What should visitors do in Singapore suburban areas?

TARyan · Newbie Joined: Apr 02, 2009 Posts: 1

Tell me some ideas for VISITORS who come to Singapore suburban areas, such as: Tampines, Toa Payoh, Yishun, Bishan, among others. Thank you for all of you who have given such great answers.

sky_blue · Newbie Joined: Apr 05, 2009 Posts: 1

In the places you listed, they are mainly residential areas, mostly occupied by Housing Development Board flats. This an excellent opportunity to discover the daily life of a Singaporean. Each area has its own unque housing hub which consists of supermarket etc. Hope you enjoy your trip!

lwq_892003 · Newbie Joined: Apr 08, 2009 Posts: 1

You can try looking at the website: www.visitsingapore.com. Toa Payoh, if i am not wrong is the oldest housing estate in Singapore. Perhaps you can try the food in these suburban areas. There are guides on the website above, so check it out! Smile

Pelion · Newbie Joined: Apr 11, 2009 Posts: 1

As a visitor to the suburban areas, which comprise mainly high-rise Housing & Development Board (HDB) apartment buildings, you will get the chance to get a close view of the customs, habits and favourite pastimes of typical Singaporeans.

Top priority should be a visit to the wet markets, that is, large covered but otherwise open areas where merchants such as fishmongers, vegetable and fruit sellers, chicken and egg sellers, butchers as well as dry grocery sellers offer their wares in a myriad of stalls. Next to them are hawker centres where the famous Singapore hawkers dish out their often unique local specialties to locals and tourists alike.

There are different specialties for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as those that can be eaten at any time as snacks. Tasting these specialties alone would take one several visits before you can get a truly representative taste of Singapore food. And while at the hawker centres, do not forget to patronize the coffee as well as the dessert stalls where truly unique, not to mention unusual for the tourists, fare is served.

Most of the larger neighbourhoods have large and modern shopping malls complete with supermarkets and eating establishments where some good bargains can be found.Have a great time there and do not forget to bring your camera!

sg1299 · Newbie Joined: Apr 14, 2009 Posts: 1

Observe, Observe, Observe.Those are places you can see majority of Singaporeans' daily life, majority (80%) of Singaporeans' housing type and sizes, majority of Singaporeans' living environment, majority of Singaporeans' interaction (or the lack of it), in short majority of Singaporeans' living standard.Nothing much to do except just eat and eat and eat all varieties of local food at the non-air condition "neighbourhood coffeeshop" or known as "kopitiam", sometimes can find non-air condition "hawker centre" or air conditioned "food centre" or non-air condition "food court".

astrid · Newbie Joined: Apr 17, 2009 Posts: 1

the best thing to do is to just sit somewhere comfortable, away from the blazing sun and "la kopi". shiok~

SingaporeVisitor · Newbie Joined: Apr 20, 2009 Posts: 1

Eat, Shop, Sight-see, enjoy the local culture, do sports, walks, etc.The suburbarn areas of Singapore have their own interesting facets, so do check them out and enjoy.

mk6164 · Newbie Joined: Apr 23, 2009 Posts: 1

There's really nothing much to do except shopping and eating. For shopping, it's easy to walk around if you take the MRT (subway) to each respective station. I know in Yishun, there's this special fishing village called the Bottletree. But you would have to alight at Khatib Station and walk for about 15mins.

unnga1895 · Newbie Joined: Apr 26, 2009 Posts: 1

If you do visit these areas here are some things you can do. Visit NTUC Fairprice supermarkets. Check out the range and prices and tell your friends back home how lucky or unlucky they are.

Visit CashConverters (Toa Payoh and Tampines) and see what baubles Singaporeans are interested in.

Visit MacDonalds and check out its portions and prices compared to your homeland.

Visit any local coffee shop. Order coffee and see if you like roasted beans with burnt sugar tar and magarine. Order Yong Tau Foo (Anthony Bourdain tried them. He didn't say much though). Order Rojak (An oriental salad totally different from your usual salad). Ask for Singapore noodles and order fortune cookies and watch the cooks expression.How hot is hot? Have an endurance contest. Order anything fried with lots of chilli. Only thing that douses the fire is plain rice or so I heard.

Go to any clean public toilet and try the squatter and don't topple over.

Buy a ciggarette pack with picture of dead baby. That will teach you maybe something.

Stand behind the long queue and buy lottery tivckets for todays draw. Try 8888. Good luck sure come.

You can call anyone older than you auntie or uncle. No, we won't get angry..

Go via MRT. Do no say Temp Pines. It rhymes with penis.

NTUC is pronounced by saying out each letter. Not Nee TucTry tiger beer. It cheap in the heartlands.

To gross out your partner, order some pig ears or roasted duck heads to go along with them. The duck brain is edible btw.

Attend a meet the peoples session. The local political flunky who won the election walkover will probably escort you out. Everything state secrets here.

Visit the Pap kindergarten classes. Be amazed what they are teaching the toddlers. Chinese people are very proud of their toilet training. But its okay to spit and gargle loudly at public wash basins.

Be careful of bicyclists who roam about. They are foreign talents and please welcome them.

ris551 · Newbie Joined: Jun 19, 2009 Posts: 2

Neuroticism · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject:

If you aren't the type of person who would try the Local living, you can venture into the shopping malls. There are a couple of them located there.
For example:
1) AMK@Hub- Ang Mo Kio
2) Northpoint- Yishun
3) Sun Plaza- Sembawang
4) Tampines 1, Century Square, Tampines Mall- Tampines
5) Toa Payoh HDB Hub- Toa Payoh
6) Bishan- Bishan Mall