Singapore vs Bangkok street-vendors and fun

[robblok]

Before i never went to Singapore and now I was invited by a local and went. But i did not have too much expectations as the expats on Thaivisa always said that Singpore was no fun and that there were no street vendors and it was just boring.

 

I think I must have gone to a different Singapore as I saw plenty of street vendors and street food in Little India and China town. The difference was that there was still room to walk. I must say prices were great, much outdoor stuff (for rock climbing trekking and so on at great prices). There was a lot of stuff that could be repaired or replaced (something I dont see in Thailand). Plus it was vibrant and fun, the expats seemed to be of a higher quality as in Thailand. The people quite friendly and service minded I had a blast. I was with a local so things might have been better for me

 

I just wonder why all the negativity about Singapore, the only 2 points i can think of is expensive alcohol and no cheap girls. Other then that great food choices, prices of public transport not high, many great shops with products cheaper as in Thailand. 

 

I did some trekking in Singapore too (just an 11 KM hike in a nature reserve), great fun going to do that in Thailand too. 

 

I am just curious why all the negative attitude, if its just woman and alcohol then its says a lot about the poster. I had great breakfasts from European to Chinese to Indian. Sure it was not dirt cheap but you pay for quality. I rather pay a bit more for a decent breakfast then go dirt cheap. Having said that if i lived there id make most of my own breakfasts just like I do in Thailand.

[thaibeachlovers]

Fun died in Singapore when they outlawed Bugis Street. Then they realised no one was going anymore so they lightened up.

Singapore is all about efficiency as the land mass is so small, and fun does not do well in such societies.

Thailand- sanuk died, IMO, when Thaksin was elected and never really returned, so unless one was in LOS before Thaksin, one probably doesn't know what sanuk is really about. IMO LOS has been living off the legend for about 15 years.

[KC 71]

The Hawker Centre was good if i remember rightly

mind you,i havn’t back since the early 90’s since Mum and Dad were living there,maybe its all changed since then

[robblok]

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Fun died in Singapore when they outlawed Bugis Street. Then they realised no one was going anymore so they lightened up.

Singapore is all about efficiency as the land mass is so small, and fun does not do well in such societies.

Thailand- sanuk died, IMO, when Thaksin was elected and never really returned, so unless one was in LOS before Thaksin, one probably doesn't know what sanuk is really about. IMO LOS has been living off the legend for about 15 years.

what do you think is fun.. describe your fun ? Hookers and cheep booze ? Just curious what constitutes good fun for you.

[roquefort]

The OP is dead right, Singapore beats Thailand on just about every measure of quality of life, and with the strong baht there's not much cost difference any more. Lived there for several years and no shortage of fun, quite the opposite. Unless of course your life revolves around cheap booze and hookers..............in which case you might be better off elsewhere than Thailand.

[BobbyL]

I thought it was a fantastic place on my two visits. Apart from the costs for a night out drinking there were a lot of things that are far better value and quality than Thailand. Your average local and average expat are also a higher level compared to somewhere like Bangkok. What I also really about Singapore is it is such a culturally diverse place with so much variation in areas that are so close together. Something that I would say is generally lacking in Thailand. 

 

The women were stunning as well (I wasn't there trying to get them), a mix of Chinese, Indian and other SE Asian countries made it fantastic viewing ????. I had a friend that lived there for around 5 years working in compliance for a large bank. He was on good money and lived a great life but one thing he said to me was that it would be a very hard place to live longer term as the cost of buying property, buying a car and having a family are huge there. He ended up leaving when he hit 30 but definitely had his fun there as a younger expat. If I was single it would be near the top of my places to move. 

Edited December 17, 2019 by BobbyL

[CGW]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

I just wonder why all the negativity about Singapore,

I have spent many years living and working in Singapore, great place, in many respects the killer for most is the price of accommodation, house/condo prices are out of reach of the vast majority of people, apart from that can be cheaper to live than Thailand, supermarkets are much cheaper, street food far better quality at a fair price, after 21:00 and happy hours are over alcohol prices exorbitant in most places unless you drink out in the "sticks".

[Jaxxper]

I love Singapore. Not the cheapest place to eat or drink but always a great atmosphere there. Try and get across once a year to try and catch the F1. You can eat and drink at reasonable prices if you don’t mind going local. I think most of the tourists there are just that, either holidaying in SE Asia for a few weeks or passing through.

[StreetCowboy]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

what do you think is fun.. describe your fun ? Hookers and cheep booze ? Just curious what constitutes good fun for you.

There's plenty of hookers and booze in Singapore, it's just very expensive.

 

Or at least that was the case last time I was there, a few years back.

 

Apparently, the standard of driving is much less tolerant.  Probably jealousy.

