The happy wanderer's guide 
(An old newspaper article cached in my server)

Five itineraries have been packaged to offer visitors a taste of Singapore's myriad attractions

By Jaime Ee and Audrey Tan

or the first-timer to Singapore or a repeat visitor with a few days to spare and no strong idea of how to go about discovering the sights, sounds and tastes of the city, we offer you some ideas and suggested itineraries.

The following itineraries are a guide to what's available. Pick and choose according to your whim.

TOUR ONE

How about breakfast at the Raffles Hotel? One of the country's best known landmarks, it's conveniently located near the City Hall MRT station and about 5 minutes on a taxi from Orchard Road. The hotel's Empire Cafe offers local breakfast favourites and you can do some people-watching as pedestrians walk by towards Raffles City, another shopping centre/office block.

You can choose to either walk across to the Raffles City, or cross North Bridge Road to Parco Bugis Junction, a popular mall featuring mid-priced boutiques, a department store, plenty of cafes and a cinema multiplex.

Also within walking distance is Chijmes (pronounced "chimes''), a former Catholic girls' school which has been completely refurbished into a complex of ultra-trendy restaurants and watering holes. A sight to behold is the wondrous chapel with its stained glass windows, which has made it a favourite non-denominational wedding venue.

Continue walking down the street away from the Raffles Hotel and you will come to the Singapore Art Museum, also a former school with beautiful old-world architecture that now houses international art exhibitions. On display currently are selected works from New York's Guggenheim museum.

If a visit to the city's financial district interests you, hail a cab and head for Shenton Way - take in the skyscrapers and the sight of the harried shirt-and-tie (few men wear suits in Singapore) crowd rushing to and fro. Landmarks include Parliament House, which is the oldest government building in Singapore, and the Merlion, the half lion, half fish symbol of tourism which stands at the mouth of the Singapore River at Fullerton Road.

Have a late lunch at Lau Pa Sat (avoid the killer lunch crowd), the newly opened mother-of-all food courts which boasts some 200 stalls serving all manner of local specialities. The overall quality here is pretty decent, so the food you order here will be pretty authentic. It's also clean and breezy.

If you're in the area at dusk, the place to go to is Boat Quay, a string of conserved shophouses fronting the Singapore River, which house numerous trendy restaurants and pubs. It's a destination in itself - have a relaxed dinner, walk along the river, and go pub-hopping. This is where the "beautiful'' people of Singapore go to see and be seen.

TOUR TWO

A day for serious shopping, perhaps? Take a taxi to Orchard Road. Stores open by 10am or 11am depending on the mall, but if you're in the area by 10am there will be things to look at.

The entire stretch is crammed with shopping malls. This is a good time to be in Orchard Road, as both retailers and shoppers are full swing in the Christmas mood. You'll see as many, if not more, decorations along the street than in any major city in the world. But this time of the year also means more crowds, so watch your wallets.

Tangs is a good family-oriented department store. Next to it, Lucky Plaza is a tourist trap of camera and electronics shops. Compare prices and walk away immediately if any salesman starts getting aggressive.

An excellent one-stop shopping place is the huge Ngee Ann City, which houses department stores Takashimaya and Tangs Studio, as well as numerous designer and mid-priced boutiques, restaurants and specialty shops.

Centrepoint boasts possibly the largest Marks and Spencer in the region.

For more serious designer shopping, try the other side of Orchard Road, in the direction of Tanglin Road. Palais Renaissance is full of designer boutiques such as Prada, DKNY, Versace, Bill Blass. Across the street is the Hilton Hotel Shopping Arcade, which features labels like Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Gucci and Coach.

Hilton Hotel connects to the Four Seasons Hotel, which boasts the Club 21 boutiques for both men and women, offering a mixed bag of designer labels.

Both ends of Orchard Road will take up an entire day, if not more. And there are plenty of places to eat and drink when you need to rest your feet.

TOUR THREE

Time for some ethnic shopping. Start off with Little India. Centred around Serangoon Road, Little India boasts rows of shophouses selling saris, Indian sweets and sweet-smelling flower garlands. There are also restaurants galore for the adventurous. Temples in the area include Sri Veerama Kaliaman and Sri Srinivasa Perumal. And get a first hand look at prata flipping - lumps of white dough are flipped into flat discs which are fried and served with a curry gravy.

Chinatown is also a treasure trove of souvenirs. A good place to soak up some old-world ambience. Ask the cab driver to drop you off at People's Park and just wander around Pagoda, Smith, Temple and Mosque streets for a feel of what life used to be like for the old residents. Medicine shops still offer an esoteric range of cures and tonics, while local craftsmen making clogs, kites and traditional seals can still be found.

A conservation area worth visiting is Clarke Quay, a self-contained "village'' of shops and trendy restaurants accessible by taxi or "rivercabs'' which take you across the Singapore River.

If there is time, check out Arab Street, where the early Arab settlers congregated in Singapore. Filled with interesting textile and wickerware shops, you can also visit the gold-domed Sultan Mosque which was designed by Denis Santry and completed in 1928.

And if you're willing to venture into the suburbs, visit Holland Village, a hangout for expatriates and yuppies who throng the numerous restaurants and ethnic furnishing shops there.

Note, though, that the places mentioned are not near each other. But the beauty of Singapore is that you can easily take a cab from one place to another and the fares are rarely more than $10.

TOUR FOUR

Now for some tourist attractions. Singapore has a world class zoo and bird park. The open-concept Singapore Zoological Gardens in Mandai houses more than 2,000 creatures in landscaped enclosures. Look out for the feeding-time shows, which take place throughout the day. And if breakfast with orang-utans is a must, make advance reservations through your hotel.

Highly recommended is the Night Safari, where you avoid the glare of the tropical sun. Walk along the trail at your own pace or relax in a tram ride. New exhibits include spotted South African hyenas, pythons and tarsiers. The Night Safari was named Leisure Attraction of the Year by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, and Best New Tourist Attraction in Asean last year by the Asean Tourism Association.

The Jurong Bird Park at Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim is South-east Asia's largest bird park with over 8,000 birds of 600 species. Highlights include the Southeast Asian hornbills and the world's second largest penguin exhibit. Daily shows include Breakfast with the Birds, Birds of Prey and Penguin Feeding Time.

TOUR FIVE

For sea-related attractions, hop across to Sentosa. This resort island offers attractions including the Surrender Chamber, Pioneers of Singapore, the Asian Village and a Butterfly Park. Visit the Underwater World, Asia's largest tropical oceanarium which has over 2,000 species of fish that visitors can view from a submerged walkway. Bring your swimsuits and head for Fantasy Island, a theme park of 13 water rides and 31 different water slides. After dark, the Musical Fountain is a spectacular light, sound and water extravaganza staged three times a night. The island can be reached by cable car, ferry or land transport. There are also two deluxe hotels, the Beaufort and Rasa Sentosa, on the island if you want to stay overnight.

For shorter distractions, bumboats ply the Singapore River, while junks circle the nearby southern islands. Harbour cruises depart from the Singapore Cruise Centre at the World Trade Centre and Clifford Pier, off Collyer Quay. There are cruises throughout the day and some dinner cruises include live performances. You can get more information about this from your hotel.

Jaime Ee is BT's Lifestyle Editor while Audrey Tan is a reporter with BT

 Disclaimer