Truthfully it seems that most folks sell online these days (even in Singapore) so it's probably more worth it to go that route. That being said, if you really need something... Sim Lim Tower-- notorious for ripping people off (or these folks are more commonly called "crooks") you can indeed find most things similar to some of the best electronics stores I've ever been to, like You-Do-It or All-Electronics. There are certain things that are basically impossible to find though, like voltage converters (eg. no 12V DC to 5V), clear-colored single LEDs, or silicone coated stranded copper wire. Everything was cheap by my standards (though you should really haggle for at least 10% less). If perhaps you wanted to buy other goods, like a camera, then go to Alan Photo which is located at
BLK. 261 Waterloo Street #01-25 Waterloo Centre Singapore 180261 It's across the street from the Lasalle school of art. I discovered (via Google) that Permetrin was sold at the Army market on Beach Rd and so dragged my uncle and aunt there to help me search for it. (My uncle, BTW, has not been in the army for 40 years, so he wasn't sure if the Army Market would have this repellent that no one has heard of. Then again, he didn't know what DEET was.) I stumbled upon 2 different kinds of repellents I approved of: what I believe is 75% DEET (they issue it to the army boys here-- it was S$2.50/tube) and the Contack-X permethrin spray (kills insects on contact and you just need to spray it on your clothes and it lasts for weeks--pricey at S$12/100mL). Everything else was the natural tiger balm spray (or something of that nature) and although it smells nice, is not as effective as this stuff (especially if you're like me and are constantly getting eaten by mosquitoes when you go near any marshy wetland type of place). Definitely something I didn't grow up with: a big enough Muslim population. I had no clue that during Ramadan, folks come out to these night markets to feast! (And buy just about everything else you'd need, from curtains to cars and fake flowers and snacks.)
Most of the stalls were pretty repetitive (as in like they'd be the same on every block) so not sure if I'd want to come back again (I noticed that just outside the Tampines MRT station there seemed to be another night market). This was pretty easy to get to-- it's just next to the Paya Lebar MRT station. It's not every day you get to hang out with a bunch of cool artists at their own studio! He's part of the Tell Your Children art collective in Singapore they're coming to do a grand tour of N. America in a few months. I thought I would drop by and say hello and get to know the gang before they showed up in my part of the world. (Besides, they're located pretty close to Joo Chiat Rd.) After sending off my "I-haven't-lived-in-Singapore-for-30-years-and-don't-recognize-anything-lah" tour guide (aka my mom) I decided to take a trip down to Joo Chiat Rd/Katong and borrowed an umbrella from my cousin to bravely walk down the streets of Singapore alone. I'm pretty sure this area is known for having the most restored shophouses in all of Singapore. |
Adela WeeTraveling the world since 1994. Taking notes about the places I've been so that friends and family can go there too! Archives
January 2016
Categories
All
|