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Yahoo: 5 Reasons Not To Travel To Spore: This Se Asian Country Is One To Avoid


merlinkun

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"Singapore is My Least Favorite Country, Out of the More Than 50 Countries I've Traveled To"

 

http://voices.yahoo.com/five-reasons-not-travel-singapore-south-6691622.html?cat=16

 

Thoughts?

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There really is nothing much to do here what. But the one about Singapore being very forceful about its laws is false. You see so much litter around these days, but do the fines ever get enforced? No!

 

I really really wish it was as the author says and the gov actively gives out fines to offenders because otherwise the littering is really out of control.

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No tots. To each his own. People will have reasons not to like a country. Writer is misguided. I don't see her comparing prices with HK, Korea etc. KL is as expansive if not more expansive. Bkk ain't that cheap either. Censorship? Is she kidding? Most likely a "writer" who depends on guide books and don't take time to do research. Ps, u don't see much angmo tourist eating at roadside stalls in bkk.

Edited by gstc82
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totally agree as a singaporean.

 

but there are differing views in the comments section. prob when you have lived somewhere else not as safe and less orderly, you will love spore. but quite the opposite for me as a citizen.

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There really is nothing much to do here what. But the one about Singapore being very forceful about its laws is false. You see so much litter around these days, but do the fines ever get enforced? No!

 

thats bcos no one (in authority) caught them littering.

 

just that day my friend gt fined $50 for jaywalking in tampines by a plain clothes officer!

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thats bcos no one (in authority) caught them littering.

 

just that day my friend gt fined $50 for jaywalking in tampines by a plain clothes officer!

 

is it? jaywalking a bit sad to get fined la, but I really wish there would be more plain clothes policemen patrolling to catch people littering. Really singapore is so dirty now compared to the singapore i remember as a kid. We need to catch all the people littering and send them for CWO.

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Yeah I agree with what's been said earlier... there must be as many tastes and choices on earth as there are men on earth lol. Simply because some reporter said that this city is not good does not mean it won't fit 95% of the rest of the world :)

 

The Gov has done a lot to make Singapore look like a theme park for the tourists. It's a small place and it needs to attract the tourists because tourism money is easy money and every knows tourism can bring in lots lots lots of dollars if well managed.

 

Now about the laws and regulations, they are enforced, believe me.... my friend and colleague got fined the first week he moved here. He's white, in his mid 30s. He basically crossed Orchard Rd at 1am on a weekday, when the traffic light was red. He was a pedestrian and there was no cars in sight.... well he got caught red handed and had to pay.... $1000!!!!

 

Another friend, she's Asian, threw a piece of paper on the floor at Paragon and got fined $60....

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is it? jaywalking a bit sad to get fined la, but I really wish there would be more plain clothes policemen patrolling to catch people littering. Really singapore is so dirty now compared to the singapore i remember as a kid. We need to catch all the people littering and send them for CWO.

 

well maybe you never see before? people who got fined normally wont reveal.

and littering is quite hard to catch, the action doesnt even last a second. whereas jaywalking is like literally waiting to be caught.

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The two cases I mentioned were policemen in plain clothes, not in uniform. My friend did not believe them even when they showed them their ID or badges. But they offered him to follow them to the police station and settle the fine there, which he did.

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Guest Passingthru

1.  About being boring.  Coincidentally, someone on my FB was complaining about the same thing and I think he's doing the visa run too.  IMO, this feeling is only partially true if you're looking for non commercial lifestyle activities and environments.  There's very little in-your-face indigenous culture and as such, this lack of soul attributes to the feeling of boredom.  Whatever that's available though, is also available in neighbouring countries and done is a less showcased way.  Eg, proper farms instead of Bollywood Veggies, orchid nurseries instead of the Orchidarium at the botanical gardens, real wildlife instead of a zoo & 'safari', cottage industries instead of "ethnic shops"....etc

 

2.  About cost.  While S'pore is expensive, it tries to give value for money because there's no other way for an artificial place like this.  Hence, a taxi ride is not questionable compared to the often tiresome haggling, outright cheating, and insecurity experienced in other cities, for eg. 

 

3.  About chewing gum.  The chewing of gum is allowed but its trading and import by whatever means are not.  I believe the authorities are purposely leaving this misconception to fester so that the ban gets naturally enforced.  People need to understand that they don't get arrested for chewing gum publicly because it is legal.

