Strong Dollar Time

By Jim Tuck

Since September 1997 the Singapore dollar has declined nearly 15 percent against the U.S. dollar--modest compared to the staggering losses in Russia and Indonesia. But even when our currency is strong there are many ways the careful traveler can make it even stronger.

During a recent 11-day visit to Singapore, my wife and I stayed at a three-star hotel on Scotts Road, within easy walking distance of the elegant Orchard Road sector. We paid about $80 a night for a room that would have cost twice as much in New York or San Francisco. However, at almost every station of the MRT, Singapore's superlative subway system, we saw ads for the "Hotel 81," a new chain of no-frills hostleries. At the current exchange rate, a standard room goes for $28.50 every night except Saturday and the eve of a national holiday when the tariff climbs to $40. For a room in the "superior" category (larger and with bathtubs rather than showers), the rates are $40 and $52 respectively. For reservations or information see www.hotel81.com.sg.

We booked prepaid excursions only to Malacca and Kukup in Malaysia and for a dinner cruise on a Chinese junk. For other tours--the bird park, zoo, city, and the recreational island of Sentosa--we followed a policy of roll-your-own. For example, the bird park costs $19 for a 3 1/2-hour tour. It's just as easy and much cheaper to pay the admission fee ($7.15, $5.35 seniors, $3.55 children). Once inside the park, descriptive maps are readily available and individual attractions have boxes where you can press a button and hear narrative comment in English.

You'll save even more more if you plan to visit Singapore's celebrated zoo. An organized morning tour costs $28; the admission charge if you go independently is $6 adult, $2.65 children. As in the bird park, directions are clear, maps are available, and the talking boxes give all the information you need about the animals.

A four-hour tour to Sentosa costs $26, $14 for children. Going on your own entails an admission charge of $3.50.

The cost of a city tour is $16. We simply checked out the destinations listed on the tour organization's pamphlet and visited them individually. We made full use of the MRT and Singapore's excellent bus system. A three-day Explorer Bus Pass gave us unlimited travel everywhere on the island for $7 per person.

Singapore has superlative but relatively pricey restaurants that offer every type of international cuisine. Then there are what are known as hawkers' stalls. You go into a "food court" and make your choice from an illustrated billboard. You are then seated at a table and served. On our final evening, the total cost for a groaning board repast for two, including service charge, was $30, about one-quarter what we paid in a tony San Francisco restaurant the night before our departure.

JIM TUCK is an author and syndicated columnist who has published five books of historical nonfíction. He lives in Guadalajara, Mexico.