 

SC

[mikeymike100]

Singapore is clean. efficient, very safe day or night, people can drive properly. Choice of food is good, pretty much everyone can speak English. Against is accomodation is very expensive, try buying a car there !! Alcohol is expensive even in 7/11. Singapore is very small, but lots of places are close. Immigration is excellent, not like Thailand.

[SiSePuede419]

"I rather pay a bit more for a decent breakfast then go dirt cheap."

 

What is your definition of a decent breakfast?  A typical unhealthy British breakfast?

 

My god, breakfast must be the easiest of all meals to cook at home.

 

Throw some yogurt in a bowl, add some fruit, top with toasted muesli and chopped nuts.  Fry up an egg in rice bran and olive oil with a little smoked paprika, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Make an espresso with some warm foamed milk.

 

What's "low quality" about that, 555555555555555

 

 

[Mac98]

3 hours ago, robblok said:

what do you think is fun.. describe your fun ? Hookers and cheep booze ? Just curious what constitutes good fun for you.

Cheap booze? Always. Hookers? How about pretty women? Friendly women? Pretty friendly women in short skirts? 

 

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, roquefort said:

Unless of course your life revolves around cheap booze and hookers..

Hey I resemble that remark. Well OK then, I used to.

[wwest5829]

Enjoyed my visit in April 2017. Return trip scheduled for my birthday in February 2020.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, robblok said:

what do you think is fun.. describe your fun ? Hookers and cheep booze ? Just curious what constitutes good fun for you.

My opinion of "fun" is best described by the Thai word "sanuk". If one doesn't

 understand that I fail to see how I can describe it better on here. It's not just hookers and I don't drink alcohol anyway, but is the larger picture. Unfortunately, LOS has lost sanuk in this century, so is turning into a dirtier, less efficient version of Singapore.

Of course, one would have to have been in Singapore in the 70s and LOS in the 90s to understand what I'm talking about.

If one never experienced Bugis Street with a load of drunken UK sailors doing the Zulu warrior on the toilet roof, one has no idea what I'm talking about.

BTW, I really loved Singapore when I lived there- best country in the world IMO. If Thailand had the sanuk of the 90s and the efficiency of Singapore, it'd easily be top in the world.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

"I rather pay a bit more for a decent breakfast then go dirt cheap."

 

What is your definition of a decent breakfast?  A typical unhealthy British breakfast?

 

My god, breakfast must be the easiest of all meals to cook at home.

 

Throw some yogurt in a bowl, add some fruit, top with toasted muesli and chopped nuts.  Fry up an egg in rice bran and olive oil with a little smoked paprika, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Make an espresso with some warm foamed milk.

 

What's "low quality" about that, 555555555555555

 

 

Nothing wrong with that, as long as going to eat lunch and dinner. IMO what he meant is have a decent BIG breakfast and don't need to eat again, except a cheap snack now and then. That's certainly what I used to do. Works out the cheapest way to get through the day.

[bkk6060]

Singapore is a fake overpriced concrete jungle.

Many expats are leaving there now due to government regulations.

No availability of reasonable golf courses.

Housing 4 to 5 times Thailand.

Minimal nature to explore compared to Thailand.

The street food scene has changed I think is a joke now like a outside food court no culture to it. 

And yes, the girls and availability are not even close to what Thailand has to offer.

 

Yes, it is very clean and organized so what.

I moved to Thailand to get away from places like Singapore. 

The place has no character but good for those who like it.

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by bkk6060

[Ron jeremy]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

Singapore is a fake overpriced concrete jungle.

Many expats are leaving there now due to government regulations.

No availability of reasonable golf courses.

Housing 4 to 5 times Thailand.

Minimal nature to explore compared to Thailand.

The street food scene has changed I think is a joke now like a outside food court no culture to it. 

And yes, the girls and availability are not even close to what Thailand has to offer.

 

Yes, it is very clean and organized so what.

I moved to Thailand to get away from places like Singapore. 

The place has no character.

 

Never fails on this site

tk about how nice another location is

how good a time was had

how reasonable it was

how friendly people were

how attractive the woman are

how good the food is

anf the Thai expats get on the site attack

they just can’t come to the fact how Thailand has slipped, most are trapped there and not happy anymore 

And they just can’t come to grips that people have left and found a different location that is better and are enjoying themselves 

And the end argument is how much is a hooker and how much for booze!

 

Pure jealous 

[robblok]

15 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

"I rather pay a bit more for a decent breakfast then go dirt cheap."

 

What is your definition of a decent breakfast?  A typical unhealthy British breakfast?

 

My god, breakfast must be the easiest of all meals to cook at home.

 

Throw some yogurt in a bowl, add some fruit, top with toasted muesli and chopped nuts.  Fry up an egg in rice bran and olive oil with a little smoked paprika, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Make an espresso with some warm foamed milk.

