december-2011

PHOTO COURTESY OF RUBY TAN (TOP)
The Shoestring
Traveler:
Ruby Tan
Her motto “Always talk to the locals
and don’t just see a place, live it.”
Her mission To explore Singapore’s
wide-ranging and varied attractions in
72 hours with less than S$300.
THE SHOESTRING DIARIES
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The Kampong Glam
area is home to the Sultan
Mosque and other
stunning architecture.
WELCOME TO SINGAPORE,
world-famous for its fast pace and
smorgasbord of cultures living together
in a small space. Growing quickly as
a First-World city, you can expect
prices to rise steadily as well. But fret
not: if you follow some rules — like
staying away from taxis and eating
at hawker centers — spending less
in Singapore doesn’t mean you take
in less. Here is my guide to all things
quintessentially Singaporean, without
the quintessential damage a First-
World city can do to your wallet.
Day 1
I’m armed with the one card that grants
access to all of Singapore on the cheap:
the EZ-Link Card (S$12/US$9.70 with
a stored value of S$7/US$5.60). I took
a short Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train
ride from Changi Airport Station down
to Kallang Station (S$1.47/US$1.18) to
check in at The Hive@Kallang, which is
just two minutes away. The Kallang area
is outside of the usual commotion you’ll
fi nd in the city, but still within 10 to 15
minutes on public transport. I checked
in for two nights on a dorm bed (S$48/
US$38.65) and hopped on a public bus
(S$0.73/US$0.60) to the Kampong
Glam area.
Quickly you’ll see the
high-rise housing fl ats
give way to shophouses
that have retained their
characteristic décor. I had
lunch at the Kampong
Glam Café: a plate of Roti
John Cheese Beef (S$4/
US$3.20) and teh tarik
(“pulled tea” in Malay; S$0.80/
US$0.65).
Combing through the lanes of
Kampong Glam will show you Malay
and Middle-eastern cultures in
Singapore. I take in the myriad colors
and patterns in the textile shops on Arab
Street, the scents wafting from stores
with traditional Malay and Middleeastern
trinkets near the majestic Sultan