 

4.  About being less "arty".  There's a variety of arty farty things to do in S'pore and they thrive because the government budgets highly for it.  KL arty folks would kill for such governmental support. If by conforming, it means not doing anything wild and disturbing, then so be it.  Must art always be provocative? 

 

5.  About censorship.  Neighbouring Malaysia makes Singapore look free.  Thailand is ultra sensitive to any lese majeste real or imagined.  In Indonesia, Muslim prayer calls in some parts are so loud and competitive, repetitive even(during Ramadan ) but censuring such "noise pollution" are censored.  In the Philippines, the Church's influence is powerful enough to ban a lot of things deemed immoral and irreligious.

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Guest snowball

yes, Singapore Is Expensive, Singaporean Culture is Conformist, i admitted , but forgetting to flush the toilet could get a fine of $500? mind asking who ever got fine for that before? gay man kissing another man you could end up receiving a jail sentence? so i doubt she know nothing about singapore do exist few gay sauna, and don't she know those countries that talk about human right happen to have more crimes than others? kindly get the fact right why singapore have to ban chewing gum.

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You guys are missing the point. You have to look at it from the writers point of view.

 

This writer has obviously fallen in love with the Asia of old. You can feel it pouring out of her writing from the article. She longs for the messy roads, the old buildings, the street side hawkers, the mess and neon lights. I'll bet that this writer loves places like Bangkok, Hong Kong and Jakarta.

 

If she likes that sort of place, then you can bet Singapore isn't going to do it for her. It's all clean, modern, concrete and glass, Gattaca-like utopia. Nothing wrong with that just not her cup of tea. 

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Guest Hotbod

As a gay, everytime i return SG after holiday in Thailand. I tell myself "Welcome Back to Singaa..bore" :( In SG, gay couple can not walk hand in hand. Seldom see any eye candies here too than in Bkk.

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Bitch just cannot accept that a former colony can be as expensive as America. God forbid our standard of living is higher than angmoh land. She just wants Asian countries to be cheap cheap for her sake. The most boring country? She probably hasn't travelled as much as some of us. Yes, Singapore can be boring in certain areas but to make sweeping statements like that just shows how unsophisticated bitch is. I have met many an American who suddenly forgets to tip once they are in Asia, when they wouldn't be caught dead in their own country. Bitch, do us a big favour and please don't ever come back again. 

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What the writer said is all true to a large extent.

Without the casinos now, u think alot of ppl wanna come to spore? Even before that, many arrived with high expectations but left with disappointment. Many tourists dun see it as a destination, more as a transition for a few days.

1. Being boring.

Sg is really boring. Dun kid urself that its not.

2. High cost.

Dun even have to explain or defend.

3. Chewing gums.

Her point isnt really about ban of chewing gums. More of the strict laws and rules in sg. Most westerners would find it silly cos they are more liberalised there and would find this a culture shock.

And of cos 377A - sg touted as the only developed economy left in the world with this discriminatory law.

4. Arts

Sg isnt suitable to be artsy fartsy. Many things are purposely done by the govt and trying too hard. Experienced foreigners can see thru it easily.

5. Censorship

What to expect with the media being state controlled? Sg ranked one of the lowest in the world in terms of press freedom index and thats why alot from the yale faculties do not want yale to be set up in sg. They dun even give face to the govt.

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those singaporean that think singapore is boring normally are those who hunger for boyfriend, into gay scene and night life, person who don't even know what to do when alone.

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I find Singapore terribly boring. I don't know what to tell people or how to entertain guests/visitors from abroad when they come to visit, besides the hanging out at cafes and malls and the partying/drinking.

 

 

No real natural scenery or cultural stuff whatsoever. It's not like I don't know we have Sungei Buloh, MacRitchie, or the Southern Ridges, or East Coast Park, or heck even the Northwestern Coast (Kranji/Seletar)...but those "nature" places are a far cry from what these foreigners have at home.

 

Really not sure what's uniquely Singapore besides our shopping, food, and probably partying (which is decent, but not amazing...other than ZoukOut perhaps). We're definitely boring if you aren't into urban tourism.

 

Our beaches are pretty...bad. I guess right now with MBS and RWS we have a fair bit more to do thankfully. And oh the Zoo and Night Safari are definitely fun places to bring tourists friends to visit. Those two attractions are really quite well done. 

Edited by kys0n
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If you ask me, I'll straight our say, yes.

It is BORING.

those singaporean that think singapore is boring normally are those who hunger for boyfriend, into gay scene and night life, person who don't even know what to do when alone.

