How is the "freedom" over there?

I'm thinking about going at the end of the month.

How is dining/drinking/general outdoor stuff allowed? How is it round Chinatown food street, One Fullerton, Clarke quay etc?

Are there any restrictions I should know about - anything to make it not worthwhile?

Well I can't talk about during/since covid but 2 yrs ago we had a fantastic 4-night stopover returning from NZ.
Absolutely amazing place - food, sights to see, different cultures - just wonderful.
And as the flight to LHR with Singapore Airlines was only a quarter-full we cheekily asked to be upgraded for free and were, haha.
14 hrs on a plane is generally a bit tiresome but this particular flight was rather pleasant.

Hi Tarkys Ears I live in Singapore. We're currently in a semi-lockdown because of a rise in COVID infections. We are able to move around freely so long as masks are worn in public places. However, no more than two people can sit at a table in a restaurant/bar - and you have to show that you are fully vaccinated or to tested negative for COVID in the last couple of days. The bigger issue is whether you can get in to Singapore as there are still restrictions in place on entry for tourists. These restrictions are being eased, gradually, but there remains the danger that they could be reintroduced at a moment's notice. For example, there is now no quarantine for travelers from the UK, but travelers from the UK require permission to enter before beginning their journey. Best to check the latest advice https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... s-covid-19

Got half our Navy over there at the moment. None of them allowed ashore!

The other half are in The Ship and Castle in Portsmouth.

Contender for biggest pub in the world, I remember....

jollyjack wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:13 pm

Contender for biggest pub in the world, I remember....

The world's longest bar is (or was) in the working men's club in Mildura, Australia; the UK's longest is in Clitheroe.

Also worth clarifying that mask in public means literally from the moment you leave your private abode.

Despite the restrictions everyone is still managing to continue as normal. Shopping Malls packed as usual.

Don't expect any night life, unless you want a meal and a drink Clarke Quay isn't what it was and Penny Black on Boat Quay just announced they are shutting down for good in a few weeks.

Is Raffles still open ? We went in on our New Zealand stopover as it seemed the touristy thing to do.

SingaporeClarets wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 12:52 pm

Also worth clarifying that mask in public means literally from the moment you leave your private abode.

Despite the restrictions everyone is still managing to continue as normal. Shopping Malls packed as usual.

Don't expect any night life, unless you want a meal and a drink Clarke Quay isn't what it was and Penny Black on Boat Quay just announced they are shutting down for good in a few weeks.

Cheers.

Are the beaches and pools open as usual?

It seems the theme parks and zoo is too, is that right?

Is it Singapore that China are making noises towards? Think I’d check official advice along with flights etc.

elwaclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:13 pm

Is it Singapore that China are making noises towards? Think I’d check official advice along with flights etc.

Think that is Hong Kong

ClaretDiver wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:20 pm

Think that is Hong Kong

No they already have HK

tarkys_ears wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:34 pm

Cheers.

Are the beaches and pools open as usual?

It seems the theme parks and zoo is too, is that right?

Open but under current rules need to be in groups of no more than 2. By 28 October we will know whether the rules will be relaxed.

For theme park and zoo and other attractions, if you are 12 and over you need to prove your vaccine status to enter and in groups of 2.

Keep your phone well charged, as a visitor you will have no option but to use the mandatory TraceTogether app to go anywhere.

I think the irony is that until we got more than 90% adults vaccinated we were rarely having higher than single digit if any cases at all. Last April when we shut down completely for 2 months the highest daily community case was 60 or 70, since we reached the vaccine target in mid August we have gone from 5-10 cases a day to consistently over 2,500 community cases a day.

To put those numbers into context, the population here is more than 1/10 the UK population.

Bali has just open to international visitors after 12 months of isolation, however it is only for certain countries.

elwaclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:24 pm

No they already have HK

I think you mean Taiwan which China consider as a break away province.

Despite high numbers of Chinese in Singapore, it's actually a consequence of migration during colonial times under the British. Singapore is on the Equator in South East Asia quite far from China, very different to the situation with Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Related fact - the national language here is Malay and despite English being the working language, all military commands are given in Malay and the National Anthem is sung in Malay.

SingaporeClarets wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:13 pm

I think you mean Taiwan which China consider as a break away province.

Despite high numbers of Chinese in Singapore, it's actually a consequence of migration during colonial times under the British. Singapore is on the Equator in South East Asia quite far from China, very different to the situation with Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Related fact - the national language here is Malay and despite English being the working language, all military commands are given in Malay and the National Anthem is sung in Malay.

Quite right it was Taiwan thanks SingaporeClarets

alf_resco wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:39 pm

Well I can't talk about during/since covid but 2 yrs ago we had a fantastic 4-night stopover returning from NZ.
Absolutely amazing place - food, sights to see, different cultures - just wonderful.
And as the flight to LHR with Singapore Airlines was only a quarter-full we cheekily asked to be upgraded for free and were, haha.
14 hrs on a plane is generally a bit tiresome but this particular flight was rather pleasant.

Upgrade on SQ? Very rare. I flew on them and Cathay Pacific for years. Hundreds of flghts. Maybe more. Never got many upgrades on SQ but did on CX. Singapore was one of my stopover places. Clean and all that but not much character compared to some other East Asian countries.

SingaporeClarets wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:13 pm

I think you mean Taiwan which China consider as a break away province.

Despite high numbers of Chinese in Singapore, it's actually a consequence of migration during colonial times under the British. Singapore is on the Equator in South East Asia quite far from China, very different to the situation with Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Related fact - the national language here is Malay and despite English being the working language, all military commands are given in Malay and the National Anthem is sung in Malay.

Bahasa.

elwaclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:13 pm

Is it Singapore that China are making noises towards? Think I’d check official advice along with flights etc.

Taiwan is the country you are thinking of. I'd estimate that's 6 hours, or more, flying time from Singapore. I recommend taking a look at google maps.

Don't be taking anything strange with you into Singapore.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/man-sente ... ossession/

conyoviejo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:26 pm

Don't be taking anything strange with you into Singapore.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/man-sente ... ossession/

First time I flew into Singapore, in 1996, I was shocked by the stark warning: "The penalty for drugs is death.." It was displayed on a very, very, large banner across the full length of the wall above the immigration desks as you queued to show your passports. It was more prominent than the "Welcome to Singapore" messages that were also displayed.

I've been back to Singapore many times since then, often 4, 5 or 6 trips a year, clocking up 2 months and more in some years. It's a great place to visit.

conyoviejo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:26 pm

Don't be taking anything strange with you into Singapore.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/man-sente ... ossession/

Its "tarkys_ears" what strange things would he be taking apart from himself