My actual hell': Australian tourist finds Singaporeans rude, declares he will never visit again
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/MattinSydney
PUBLISHED ONFEBRUARY 02, 2024 3:38 PM
ByASHWINI BALAN
What's one country that you will never visit again?
For one man from Sydney, it is Singapore.
The Aussie traveller, Matthew, who didn't want to give his surname, shared his "unpopular opinion" on TikTok on Monday (Jan 29) that Singapore is the one country that he will never want to return to.
Having travelled to 50 countries so far, the 32-year-old consultant said that Singapore is his "actual hell".
"I have been there twice and I have the same experience consistently while I was there," Matthew said.
Matthew told AsiaOne that he visited the little red dot in 2014 and 2022.
'An absolute concrete jungle'
In a three-minute clip, Matthew cited four reasons why he wasn't impressed during his stay in Singapore."Number one, it is an absolute concrete jungle," Matthew said in his video.
Hailing from Australia's second largest city Sydney, Matthew likens it to Singapore.
"Tall high-rises, cuisine is good, cars everywhere, it's busy, it's loud, I just don't see it as something fascinating," he explained.
However, Matthew mentioned a few places in Singapore that he liked, such as his stay in Marina Bay Sands and the view of the Gardens by the Bay.
"But that was sort of it. I just think holistically, there are nicer places to go," he added.
'What is the Singapore culture?'
Despite visiting Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street and even the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Matthew told AsiaOne that "Singapore is very much a western city with no obvious difference from Sydney".As a traveller who seeks out unique cultural experiences, Matthew said he didn't find them in Singapore.
"For example, if you go to China, there are very obvious Chinese culture references everywhere you look," Matthew told AsiaOne.
He shared that when he explored other parts of Asia such as Thailand, Japan, and the Philippines, he could identify the cultural aspects that shaped their countries.
"But if someone asked me what is Singapore culture, I would have no idea," Matthew told AsiaOne.
'Singaporeans are cold and unfriendly'
Apart from culture, Matthew also felt that Singaporeans are rude."In my experience, I just don't think the people there were nice and they were so blunt about it," Matthew said in the video.
Matthew mentioned that he was denied entry twice at two different bars in Chinatown as he was told that it was "only for locals".
Matthew told AsiaOne that he could not remember the names of the two bars.
"I just went there by myself and was told it was for locals only. Not aggressively but in a way that wasn't up for discussion. It wasn't bad, I just thought it was weird," he told AsiaOne.
Matthew added that he found Singaporeans to be cold and unfriendly compared to Australians.
"Felt like if I tried to talk to them, I didn't even get a smile back or a head nod. They just passively look away," he told AsiaOne.
'No souvenirs or trinkets'
Last but not least, Matthew mentioned that he was disappointed when he couldn't find any trinkets in Singapore."I love trinkets, but there were no souvenirs or trinkets there," Matthew complained after settling for a Merlion snow globe instead.
At the end of the video, Matthew mentioned that he might return for a 24-hour stopover to re-explore the city.
"I will definitely give it a chance," he added.
Garnering 12,500 views and 138 comments, Matthew's video drew mixed responses from netizens.
There were some who disagreed with Matthew's review of Singapore with a user even commenting: "If you are complaining about Singapore, that tells me you are a tourist not a traveller."
While others agreed with his opinion that some Singaporeans can be rude.
Many also gave him suggestions on where he can explore when he returns to Singapore.
As netizens flooded the comments section, Matthew shared with AsiaOne that he was not surprised by some of the responses.
"I'm not surprised as people usually love Singapore. There's nothing wrong with Singapore, I'm just saying that there are a lot of other places to go to that would be better," he concluded.
