A shophouse on Joo Chiat Road in Singapore.Credit: Richard Tulloch
I'm mean with money. That's reasonable these days. I remember when the Singapore dollar was worth a good deal less than the Australian dollar. Now they're almost the same. So, faced with an unavoidable stopover en route to a modestly paid job, I was determined to do it on a shoestring. I had one rule, though - if luxury was out of the question, my stay had to be comfortable, interesting and fun. That turned out to be easy to achieve.
Singapore's cabs are affordable but, for a scrooge like me, the SMRT (I read that as 'SMART') metro system wins hands down. "Next train, two minutes," says the sign as I arrive at the station at Changi Airport. The ticket machine is a little daunting but, as I fumble for coins, a kind lady behind me presses the buttons, feeds in my $S5 ($4.85) note and out pops my ticket, with change. The trip to Paya Lebar station takes 20 minutes. No cab would have been faster.
Cost: $S2.60 for a single ticket, $S1 of which is refundable when the card is returned.
Walk from the station
Singapore is not a walker's paradise - it's hot, humid and there's a lot of traffic. Not to mention the tropical downpour that starts as we pull into Paya Lebar.
No problem, I think, pulling out a plastic poncho from my backpack. Unfortunately, I've brought the child's model, a souvenir of a family visit to Taronga Zoo. It looks like a baby's bib on me and the tiger picture on the front amuses the locals.
So I scurry through the rain to a shopping centre and search for the cheapest available brolly. "Don't buy the first one you see," I think. An hour later, I find the perfect specimen; big, blue and on special at the Fair Price Supermarket. Delighted with my shrewd purchase, I stride bravely back into the elements to find the rain has stopped, as tropical downpours do.
Cost: $S9.90 for unused umbrella.
Stay in a simple hotel
I have no time for a gym or a business centre. I'm not in the market for Gucci or Sony, so there is no need to stay near Orchard Road. Prices for hotels in that area seem to have escalated massively over the past few years. Instead, I book a place in Joo Chiat Road. It's in Katong, the old Malay area in the east of the city that now has a dubious reputation as Singapore's red light district. There are plenty of backpacker options but a double with ensuite is my limit (we tightwads like a little privacy). Hotel 81 Joo Chiat is basic but comfortable and there is no red light out the front.
Cost: Standard double room, $S79.
Explore Katong
I'd downloaded a free walking map of the area from www.ura.gov.sg/rediscover before I left home, though thanks to my inadequate tiger poncho it has become soggy in my pocket. Katong is interesting, safe and, most importantly, it really feels like Asia. This area used to be mostly plantations and rice paddies. Even though Singapore's sprawl has now engulfed it, some 700 old buildings have been preserved. There are little shop-houses along Joo Chiat Road, decorated with brightly painted facades and ornate wooden lacework under the eaves.
The ersatz Malay Village is a well-meaning attempt to recreate Malay culture in Singapore but it is run-down and all but deserted. A more authentic Malay experience is just a hop, skip and a dodge of a taxi across the road at the Geylang Serai Market. Chillies and exotic vegetables are piled high on stalls, food and drinks are on sale, women wear headscarves and everywhere is the rich smell of the east.
It is quite unlike the modern, generic Singapore I'd seen before. There are mosques, churches and the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar - the second-oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore and a heritage site since 2003. Anything with rows of elephant-headed Ganesh statues looks good to me. All in all it is an enjoyable walk with no hassling hawkers and, if this is really the red-light district, then it's very discreet.
Cost: Nothing.
Eat a great dinner
Joo Chiat is very well supplied with eating options and a meal of Singapore's famed chilli crabs or lemon chicken can be had for a fraction of the cost of a city restaurant. Your stingy correspondent wants to do even better than that, so I opt for the Katong laksa - a generous meal in itself.
Cost: $S3.50
Evening entertainment
Where else could you watch Survivor: Fiji in the air-conditioned comfort of a cosy hotel room? Singaporean television really has the lot!
Early next morning I stop off for breakfast at Geylang Serai Market, where local workers are tucking into an array of unidentifiable dishes. I take the advice of a friendly Malay diner who, judging from his girth, clearly knows a lot about food. Egg roti with curry sauce is not my usual morning fare but it certainly does the job. And look at the price!
Cost: $S3
Then it's back on the train to Changi Airport. A quick ciabatta sandwich for $14 at the airport? It seems a rip-off after the value I'd become accustomed to, so I wait until I'm on the plane and can eat the meal I'd already paid for. I sift through my wallet and find I have $S76 left. Enough to do it all again - if I'm a bit more frugal next time.
For sale: Umbrella. Blue. Excellent condition. One owner. All offers over $10 considered.
TRIP NOTES
Getting there
Singapore Airlines flies from Sydney to Singapore return from $1315.
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