Indulging in gourmet while exploring the South East

Singapore Arrival   

I already explored South East Asia including Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta and Bali; and indulged in gourmet from March 8 to April 4, 2023.

The purpose of travel mainly is eating and drinking , sightseeing, shopping and experiencing the customs and cultures of different countries in order to enrich knowledge. Eating and drinking is a culture and also is an art.

6. Singapore Episode Part 1：Arrival
    Dining, Sightseeing and Shopping
                    Tuesday, 2023/3/14

Singapore

Singapore (Singapura, 新加坡) is a city-state in Southeast Asia that became independent from the British in 1965 and is now one of the world’s leading economic centres in shipping and banking. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a mix of Chinese, Malay, Arab, and Indian influences alongside a tropical climate, tasty food from hawker centres, copious shopping malls, and vibrant night-life scene, this Garden City makes a great visit.

Singapore is a microcosm of Asia, populated by Malays, Chinese, Indians, and a large group of workers and expatriates from all across the world.

Singaporean food is legendary, with bustling hawker centres and 24-hour coffee shops offering cheap food from all parts of Asia, and shoppers can bust their baggage allowances in shopping centres like Orchard Road and Suntec City.

Singapore is a small island country. With a population size of over 5.5 million people it is a very crowded city, the world's second-most densely populated country behind only Monaco.
Singapore - with more than 50 percent of its area covered by greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves. Additionally, large self-contained residential towns have mushroomed all over the island, around the clean and modern city centre.

As a highly developed country, it has one of the highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. It is also identified as a tax haven. Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major aviation, financial, and maritime shipping hub and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates and foreign workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 88 percent. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption in the world. It has the third highest population density of any country in the world.

Singapore Airlines had been twelve times the best airline in the world. Singapore Airlines is the second best airline just after Qatar Airways in the world in 2024 by Skytrax World Airline Awards. Last year, it was number one.

Regions

There are 5 major regions in Singapore, namely West Region, North Region, North-East Region, Central Region and East Region. We shall explore them in the subsequent episodes.

The fist time that I visited Singapore is 36 years ago. In 1988, I was working in the Finance department of IBM Hong Kong and  was sent to Singapore for a special IBM seminar. I was staying at the Pan Pacific Hotel and enjoying swimming in the big swimming pool. 

I paid a visit to my secondary school mate Victor who was transferred from HSBC Hong Kong to HSBC branch in Singapore. He invited me to his home for special gathering.

That time, Singapore was still very under developed and had very few tall buildings. But Hong Kong had already many skyscrapers and high rises. However, Singapore now surpasses Hong Kong and becomes the world and Asia financial hub after New York and London. Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines are the top of the world.

Arrival

I flew on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Singapore at 9:00am on Tuesday 14 March, 2023. I arrived in Singapore Changi Airport at about 1:05pm the same day.
The lineups for immigration clearance were long but the Changi Airport system was very efficient and fast. I used mobile Apps to obtain SG Arrival Card and declared customs in advance. I passed the immigration clearance at around 3pm.

The SG Arrival Card is the electronic version of the paper disembarkation/embarkation (DE) card (or commonly known as the white card) that foreign visitors are required to submit upon arrival in Singapore for immigration clearance.

Boss Hotel is situated at the Kallang District in the east of Central Region of Singapore.

I took the MRT subway Green Line from Changi Airport CG2  to Tanah Merah station CG. The journey took about 6 minutes. Then I changed the MRT from Tanah Merah station EW4 to Lavender Station EW11. From there, I walked to Boss Hotel in 7 minutes. The total travel time from the airport to the hotel was about 42 minutes. The SMTR is world class, clean, comfortable, convenient, fast and efficient.

I checked in the Boss Hotel very quickly. It was elegant and cozy.

The Hainan Story Chapter One 海南寶
500 Jln Sultan, #01-09 Hotel Boss, 

Singapore 199020

▲ Golden Porridge; Hainan BBQ; Hainan White Kway Chap ; Hainan Chicken 

 ▲ Hainan Chicken

▲ Ox tail Stew

▲ Hainan Curry Chicken Drumstick

Itinerary 

1 CAD = 5.68 HKD

1 CAD = 1 SGD 

Air Tickets 

1. Cathay Pacific HK$2,226 CA$392

Depart HK Hong Kong Tue 14 Mar 9:00 =》 SIN Singapore Tue 14 Mar 13:05 CX759

Return SIN Singapore Tue 28 Mar 12:55 =》 HK Hong Kong Tue 28 Mar 17:15 CX690

  

Cathay Pacific Official Web Site :

https://flights.cathaypacific.com/destinations/en_CA/flights-from-canada    

 
https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_CA.html

Hotel

Hotel Boss 

MTR Lavender Station

500 Jalan Sultan, Singapore 199020  
Tel： +65 6809 0000 

res@hotelboss.sg

Tue 14 Mar 2023 => Wed 15 Mar 2023 SGD 148

Sun 19 Mar 2023 => Mon 20 Mar 2023 SGD 148

Mon 27 Mar 2023 => Tue 28 Mar 2023 SGD 158

Total SGD148 + 148 + 158 = SGD 454 CAD 459

Hotel Boss Official Web Site :

https://www.wwhotels.com/hotel-boss/

Next:
6. Singapore Episode Part 2：West Region    

    Dining, Sightseeing and Shopping

Publisher：Kar Discover