My trip to Singapore.

[Repatriate]

On a whim I booked a flight with my girlfriend to Singapore for a weekend jaunt. It's a place i've always wanted to go see at least once but kept putting off based on everything I heard about it being a rather boring and sterile developed country. This will just be a quick summary about Singapore as a home base for happier abroad expats.


The people and environment in general:

There's a lot of mainland Chinese immigration going on in Singapore at the moment. Just by listening to the various people talking on the MRT it was pretty astounding how many Chinese people there weren't Singaporean at all. Overall the average person you met Singaporean or not seemed to be pretty polite. People weren't afraid to ask each other things on the street and the environment was relaxed. Even the Russian tourists I saw seemed to wear relaxed smiles. People of all races and nationalities co mingling around the waterfront for the evening skyline view. Now that's amazing to see. Contrast that with a similar gathering in the U.S. which is guaranteed to have a lot of thug trash walking around, at least a few brawls, and a heavy police presence.

It seems to me like 40% of the Singaporean population is also of Indian descent or Indian migrant workers. Most of them were also polite and chill. Not at all like the rude types you encounter in the rest of SE Asia.

Casual observations of the women:

First thing's first. You can fuggedabout the older western man, younger asian woman dynamic. It simply doesn't exist in Singapore based on the massive crowds of people I saw. In fact there were very few interracial couples at all and most interracial couples I saw seemed to be tourists. I found that to be very interesting considering the much touted multicultural aspect of their society.

The Singaporean guys i've talked to complain a lot about their women however the Singaporean women I saw didn't seem stand offish. They made regular eye contact with me and seemed relaxed. They basically acted like normal women who aren't located in the western world. They also didn't put up the bitch face or turn their backs when standing in close proximity of men, or yak obnoxiously with raised voices. Just from body language and facial expression it was positive.

With that being said most Singaporeans look quite nerdy. Men and women seem to sport the rail thin with glasses look a lot. I strongly suspect many of the really attractive girls I saw were mainland Chinese as well. I wouldn't be totally surprised if some of the top stunners I saw at the mall worked as call girls in Geylang (the Singaporean red light district) or something. They just had that look and walk...

Cost of living:
Singapore is located in SE Asia and a stone's throw away from Malaysia but food is basically 2-5x the price of Thailand. I didn't see very many bargains at all. The hotel I was staying at was $100 U.S. a night for a plain mid range place. I heard apt/condo accommodation can be pretty insane. Buying property is out of the question unless you're a millionaire. There's no doubt Singapore is a wealthy country.

Job Market etc..:
I saw help wanted signs literally everywhere in Singapore. It seems like they have some staffing issues. Just out of curiosity I browsed one of their popular job databases and they were hiring a lot of bilingual people throughout all industries with one of the major requirements being that they can speak English/Chinese fluently. This could certainly open up some interesting possibilities for the TW-Americans and Chinese-Americans on here at least. It seems like there's a lot of opportunities to be looked at in Singapore. Maybe Winston should check this out.


That's all I can think of at the moment. If you have any questions i'll answer them.

[xiongmao]

Nice trip report. It sounds like Singapore is pretty much like Hong Kong (good place to earn money, less good place to live).

I nearly visited Singapore the year after I visited HK, but the hotel prices put me off.

Do the Indians try to sell you suits like they do in HK?

[Repatriate]

Nice trip report. It sounds like Singapore is pretty much like Hong Kong (good place to earn money, less good place to live).

I nearly visited Singapore the year after I visited HK, but the hotel prices put me off.

Do the Indians try to sell you suits like they do in HK?

I was staying around Little India and I wasn't approached even once. I didn't see any touts either.

I think the Indians in Singapore are just a different class of people. Even the ones who looked like migrant workers carried nice mobile phones and seemed polite as well as pleasant. In order to stay in Singapore they must have steady employment if they are migrant workers. It's pretty strict so I doubt many of them have to hustle.

The Indian-Singaporeans seemed to be prevalent in all occupations. I saw Chinese and Indian Singaporeans working alongside each other in the airport and even as policemen. In HK the dynamic is different. Indians were always considered migrant workers in HK and rarely as citizens. Singapore is much more progressive in this regard, Indians have nearly always been a part of their society.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I was there three years ago and my impression was that it was great for food, sightseeing, and shopping. The hotels were great and service was top notch.

HOWEVER, I found the women standoffish, plain, and indifferent. Most of the western men felt it necessary to spend their time in the red light district building with all the clubs of bar girls. I believe it was Orchid Towers. That told me all I needed to know about the social environment.

Needless to say, I will not be returning.

[green1976]

Every time i read a trip report of how ladies are in Singapore,each time men say that they are not easy to communicate and very standoffish.

In my experience when an Asian lady is in this league,they can be a lot worst than a regular western woman.

As an example here in Paris,Asian most of them Chinese females,have the reputation to be colder comparing to French ladies.

It's true than when an Asian woman is cold,she is like a totally dead person,not even a single vibes of life inside her.
I don't find the reason of why these type of person live in this planet but they have a good time up here,playing when they are cute and profiting of their advantage.

