Have anyone ever traveled to Singapore, then took a bus north to Malaysia? What are some must see stuff, going there with a friend in a month, and suggestions are needed.
I did it about 15 years ago. Took the bus to Melaka for a few days, then headed to the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and spent quite a bit of time in Kuala Terranganu and Kota Bharu - both fantastic places.
Like cfimages, my travels in that part of the world were in the 1990s… I remember Melaka being very interesting:
nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/0 … lacca.html
Georgetown/Penang was also cool:
tourismpenang.net.my/
Kuala Lumpur isn’t bad as big capitals go. A few years ago we spent most of the day at the bird park - pricey but you can get really close to the birds:
klbirdpark.com/index.cfm
I’m planning a short getaway to Singapore in January.
Leaving aside accommodation and transport (I’ll be purchasing a Singapore Tourist Pass and using the metro and walking), what would forumosans consider to be a reasonable daily budget? I won’t be venturing into Michelin starred places, eating instead mostly South Indian and hawker center fare, with some coffees and kaya toast thrown in.
Does SIN$60 / day (excluding hotel and transport) sound workable?
Guy
To follow up on my query: my trip to Singapore showed me that eating (and buying drinks at) hawker centers is cheap! Eating soy sauce chicken with noodles and veggies at the original Hawker Chan in Chinatown Center? SIN$4.00. Dosa with sambal and chutney at Tekka Market? Around SIN$2.50. Nasi Lemak at Adam Road Market? SIN$4.00. A cup of delicious and strong Nanyang style coffee (in this case Kopi C) at a Michelin awarded stall? SIN$2.00.
Some photos appear below. My total daily budget excluding accomodation but including all transport, food (including one splurged meal), and copious amounts of delicious drinks (all nonalcoholic, including lots of mango lassis, teh tarik, kopi, etc): SIN$52.50 / day, which comes in just below my anticipated SIN$60 / day budget.
Guy
Guy
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Famous as the world’s cheapest Michelin restaurant
it was too long line when I was there, how was the food?
That is no restaurant! The original stall in Chinatown Center was serving coffee only.
Over at Maxwell Hawker Center, a branch of this place however did serve kaya toast for breakfast in addition to the signature Nanyang style coffee.
Honestly the places in the hawker centers I tried that did NOT have Michelin recognition were also great. My one and only disappointing meal over four days was at a proper sit down restaurant serving biryani—total cost for that meal was SIN$24 and far inferior to the hawker fare at Tekka Center. Everything I ate except that biryani was above my expectations.
Guy
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Ok, so must be another tiny place in Singapore I was thinking about
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I should add that all my entertainment in Singapore consisted of walking around, sometimes in the excellent Botanic Gardens (free) and also hiking further north up in the reservoir / Thomson Road area (also free). Orchard Road sucked donkey balls but that saved me some money as there was absolutely nothing there I wanted to buy. Anticipated budgets would need to go up if one intends to hand over money for admission fees and/or go shopping for . . . I’m not sure what, but I suppose people can and do buy things in Singapore.
Guy
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I visited Singapore recently and I was kinda blown away by the hawker centers. They were usually cheap, diverse, and flavorful. Are there any Taiwanese night markets that compare in the variety? Many of them just sell the same dishes and snacks. I think my favorite street food in Taipei is actually the bunch of weekend stands in front of Taipei Grand Mosque. Last time I was there, I had samosas, Indonesian desserts, and some North African food.
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Thanks for the info. Planning to go this July.
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Oh, thanks for this! I had no idea these stands existed.
Singtel building near Orchard rd—best fried rice and huge bowl of Tom Yam–6Sd
I fully agree! I was also impressed.
No.
Guy
yes the night market in keelung Google Search
Prior to the pandemic and a kid, when I used to visit the night markets in the greater Hsinchu area, in addition to the usual fare, there used to be decent pasta, indian, and south east asian stalls, plus some mediocre middle eastern stalls, and I even saw a Russian stall from time to time. I’m sure there would be even more diversity in bigger cities. Not claiming that they would be as cheap or as good as what you can find at Singapore’s Hawker centers, but I don’t think Taiwan’s night markets are completely lacking in diversity.
Both are good–sing with Malay, various Chinese, and Indian, slightly spicier and more diverse?