Singapore (City Guide) | Matt Oakley | Very good reccomendations and overview

Singapore (City Guide) | Matt Oakley | Read the online travelblogs instead for an 'honest' guide with opinions/commentaries

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Singapore (City Gu...

	Singapore (City Guide) Matt Oakley Lonely Planet, 2006 - 238 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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The Cinderella of Asian cities, Singapore has shrugged off its reputation for being boring and stepped into the 21st century with style. As well as being one of the world?s premier fashion and food centres, the city now excites travellers with a buzzing bar scene, hip modern arts and a cultural mix like no other. Want a piece of the Singapore action? Then let this guide show you a good time.

Shop Till You Drop ? the best bargains or a high- end fashion spree: shopping to suit any credit card limit

Rest Your Head ? in-depth accommodation listings for small or big budgets

Travel Your Tastebuds ? from Sichuan to satay

Beat Your Own Path ? plot your day using detailed maps of the city

Get Out Of Town ? head out from the high-rises and explore the city?s surrounds

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Very good reccomendations and overview

We are planning a short trip to Singapore and I found this book to be very good at pointing out things that were a must-do and what was a waste of time. Also had very good lists of things such as indeginous foods (and what was in them), language barriers (very amusing section), things to watch out for etc. Also had a great overview on food, where to eat and what was not worth it. It was good at listing things that were a one-day trip must do and a 3-4 day trip must do.

I definately liked this book over some of the other travel books I have read. It has a very personal touch (some amusing anicdotes) and a good perspective on things.

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Read the online travelblogs instead for an 'honest' guide with opinions/commentaries

The city guide is good in laying out bus routes, transportation, shopping sites, and noted restaurants, but I was counting on Lonely Planet to deliver a guide paired with an honest side-commentary, the same way that they did in their guide for Thailand (that one is really useable, highly recommended!).

Well perhaps it's because Singapore is a not a very good place for tourism, bottom line. (Shopping, probably yes). Sentosa overall is a waste of time; even the dolphins they use in the dolphin show look tired and anemic. The presence of Geylang red-light district that government turns a blind-eye on also lacks the full acknowledgment in this book. Well, it's there in some passing notes, but for there is no comment like: "for a 'disciplined and moral' authoritarian state, Geylang is a famous hangout for the business travellers, and prostitutes are trooping that long street like gold mine." The book should have had a good commentary on the hypocritical presence of this place.

Also, a young professional Singaporean shared a story to me that Lee Kwan Yew once pompously said that as long as he is alive, there will be no casino in Singapore. Well, yes, he is still right, there are two casinoes built simultaneously! I hope the next edition includes these comments.

In exchange for the discipline that Singapore brags about, you cant deny upon your first landing that the country is an authoritarian state. And hypocrisy is prone in authoritarian states. Also undeniable: the press isnt free. Open the newspaper, and the local op-ed pieces discuss nothing, but taxi routes... Interesting national issues! These honest trivias and insights should be in the LP guide.

This review might appear as a criticism more of the place than the book. But Im saying that the book should have highlighted this criticisms honestly. For example, in the intro, the overall warning at the start of the book should be that Singapore is for business travellers and shoppers only, not for interesting visits.

These side comments (a la Theroux) add to the spice of any travelguide/travelogues.

I was thankful for the bus routes and resto though, so 3 stars!

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