Traveller Terng (also editor for Travel Wanderlust) shares why Singapore is one of the best destinations for travellers from around the world. You can follow his journey on Instagram @travelwanderlustco and at https://www.travelwanderlust.co/
How long have you lived here?
I’ve lived in Singapore for over 12 years, originally being from Sri Lanka.
Describe your city in 3 words.
Singapore is safe, bright and always awake.
What is the one thing everyone must see when they get here and why?
If you like hiking and are a bit sporty, exploring the Henderson Waves is one of the most fun ways to get a bird’s eye view of a lot of the city-state. Singapore is not really known for its lush vegetation or nature trails, but walking the Henderson Waves is a fun and affordable way to spend a morning in Singapore.
What is the most overrated thing about your city and why?
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in my opinion. While it is a beautifully designed building and a hot spot for tourists, it is basically an expensive mall. If you are looking for a luxury shopping experience, then yes, MBS is awesome, but if you want to truly see the city and experience something new, I believe there are better places out there.
What is your favourite local dish – describe it to us?
Oh, this is tough. Singaporeans love their food and have a long-running rivalry with their neighbours across the region about which cuisines are better or where it originated from. I am by no means a ‘foodie’, but if I had to pick I would say sambal stingray.
This is a barbecued piece of stingray (charcoal fire barbeque) generously slathered with sambal or a thick and creamy sauce made with chillies and other spices. The stingray is not heavily seasoned but has a rich smoky flavour from the open flame. The spicy sambal is a perfect complement to the stingray and is a simple, but delicious condiment made from chillies, shallots, lime and maybe some sugar.
Describe your perfect day if you were a tourist?
I would start my day with a local breakfast of soft-boiled eggs and toast at any of the local eateries. This should come with a local coffee or tea that will definitely wake you up.
My next stop is to visit any one of the museums in town – the National Art Gallery or the Asian Civilisation Museum – to experience a bit of the culture in the city. I would use public transport wherever I can because it is one of the many perks of living in a small city, public transport is convenient and affordable.
For lunch, I would definitely go local. There are dozens of amazing hawkers spread across the central district and even more in the suburban areas. A few I would suggest include Amoy Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market and Maxwell Food Centre. If you do not know what to get, do it the local way and look for the longest queue and join it.
Post-lunch I would normally head back for a nap after a heavy lunch, but if we decide to explore more, Singapore has some awesome places to visit such as Gardens by the Bay with one of the largest indoor waterfalls, a taste of some exotic at Arab Street to shop local and see some of the Middle Eastern influence in the country or a personal favourite would be to take a guest to Haw Par Villa, a theme park in the West of Singapore that has over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology, folklore, legends, history, and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism.
At the end of the evening, you can head out to the dozens of nightspots from the popular (but overcrowded) Clarke Quay area or visit its less crowded neighbour, Boat Quay for some fresh seafood. Finish the night off at a fancy cocktail bar by the water or any one of the dozens of pubs that serve beer, bar snacks and so much more.
A full day in Singapore is not complete without a late night supper at your 24-hour eateries everywhere. Choose from freshly made prata (an Indian flatbread) with curry to steaming Xiaolongbao (Chinese steamed buns) and chase it with a fresh lime juice or teh tarik (pulled tea).
That would be my perfect day in Singapore.
This article has been edited for clarity and grammar
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