KNOW IT ALL: Singapore Five essential things to consider before you go…

Haji Lane, Singapore. Photo: Belinda Jackson

KNOW IT ALL: Singapore

1.       Eat cheap on the street: hawker (street food) stalls are carefully audited by the government and the people – a whiff of grit or one bad review  and they’re toast.

2.       Grab an MRT-bus card and skim the city like a local. The metro system is super-fast and super-efficient, the only choice in peak hour.

3.       Forget devil-may-care Asia, it’s all seatbelts and waiting at the traffic lights. Singaporeans also love a good, orderly queue

4.       The Singapore Sling turns 100 this year, appropriate given Singapore is currently in the grip of cocktail fever, with sleek new bars playing with everything from sake to bourbon. Pack a glossy outfit, charge up the credit card and hit the chic strips of Ann Siang Hill and Haji Lane (to name a few)…

5.       …and if you overdo it, the tap water is perfectly safe to drink. 

This article by Belinda Jackson was published in Sydney's Sun-Herald Traveller section.