electronic and IT products 

Known to be relatively cheap in Singapore, as Singapore has a low tax on electronics. At malls like Sim Lim and Funan, bargaining is allowed. But be sure to shop around to get the best price, as unfortunately, some store owners still like to take advantage of tourists or those who don't know the market rate.

I recommend Mustafa Center, which is smack in the hard of Little India (see Shopping in Little India), and famous among locals and, as I have been told visitors from India. It's a one-stop sells it all store, and has everything from jewellery to textiles to cooking applicances to DVDs. 

4) General shopping and fashion products

However, for a one-stop shopping experience, I recommend VivoCity. It is one of the newest big malls in Singapore, and is very near to Sentosa, a resort-type offshore island which is very popular with both tourists and locals (though I personally feel it's overrated). This mall is pretty family friendly, as there are alot of children's play areas, such as a playground, and water features throughout the mall. There is also a very good concept food court on the top floor of Vivo City that tries to replicate the atmosphere of Singapore streetside eating in the early 1900s, but with air-conditioning thrown in.