xxFiveWords said:
So, anyone been to Malaysia and Singapore?
- what's the main language/s?
- what's there to do?
- what's the night life like?
- are they clean?
- what's the shopping like?
thx
xxFiveWords
Singapore on the other hand.. sorta like my second home (go back every 6-12months).. is very different to Malaysia. Sure they are both very hot... but everywhere you'd probably go is airconditioned- unless you like going out to the suburbs, exploring the cheaper places, etc.. and it's considerably safer- there's a very very low crime rate/murder rate (ppl are just bloody scared of what the govt. can do).
Whilst the official language is Bahasa Melayu- barely anyone speaks (or can speak) it nowadays... English is the primary language as it is able to be spoken by all different people there- the British, the Chinese AND the Indians.. however be prepared to speak a local language of the seller (eg. Chinese or Tamil) if you want to bargain alot.
Singapore clubbing/partying is very good... it's extremely active. Heaps of everything from outdoor cinema to clubbing to bars, etc.. but be warned- the govt./police don't take crap. No drugs, no littering, nothing illegal. We take for granted in Aus that police aren't that strict but over there you can get jailed- they don't care if you're a tourist. Also- don't bring chewing gum into the country. The shops are also open quite late.. there are a lot of good food places and the singapore govt. has health inspections alot and they grade shops with letters A, B or C (or D I hear?) and they are forced to post the sign somewhere; although in some shops they obscure it a bit!
Anyway if you do go, there's heaps of places to go.. th etrain system is one of the best in the world- buy a prepaid card if you'll be there for more than a wk.. there's really no need to catch a taxi because the train can take you anywhere you want which is worth going to. There's also alot of shops which sell cheap electronics with international warranties- even Harvey Norman. I personally buy stuff from HN because it seems safer (and it's quite a large chain store there)- although lately the price gap between us and them isn't so big anymore... Back in 2002 I bought a CD Walkman for $199sgd (approx $190aud) which retailed for $300 in Australia at the time, and in 2003 I bought a Sony MD for $499 which was over $800 in Australia (RRP). And let's not forget- you can bargain! If you don't trust the ppl- BYO calculator.
And yeh- the whole place is really clean... BUT of course if you go out to suburban areas there are shops which have toilets which aren't that appealing... in the city area it's pretty good though- people there have this uncanny ability to stay clean.. Although there's one thing I've noticed abt SG- because ppl don't fight and so on... people who in Aus would get the shit bashed out of them for being jerks.. are left running rampant in some areas and it just makes you want to hit 'em and tell 'em to ****ing shut up... You have to put up with that- but I'd highly recommend Singapore as the place to go. There's also a lot of Western influence on the shops- as in, if you ever are scared to eat or something.. there's A LOT of western shops there in franchise (eg. bakeries, maccas, kfc, etc..)
Oh and one more thing abt SG.. unless you are interested in certain "services" by women (cough cough)- try to stay away from Geylang. That's the official red-light district of Singapore (yes the govt. even controls where prostitutes are allowed to stay- and they have to carry ID + health card which shows they've been tested for STDs in the last fortnite or something..) ... it's a very controlled society and it's an interesting thing to look at/observe.
I probably should've mentioned stuff like sentosa island, changi airport, the zoo, etc... but any half decent hotel will be able to tell you where to go. BTW Taxis are also really cheap in Singapore if you are too lazy to walk to MRT station- (what would cost us $50 costs less than $10 over there... but beware of the horrendous traffic around Orchard; the tourist area).
Raffles City, Orchard Road, Bugis Junction... they seem to be places where tourists congregate. Even if you're white you should be expecting to get a good deal if you bargain wisely- try checking singaporean websites before you go if you are looking for electronics. One site I use is bluetin.com- they are singaporean based but because it's like.. a mail order thing add about 5% or so on top of their prices to guesstimate how much you can buy that stuff from a local store like Harvey Norman.
I hope I provided enough insight for ya!
I'm too lazy to edit my M'sia post but... yeh don't catch a taxi there unless you know what you're doing =P
