Their man in Singapore

Sign – Peninsula Plaza

“Our man on the internet”, Lancerlord sends a link to a short Times UK article by a Ben Kiggell listing things to do and places to eat at in our great city.

Some of the attractions and suggestions he lists are nothing short of hilarious.

Eat here

A meal at one of the many open-air hawker centres is a great way to try local food. For a top-end experience, we love Flutes at the Fort (www.flutesatthefort.com.sg).

Must do

The Botanical Gardens are amazing. Less obvious, but a real gem, are the walking tours detailed on www.singaporewalks.com. There’s a different one every day of the week.

Avoid

A lot of what pass for tourist attractions in Singapore – the Merlion at Marina Bay and the world’s largest fountain at Suntec City – are pointless. Don’t waste your time.

Top shop

Lim’s Art & Living in Holland Village (00 65 6251 5151) doesn’t look like much as you walk in, but is absolutely bursting with decorative, functional buys.

A to B

Taxis are inexpensive and usually plentiful, but call and book at peak times and when it’s raining.

Insider tip

At night the little side street next to Lau Pa Sat hawker market is closed to traffic, filled with tables and chairs, and turns into “Satay Street”, where a dozen stalls grill satay in the open air.

Flutes must be so top-end that I’ve never heard of anyone else say anything good about it. And Lim’s Art & Living? Hahahahahhahaha. Dude! The full name of the shop is “I am Mr Lim and I make a Living passing these things off as Art to Ang Mohs… Pte Ltd”.

But alright, a couple of correct tips: Merlion and Fountain of Welfare at Suntec are pointless.

For a sort of interesting “walk” though, I had a chance on Saturday to walk through Peninsula Plaza, and was amazed to find that it’s become “Little Burma”. There are Burmese shops on every floor, selling all manner of Burmese goods, services and high-speed internet access.

And it’s just great, the sights, the smells (omigod the building needs proper ventilation), the sounds. And don’t you just love it when the city gets divvied up into different ethnic enclaves, just like in days of Empire?

The Indians on Serangoon, the Chinese on the River, the Filipinos on Orchard, and the Americans and Europeans at Lim’s Art & Living.

Ah… Gotta love this city-state.