as the subject said, it's about Singapore's bus and MRT system and how the Government and their city planner and the Transport Company has create the BEST transport system that I've ever seen in the world. if you travel around Singapore for a lot of time during your time in Singapore by using their buses and MRTs then get the EZ-Link as it will save both your time and money. during my time in Singapore, you can even use the EX-Link card to buy a McDonalds food. for MRTs you only wait a maximum of 10mnts and a train will come on the station and pick you up and together with their new lineson the way more places will be covered by MRT. for their buses it's nice as well.

I arrived to Singapore on the 26th of December, 2003. This trip was unique because nothing was prearranged, and everything improvised. Upon arrival to Changi Airport I had to book a hotel. I was quite lucky because I found a great bargain in the Le Meridien, located in Orchard Road, very centrally located. I was deeply impressed with the transports. In general they are very clean, modern and cheap. For the underground or the bus you can buy a rechargeable card that you can always keep inside the wallet, because there is a proximity sensor that detects the card whenever you enter a bus or the underground. This was a great novelty for me and saves you from all the hassle of figuring out where you last put it. During my stay in Singapore I visited Sentosa. It is a wonderful spot. Don't miss out the Merlion(the protector of the island) or the daily shows they have with water fountains where they display very cool holographic images on the water. I also went to the Singapore Zoo and tried the Night Safari. It was a remarkable experience. Don't miss the food in Singapore. My girlfriend insisted to take me to the Singapore River for trying the marvelous sea food there. Although not cheap(or expensive), it was the most delicious sea food I have ever had. The crab was just beyond comparison with anything I had ever tried. Our wonderful trip to Singapore terminated with a New Year celebration at the Mandarin Hotel, a very special way to spend our last night in Singapore and also to celebrate year 2004. Singapore is going to last forever in my memory, not only because of my endless credit card bill but also for the wonderful experience I had there. Singapore is one of the greatest cities in the world!

The YMCA of Singapore on Orchard Road, located just on the beginning of the great shopping street, offers good, hotel-level rooms (TV, private bathroom incl. soap and towels) at affordable prices. The price-location ratio is just great. You can make a reservation beforehand by email.

First of all...it's Singapore ..not Singpore. Second of all, we are called Singaporeans...not Singers. I mean we sure can sing..but we don't go around calling ourselves Singers. I'd also like to say something about the languages used in Singapore. Basically, we have the three main groups: the Chinese, the Indians and the Malays. Singaporeans share and communicate in all languages. Sure, we each learn our mother tongues, but it's quite common to hear an Indian speak in fluent Mandarin or the different dialects, and even more Chinese speaking Malay. In Singapore, the population of Chinese is the greatest, with Malays and Indians following. We all share a common language, and that being an international language, would be English. Almost all Singaporeans understand English, only some of the people from the older generation who had little money for education rarely speak English or even broken English. All the signs here are written in English. As for our world-class airport, our government has spent a lot of money to build Singapore as a international port. Efficiency applies to everywhere in the country in terms of transportation and service.

You couldn't miss it. It's all over the food stalls, this chicken poached with spring onions and ginger. The soup is used as stock to cook a delicious chicken rice. You are served two sauces - chili and soya. Great meal.

Changi Airport in Singapore is ultra modern, very efficient and easy to get to and from. Public buses run from the basement and go to most city centre areas where you are likely to find cheap accommodation - Bencolen Street and Beach Rd amongst the Colonial District. The web site is www.changi.airport.com.sg, will tell you all you need to know and is where you can join in a discussion group about the airport and has an interesting e-card section. Changi airport apparently also offers laptop and PDA users infrared access kiosks (at a price I would imagine).

A greater polyglot population would be harder to find than that which exists in Singers. Tamil is spoken by Singapore Indians, as most came from the South of there homeland. Malay is spoken by the mainland Malyasians and many different dialects of Chinese exist, however with Jiang Zemins' cronies trying to standardise the mainland into Mandarin, Singpore will soon to have one 'official' version. English is widely spoken and you will struggle to find a sign, information piece or map you can't read if English is your only language.

Singapore is a gateway to Indonesia, amongst other neighbouring countries. There are regular ferries every day between the World Trade Centre and Batam and Bintain, both about 30 minutes away. These two islands make up part of the Riau Archipeligo and from Sekupang on Batam Island you can enter Indonesia immigration, change money and then do the best thing you can, and that is get a ferry straight out. To Pekanbaru on Sumatra " a long but excellent days travelling by decrepit ferry and unroadworthy bus " is a good option. Thus you can travel from Singapore to central Sumatra very cheaply in one day.

Accommodation " Although traditionally not a budget accommodation Mecca, a few Chinese guesthouses have cheap dorm accommodation. For something different, go to Sentosa Isalnd (a tacky, shitty theme park/attraction based Island) which you can get to via ferry - very cheap and with regular departures - from the World Trade Centre, and camp. You will need to book in advance (Sentosa Info Centre " 270 7888) and they supply four person tents at S$15 per night. Warning " the weekend is very crowded around the island. You can catch a cable car from the WTC which is worth the extra cost for the view.

East Coast Park, half way between Changi Airport and the city centre, is well worth a visit for the night market type atmosphere that is created when the sun sets. The only thing you will find for sale though is food " and plenty of it. The speciality is seafood, but you will be able to sample all the Malay, Chinese and Indian specialities the island nation is famous for. The setting is fantastic and a perfect night could see you running or walking at dusk along the tracks provided by the infrastructure crazy town planners, before having a shower and beer at the Sailing Club and then heading to the Seafood Centre. You could always end up back at the Sailing Club on a Friday or Saturday night if the budget will allow you. As you become inebriated, look out to sea and be humbled by hundreds of docked ships lights that almost resemble a mass of land.