I'm not any of the above, and yet I find it boring.

Talk about giving superficial comments.

Talk about attractions in Singapore.

Zoo

Night Safari

Bird Park

Sentosa (not gonna name everything, to figure)

It's not a lot.

It's not well done. Average.

Look at the pricing. Do we have to argue here?

Sure, we do not have the natural resources, but the government is soaking in monetary values every year like a sponge.

Ministers being paid extravagant amounts.

Do I hear a retaliation here?

If they're paid so well, why not use that money to lower our costs?

Singapore is small. Places are limited to go to.

If you are on frequent dates, you will eventually run out, or have to reuse or find new ones, or even venture out.

It's an undeniable fact.

Small land. Limited resources. Limited space.

Limited areas. Limited land.

So, yes, Singapore is boring.

But, only to it's citizens. Because GOD DAMN I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE.

To my haters

tumblr_lyvcydojUK1qk1wguo1_400.gif

To my lovers

tumblr_lta7y9fb5B1qafrh6.gif

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Merlinkun, darling, what do you think?

As for the dumb article, anyone is entitled to an opinion, no matter how stupid or brainless it is.  No point rebutting anything here, since she/they already have blinders in place NOT to read. 

 

So, Merlinkun dearie, what do you think?

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Merlinkun, darling, what do you think?

As for the dumb article, anyone is entitled to an opinion, no matter how stupid or brainless it is.  No point rebutting anything here, since she/they already have blinders in place NOT to read. 

 

So, Merlinkun dearie, what do you think?

 

I like to position myself as an observer if you will. Like most philosophical topics, there is no right or wrong answers but only how useful the given evidences or proofs are.

 

Personally, I have been in Singapore for 22 years and I long to travel to other countries to learn their culture and knowledge, so this will create a bias opinion should I weigh in.

 

Still, it is interesting to see what everyone (gay and bisexual guys here anyway) thinks about a tourist's first impression of our country.

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https://medium.com/@merlincheng
"On the Internet, no one knows you are a cat."

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LOL anyone been fined for not flushing toilet?

 

Although Singapore is small, is 2 days really enough for the writer to go around?

 

1 day to explore the CBD area (e.g. Esplanade, MBS, Merlion, Gardens)

 

1 day to explore the Chinatown-Bugis-Little India stretch + Orchard Road (may need a separate day if you're totally into shopping)

1 day for the one of the attractions (Sentosa)

 

 

That pretty much covers the essentials.

“Do not take life too seriously. You’ll never get out of it alive.” — Elbert Hubbard

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Bet u guys dun know that bukit timah nature reserve has one of the most number of different plants in the world. Sg boring? Years ago, kinda, now? No. HK is actually more boring to me. Believe it or not, sg is more tolerant to gays and lesbians than bkk. Just becos bkk has ah go go bars don't mean they are more receptive. How many of u guys met and know a typical thai family?

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Ryan chan. If any tourist visit any country, the country must take all chances to milk as much money as possible. I do not see any European govt make my visit to their country as cheap as possible. Prices to our attractions are actually comparable if not cheaper than most countries of similar stature. If you expect sg to have the same price as johore( I did not say KL as KL can be MORE expensive than sg) or Phuket( I did not say BKK as again, it can be as expensive as sg) than, do you expect the same living standard as those cities? It's silly if we do not milk money from tourist. I rather out country accepts 100 high spending tourist than 1000 budget tourist who sleep in the airport and spent $10 a day. When those 100 can spend $1000 a day.

Edited by gstc82
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Yeah I agree with what's been said earlier... there must be as many tastes and choices on earth as there are men on earth lol. Simply because some reporter said that this city is not good does not mean it won't fit 95% of the rest of the world :)

 

The Gov has done a lot to make Singapore look like a theme park for the tourists. It's a small place and it needs to attract the tourists because tourism money is easy money and every knows tourism can bring in lots lots lots of dollars if well managed.

 

Now about the laws and regulations, they are enforced, believe me.... my friend and colleague got fined the first week he moved here. He's white, in his mid 30s. He basically crossed Orchard Rd at 1am on a weekday, when the traffic light was red. He was a pedestrian and there was no cars in sight.... well he got caught red handed and had to pay.... $1000!!!!

 

Another friend, she's Asian, threw a piece of paper on the floor at Paragon and got fined $60....

it's unlikely that jaywalking would warrant a $1000 fine, my friend who jay walked in bugis was only fined $60 and it was imposed via a letter sent to his residential address...

as for littering in public.. i dont think paragon is within the ambit of a public area...

