"wen_viaggio's new Singapore Page " a Singapore Travel Page by wen_viaggio

Above: Orchard Road - our famous shopping belt - lights up with brilliant Xmas decorations during the festive season of December.

The last time I updated my Singapore page was more than a year ago (Jan 2006), and given the relentless pace of self-improvement at which our city-state pushes upon herself, an annual update on this page surely does not do justice!

In these pages, you will get a look at what Singapore is about, from a true blue Singaporean.

First up, we are a small country but definitely a wonderful place to live in. Safe (and I mean really SAFE!), clean and modern. Racial harmony and efficient public transportation. The world's best airport (Changi Airport). The world's most beautiful zoo. A plethora of culinary delights influenced by its multi-cultural environment.

Of course, there is a downside. The pace of life here is fast indeed in our cosmopolitan environment. Thus, stress is a common friend here.

Anyway, here is my Top 10 List of 'Myths And Concerns About Singapore - Dispelled!' (culled from my interactions with foreigners whilst overseas). This list is especially useful for those of you who have NOT been to Singapore.

10. We don't have tuks tuks. Sorry, that form of exotic Far East mode of transport has long been extinct here. Take a cab, bus or subway (MRT).

9. We are NOT in Malaysia and NEITHER are we a part of Malaysia (though we used to be before 1965).

8. We don't speak 'Singaporese' (though that would have been a cool name for a language). English is our first language, and our mother tongue (language of ethnicity or race) forms our second language. Our racial make-up consists of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians and Caucasians. Most Singaporeans are effectively bilingual. We do have a local colloquial which we use often amongst ourselves - it is known as Singlish - but more on that later.

7. We are NOT deprived of Western food here. We have lots. Plenty. An overwhelming surfeit of Western food. So please, if you think you are going to starve here by eating some form of 'chop suey' all the time, you would be so wrong. There are all kinds of cuisines here. Check out my food pages. (When I was in Adelaide, Australia, an Aussie classmate asked if we had Mc Donald's in Singapore. I was stunned. And the truth is, we have 20 times more Mc Donald's outlets than what they have in Adelaide).

6. You don't have to bring bucketloads of anti-viral medicine or bottles of sterilisation lotions here. We are about the cleanest country you would stumble across. And should something unpleasant happen to your health, we have the best medical facilities here.

5. We DON'T eat dog meat. Please, do not insult us. I love dogs.

4. Ladies, you CAN wear your tank-tops here. Go ahead, bare those midriffs (Just don't walk about naked, of course). We don't arrest anyone for showing some skin (See, whoever said we were oppressed?). In fact, look around when you are here. You would see that our young people are fashionably decked out; most aren't shy about showing some skin.

3. We HAVE plenty of Internet access here, so don't worry about failing to update your blog, or your VT pages, when you are here.

2. You CAN drink water straight from the tap. It's totally safe. There is no need to call the hotel's reception to verify.

1. We are NOT in China. Please, don't ever make this mistake. You'll make a fool of yourself (This geographical fiasco occasionally pops up to me (when I'm overseas) from some pathetic foreigner who seriously needs a good geography lesson).

MY PRINCIPLES OF TRAVEL

Like the rest of you all, I love travel. And I'm fortunate that Singapore lies smack in the middle of the Asia Pacific, making travel to its neighbouring countries really convenient.

Sometimes, I enjoy travelling alone. I find that to be a very challenging and invigorating experience: just you, out there, depending on your instincts, judgement, skills and knowledge to get the most out of your trip. If I do travel, I always choose my travelling partner/s carefully. The last thing anyone would want is to be stuck with a travel mate who has entirely opposing views of what a good holiday should be.

So it's no surprise that I do not opt for packaged tours unless they are really the only way to get about that place. Here are 2 main reasons. One: On tours like these, you meet travellers from different kinds of backgrounds, with different kinds of ideas on what a good holiday should be. Example: If a large majority of a group intends to give a certain destination a skip (because they are tired, or they want to head to the casino early), the tour leader would oblige. And that always drives me mad. Two: I don't like being shepherded around like sheep, being told where to go and how long I can spend my time there - In other words, I have no control over what I can or cannot do. That clashes with my explorative travel psyche.

MY JOB
I musy say that I'm fortunate to be able to do a job I enjoy. I'm a freelance writer, and I write for various magazines. My scribes cover mainly on food and travel, thus, it really is a job that intertwines my interests of travelling, dining and writing.

Although I sometimes receive free organised trips (for the media) to experience a destination, I must say that nothing beats travelling on your own and facing the challenges of working your way around a foreign land. And when you travel alone, you pay more - much more - attention to your surroundings, which translates into more interesting details and observations in your story.

I wish I could post some of my travel articles here, but I do not want to be flouting any copyright rules (those published stories belong to the magazines now). I'll post more pictures and notes on my travels when I have the time.

Happy travelling, folks.