 

What's "low quality" about that, 555555555555555

 

 

Other peoples definition of a decent breakfast is English one, i had one and it was good my breakfast is more in line with yours. Though more dependent on Yoghurt and protein and less eggs. Unless i take my 5 egg omelet. 

[robblok]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My opinion of "fun" is best described by the Thai word "sanuk". If one doesn't

 understand that I fail to see how I can describe it better on here. It's not just hookers and I don't drink alcohol anyway, but is the larger picture. Unfortunately, LOS has lost sanuk in this century, so is turning into a dirtier, less efficient version of Singapore.

Of course, one would have to have been in Singapore in the 70s and LOS in the 90s to understand what I'm talking about.

If one never experienced Bugis Street with a load of drunken UK sailors doing the Zulu warrior on the toilet roof, one has no idea what I'm talking about.

BTW, I really loved Singapore when I lived there- best country in the world IMO. If Thailand had the sanuk of the 90s and the efficiency of Singapore, it'd easily be top in the world.

So it is drunken louts with cheap woman. Even though you don't drink. Ok good to be clear on things what you constitute as fun. I have seen people who like that kind of fun too in my country. Not really the kind of fun that I like. So that explains it.

[EVENKEEL]

I spent 3 months in S'pore working this year. Fun to visit, didn't once go to a bar so not up on prices for booze or girls. To sterile for me. Give me Thailand any day over S'pore.

[grifbel]

15 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

top with toasted muesli

How do you get the muesli out of the toaster?  Sounds like alot of work!

[CGW]

4 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Singapore is a fake overpriced concrete jungle.

Many expats are leaving there now due to government regulations.

No availability of reasonable golf courses.

Housing 4 to 5 times Thailand.

Minimal nature to explore compared to Thailand.

The street food scene has changed I think is a joke now like a outside food court no culture to it. 

And yes, the girls and availability are not even close to what Thailand has to offer.

 

Yes, it is very clean and organized so what.

I moved to Thailand to get away from places like Singapore. 

The place has no character but good for those who like it.

Singapore is very cleverly marketed, they want high rollers that lose millions in a casino and think nothing of it, not folks like us who have to watch the prices! The casino's make billions of dollars every year, the ridiculous prices of property rakes billions into the government coffers, more than enough for the exorbitant salaries MP are paid' its a country developed for the wealthy, a lot of surrounding countries would like to copy the model.

The mega expensive shops in Singapore do very well, the people working in them don't!

Singapore is not a place to be "poor" working in a low paid job like in a department store, then standing for an hour on the tube or bus to get back home to the modern day slum in the sticks with the rest of the masses, not pleasant, the elder generation has to take on work at old age as they don't have enough money to survive, not unusual to see old folks working in MD or the like when they should be at home enjoying retirement, it really is quite disgusting. The lower end of the wage scale has to work 2 or 3 jobs to survive, not a very "human" place, great for the very wealthy!

Everything is available in Singapore, great nightlife, great food, great golf courses, sadly they are all out of reach for the average TVF member. 

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

And the end argument is how much is a hooker and how much for booze!

For many that is the bottom line, and good luck to them. Marriage is a poisonous tree, designed to enrich women at the expense of men. Far better to rent and have fun. When she becomes stroppy and thinks she's special, out the door and get a new one.

Had I stuck to renting and not got fooled by the marriage facade, I'd be happier, wealthier and getting it every day.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, robblok said:

So it is drunken louts with cheap woman. Even though you don't drink. Ok good to be clear on things what you constitute as fun. I have seen people who like that kind of fun too in my country. Not really the kind of fun that I like. So that explains it.

So you never experienced Bugis Street and have no idea what it was like, but ASSUME it was all louts. You know nothing about it! I suppose you would never go on Walking Street either, as people drinking and having fun.

BTW, you clearly have ZERO idea of what Bugis St was as it was where the kyties ( Katoeys ) hung out- no cheap girls, and anyway girls were not allowed to sell themselves on the street. They were in legal brothels. After dark the road was closed to cars, and tables set out. Bit like Pattaya's Walking Street, but happening till after dawn. Loads of people went to enjoy a night out and have some fun there as it was the only exception to the "no fun zone" that was the rest of Singapore.

Enjoy your life your way, and no one is forcing you to have "fun".

[robblok]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

So you never experienced Bugis Street and have no idea what it was like, but ASSUME it was all louts. You know nothing about it! I suppose you would never go on Walking Street either, as people drinking and having fun.

BTW, you clearly have ZERO idea of what Bugis St was as it was where the kyties ( Katoeys ) hung out- no cheap girls, and anyway girls were not allowed to sell themselves on the street. They were in legal brothels. After dark the road was closed to cars, and tables set out. Bit like Pattaya's Walking Street, but happening till after dawn. Loads of people went to enjoy a night out and have some fun there as it was the only exception to the "no fun zone" that was the rest of Singapore.