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One of the questions asked during stage 1 of a sia cabin crew interview is do u think spore is boring and where would u bring a group of foreigners to if they come to sg lol.

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Your life can be exciting anywhere, including Singapore.

It all depends on the budget and mentality.

 

Singapore is only boring if one wants to talk about holding hands with their boyfriends in the street.

KL is indeed expensive and expansive (no spelling error here). 

I had a plate of black hokkien noodles from the very famous (and sinful) 金莲记 for almost RM 10.

Although the cooking/frying was really good, but it is still too costly.

 

BKK is getting more expensive.. the cheap things are knock-offs or fakes.

Not to mention, the traffic!

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Your life can be exciting anywhere, including Singapore.

It all depends on the budget and mentality.

Singapore is only boring if one wants to talk about holding hands with their boyfriends in the street.

KL is indeed expensive and expansive (no spelling error here).

I had a plate of black hokkien noodles from the very famous (and sinful) 金莲记 for almost RM 10.

Although the cooking/frying was really good, but it is still too costly.

BKK is getting more expensive.. the cheap things are knock-offs or fakes.

Not to mention, the traffic!

haha yes abang, spelling mistake.
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Not boring lah. Got quite a lot of things to do. I used to like HK and Bangkok a lot but seems like Singapore more exciting nowadays. You can shop from very cheap to very expensive in SG now a day which I find interesting. You can find very modern office buildings besides colonial Shophouses which I find interesting. Now every other weeks you have major protest in Hong Lim. Somemore now also got so many sex scandals. So Salicious !!!

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Not boring lah. Got quite a lot of things to do. I used to like HK and Bangkok a lot but seems like Singapore more exciting nowadays. You can shop from very cheap to very expensive in SG now a day which I find interesting. You can find very modern office buildings besides colonial Shophouses which I find interesting. Now every other weeks you have major protest in Hong Lim. Somemore now also got so many sex scandals. So Salicious !!!

I'll give HK a pass (too crowded, oops). True about the scandals. There are some hidden gems worth visiting like Bukit Brown. Must take pictures of the famous tombs before the place becomes another condo.

After all, tomorrow is another day. ~ S O'Hara

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Not boring lah. Got quite a lot of things to do. I used to like HK and Bangkok a lot but seems like Singapore more exciting nowadays. You can shop from very cheap to very expensive in SG now a day which I find interesting. You can find very modern office buildings besides colonial Shophouses which I find interesting. Now every other weeks you have major protest in Hong Lim. Somemore now also got so many sex scandals. So Salicious !!!

what major protests we have?

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Merlinkun ... interesting subject you elicited our thoughts on, to give us a glimpse of our different views influenced by what shape us as unique individuals with different needs important for us to live or function better and desires we have and yet may do without.

 

we suppose, considering this tiny red dot's relatively short history and making on today's global map, thoughts from passingthru, enelym, gstc82, lean n mean, abang give added perspective to ponder about, especially about how certain numerous individuals themselves helped shape it since the days of a fishing village with migrants ashore. quite interestingly, shown comments (out of 174) below her story share more views, and what Diana 4/24/2013 mentioned, "I think you would have less hate comments if you had known how to rephrase your article title, perhaps it should have been 5 reasons why i do not like Singapore. That would probably make a whole lot of difference Ms Writer", which indeed wasn't consistent with her other statement, "Singapore is My Least Favorite Country, Out of the More Than 50 Countries I've Traveled To"

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The two cases I mentioned were policemen in plain clothes, not in uniform. My friend did not believe them even when they showed them their ID or badges. But they offered him to follow them to the police station and settle the fine there, which he did.

 

 

Plain clothes! Oh my. It is so dangerous to cross the roads these days. Besides looking out for cars, have to loo out for enforcement people. Lol.

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Ryan chan. If any tourist visit any country, the country must take all chances to milk as much money as possible. I do not see any European govt make my visit to their country as cheap as possible. Prices to our attractions are actually comparable if not cheaper than most countries of similar stature. If you expect sg to have the same price as johore( I did not say KL as KL can be MORE expensive than sg) or Phuket( I did not say BKK as again, it can be as expensive as sg) than, do you expect the same living standard as those cities? It's silly if we do not milk money from tourist. I rather out country accepts 100 high spending tourist than 1000 budget tourist who sleep in the airport and spent $10 a day. When those 100 can spend $1000 a day.

It's Rhyn Chan FYI

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