SAN FRANCISCO-SINGAPORE

By Bonnie S. Lai

San Francisco, California

I was delighted with my courier flight from San Francisco to Singapore. I was met by courier representatives promptly at every point and amazingly enough, I didn't have to carry any documents either way. What's more, on the return trip, there was a 12-hour layover in Tokyo where I was put up in the fantastic hotel, Nikko Narita -- time for a shower, CNN, two meals (provided), a little shopping and a nap before returning to the airport. Wow, courier trips are great!

While I was in Singapore, I enjoyed walking and just watching the citizens -- the Chinese, Malays and Indians -- with their different religions, all living together peacefully. I visited a Chinese temple, an Indian temple and a mosque. I observed the scene and found it very enlightening.

Going over the border to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, was also eye-opening. A friend had told me that this town would show me what Singapore was like in the early 60s before its independence. There were hoardes of idle people in the streets, the streets were full of ditches and there was a constant roar of traffic. At street stands, customers were served drinks in used, dirty cups. But it was much cheaper than Singapore; I got a filling lunch and a bus ride back to Singapore for only US$2.50.

The Lonely Planet Guide helped me to find Willy's Guest House, 75 Beach Road. A single runs S$20 (US$14), or you can get a bed in a dorm for S$7-9 (US$5-7). A breakfast of toast and coffee or tea is included. My single room, on the third floor, was 6'x8', windowless, had a fan and a dresser with one drawer. It could have been cleaner. A roll of toilet paper cost 50 cents; I often used the facilities at the five-star Raffles Hotel nearby. Willy's is excellently located in the colonial district, in walking distance of City Hall, the Arab district, Little India, Marina Bay, the National Museum and the bus stop. The two restaurants I visited irritated me with their 20-cent charge for a towel, and 30-cent charge for peanuts, but I guess that's the price you pay for a little comfort. Most of the time I haunted Singapore's famous hawker stalls -- stands gathered in a common area where you can eat everything from Chinese chicken porridge or Maylasian laksa to Indian mutton curry with rice, served on a banana leaf. The average cost of a dish is S$3 (US$2.10). I barely spent US$10 a day on food.

The Satay Club, near the Marina Bay shopping complex, is fabulous. They have a collection of about 50 stalls, all specializing in satay -- bite-sized, marinated pieces of chicken, beef, mutton or prawn, skewered and grilled to perfection. It costs 35 cents a stick, with cucumber slices and wonderful peanut sauce. Stall #20 is great -- I had 20 sticks at one sitting! Prawns are more, at US$2 each.

The stalls in the Chinatown complex are overwhelming; there are literally hundreds to choose from. My favorite dessert was ice kachang -- an Asian snow cone in a dish. Mounds of crushed ice are drenched in syrups of lurid red, green and brown shades; beneath it all are red beans, corn, atap seeds and red and green jelly "worms." Very refreshing after a fiery curry, and only US60 cents to US$1.20.

My favorite drink at the stalls is chin chow, a dark brown herbal beverage for 30 to 50 cents. You can have it in cups or take it away in clever to-go packets comprised of a plastic bag with string handle and a drinking straw. Other common drinks include soy bean, chrysanthemum tea with ginger, barley water and orange.

Sushi fans should make a beeline to the Japanese stores Sog, Isetan or Takashimaya. There's an area in the supermarket sections devoted to ready-to-eat pieces of sushi. They're individually wrapped, like jewels, for US50-cents to US$1 each. You'll find all your favorites and more to mix and match. A packet of ginger is 10 cents, as is the wasabi. I got two, 7-inch-long salmon rolls for only US$2.

I didn't go to any clubs or bars, but I hear Singaporeans are mad for Karaoke. I saw them set up everywhere.

The books I've read all said bargaining was a way of life at the street stalls, especially for fabrics, electronics, jewelry, etc. There was nothing I really wanted to bargain for, but I did pick up some stuff for ridiculously low prices. A music cassette for US70 cents, a baby's tank top and shorts for US70 cents, and beautiful, porcelain bowls for US70 cents each.