Enjoy your life your way, and no one is forcing you to have "fun".

To make it clear I have been in walking street and I know how prostitution works. Its just not my thing maybe once im older and uglier and like the bought attention of young girls. Its just not really my thing.

 

But now I do understand the kind of foreigner that made the comments. I should have known as this is the kind that Thailand attracts. Nothing wrong with it but we are not all here for cheep booze and woman. 

 

I must say the things minus the woman still happens in Singapore, they close of roads for people to walk and sit (seen it on sunday in little India) Seen loads of traders in China town. Just did not see cheap brothels of people drunk out of their mind. 

[robblok]

19 hours ago, CGW said:

Singapore is very cleverly marketed, they want high rollers that lose millions in a casino and think nothing of it, not folks like us who have to watch the prices! The casino's make billions of dollars every year, the ridiculous prices of property rakes billions into the government coffers, more than enough for the exorbitant salaries MP are paid' its a country developed for the wealthy, a lot of surrounding countries would like to copy the model.

The mega expensive shops in Singapore do very well, the people working in them don't!

Singapore is not a place to be "poor" working in a low paid job like in a department store, then standing for an hour on the tube or bus to get back home to the modern day slum in the sticks with the rest of the masses, not pleasant, the elder generation has to take on work at old age as they don't have enough money to survive, not unusual to see old folks working in MD or the like when they should be at home enjoying retirement, it really is quite disgusting. The lower end of the wage scale has to work 2 or 3 jobs to survive, not a very "human" place, great for the very wealthy!

Everything is available in Singapore, great nightlife, great food, great golf courses, sadly they are all out of reach for the average TVF member. 

Guess your either a lot poorer then me or havent watched Singapore well (i certainly dont have millions to spend) . I would say there are far more elderly working or without money in Thailand then in Singapore.

 

I would not call any of the places slums or int he sticks, i guess you really have not been to Singapore. Yes Singapore treats people with better education better (as it should). Rewarding people who put education first and are smart is a good way to get a country ahead. 

 

I think Singapore still does not compete with the US in poor people and their jobs. 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Just did not see cheap brothels of people drunk out of their mind. 

In all my years in Pattaya I never saw anyone drunk out of their mind. That's what people do in London, not Thailand.

I'm not claiming that people don't get drunk in LOS, they just are better behaved than when they are back in England. Pattaya always impressed me for the lack of bad behavior on the streets.

 

You wouldn't have seen the brothels in Singapore. Well out of sight.

Edited December 19, 2019 by thaibeachlovers

[EVENKEEL]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Guess your either a lot poorer then me or havent watched Singapore well (i certainly dont have millions to spend) . I would say there are far more elderly working or without money in Thailand then in Singapore.

 

I would not call any of the places slums or int he sticks, i guess you really have not been to Singapore. Yes Singapore treats people with better education better (as it should). Rewarding people who put education first and are smart is a good way to get a country ahead. 

 

I think Singapore still does not compete with the US in poor people and their jobs. 

Fun to visit, been there many times. Geylang is fun, didn't go to Lil India. Some food courts have cheap food. Spent most time around Orchard. Not rich enough to make S'pore my home.

 

Geylang has fish bowl places on the even numbered streets, Orchard Tower is famous for the 4 floors. Orchard area on sundays has large crowds of Filipino ladies on their day off, called Maid's Day.

Lucky Plaza has lots of buy me drink clubs.

Edited December 19, 2019 by EVENKEEL

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In all my years in Pattaya I never saw anyone drunk out of their mind. That's what people do in London, not Thailand.

I'm not claiming that people don't get drunk in LOS, they just are better behaved than when they are back in England. Pattaya always impressed me for the lack of bad behavior on the streets.

 

You wouldn't have seen the brothels in Singapore. Well out of sight.

Then you and I have been in a different kind of Pattaya seen foreigners so drunk they fell asleep seen them lying on the streets too. People in the UK must be really bad then to be worse then what I have seen. 

 

I seen plenty of Karaoke clubs that allow you to take girls to hotels. So who needs brothels, its just not as cheap as in Thailand.

 

Again next time I know what people mean with fun (cheap alcohol and cheap woman). For me fun is different and revolves about restaurant options, scenery and active options (trekking beaches ect). So I am just totally different then the UK group you refer too. (we got these kinds of people in Holland too usually not that old though just youths and some older people without much education who still like the alcohol a lot).

 

I don't condemn anyone everyone has a different idea of fun. I can enjoy myself for hours at a time just snorkeling (if there is a nice reef) while drinking is not my thing. I don't mind people drinking as long as they don't get annoying or agressive.