I cannot think that they could enjoy even a single moment to have sex with a man.
Everything is about career,money making and at the maximum to find a wealthy provider for her children.

I wouldn't waste my time in Singapore,HK,Japan or South Korea and even Taiwan.

Time is too precious,money is lacking and to be in an environment where women are smiling,accessible,not arrogant and not indifferent is a duty.

I f**k off to Thailand in some days,ready to be somebody else,the one that i want to be and always wanted to be.

A player,and a laid back man who enjoy p***y and easy time.

[Winston]

Repatriate, did you go to Geylang, the red light district to check out the girls there?

Even though hotels are expensive, you can probably find some cheap hostels at www.hostels.com

So Singapore is just like America - all work and business, but lacking in social connection and openness?

[Repatriate]

Repatriate, did you go to Geylang, the red light district to check out the girls there?

Even though hotels are expensive, you can probably find some cheap hostels at www.hostels.com

So Singapore is just like America - all work and business, but lacking in social connection and openness?

From what I saw Winston people there were quite social. I saw large groups of teenagers, young adults, etc.. just hanging out with each other. I didn't see any stony reserved faces or angry looking solo youth just milling around like I do in the U.S.

I honestly don't know how open the average Singaporean girl is though for dating. I didn't sense any bad or arrogant vibes. Like I said girls returned eye contact etc.. I saw normal couples walking around everywhere. In the U.S. I tend to see way more clusters of guys walking around doing things with isolated couples not socializing with anyone else.

So i'd say no Singapore is NOT like America at all.

I didn't go to Geylang because I was with my girlfriend. I may check it out in the future.

[momopi]

The Indian-Singaporeans seemed to be prevalent in all occupations. I saw Chinese and Indian Singaporeans working alongside each other in the airport and even as policemen. In HK the dynamic is different. Indians were always considered migrant workers in HK and rarely as citizens. Singapore is much more progressive in this regard, Indians have nearly always been a part of their society.

When there's a security risk situation, the SG government will deploy the Nepali Gurkha's. Normally you won't see them unless if you approached a sensitive area, then you might spot one armed with MP5's with a big knife strapped to his back.

[Repatriate]

The Indian-Singaporeans seemed to be prevalent in all occupations. I saw Chinese and Indian Singaporeans working alongside each other in the airport and even as policemen. In HK the dynamic is different. Indians were always considered migrant workers in HK and rarely as citizens. Singapore is much more progressive in this regard, Indians have nearly always been a part of their society.

When there's a security risk situation, the SG government will deploy the Nepali Gurkha's. Normally you won't see them unless if you approached a sensitive area, then you might spot one armed with MP5's with a big knife strapped to his back.

Yeah I wasn't lucky (or unlucky) enough to see one but i've heard a lot about them. That's pretty cool that Singapore still recruits and trains up crack commandos from nepal to work in their high security forces. I read that these guys make enough at these esteemed jobs to basically retire for life when they go back. The money is so good that it has created a weird inflationary effect in some villages in Nepal.

[Winston]

Based on this trip report, Singapore doesn't look like much fun. Dang. Does anyone agree or disagree with it?

http://www.singledudetravel.com/2011/08 ... -the-cons/

[Repatriate]

Based on this trip report, Singapore doesn't look like much fun. Dang. Does anyone agree or disagree with it?

http://www.singledudetravel.com/2011/08 ... -the-cons/

I'd say it's probably accurate. I didn't sense extreme standoffishness with most of the women there but half the time I wasn't sure if they were recently immigrated mainlanders or Singaporeans. Like I said before I didn't think there were many hot girls anywhere there. A lot of what I assumed to be Singaporeans there (both men and women) were too thin, frail, slightly nerdy etc.. I went to 6 different malls and there were very few head turners. The hottest woman I saw in one of the biggest malls there (Vivocity) was a sexy woman who was already holding a baby. In Bangkok on any given day I can walk into a mall here and see lots of eye catching women everywhere.

I also didn't see all that many long stay expats. If they were white they were mostly obvious tourists. I didn't go to the money places like nightclubs etc.. because I figured it would be an enormous waste of money and time. Looks like I was right and it's a hang out for trust fund fags and whoremaster bankers.

I can totally see how Singapore would be an excellent place to network. It's a small country and is absolutely awash in filthy lucre and those that have deep pockets.

I would really like to get a better sense of the locals though. Maybe in the future but Singapore is like Dubai there's little reason to be there unless you're getting paid.

[nupter]

I am from malaysia and once long ago singapore once used to be a part of malaysia.i have been there a few times and also watch tv series from singapore.and from my experience,singapore is a high stress country,parents want their children to be the best of everything,that is why it is so competetive,and in singapore its also like US,work work and work.some of them are snobbish and stuck up but u cant see that from the outside.but they are friendly just like most of the asian country.we malaysian like to brand or label singaporeans as kia su(afraid of losing) haha.well those are their attitude if u get to know them.its not an ideal place to work at because its very stressful.