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Archive for the ‘Living in Singapore’ Category

How do I care for my pet in Singapore? [Living in Singapore]

20 Aug

Tiga on the beer barrelI was recently asked by the wife of DH’s colleague about pet care in Singapore. She raised a few needs:

  • Veterinary Medical Care – for vaccinations and illness
  • Pet Transportation – if you don’t have a car in Singapore, normal taxis often won’t take your beloved baby, which can be difficult when you do need to go to the vet
  • Pet Sitting – living in Singapore makes travel too much of a temptation to resist, but we still need to be responsible pet owners
  • Pet Grooming – I have cats, so that usually involves a battle with scratching in the bathtub where I end up with the scratches, and the cats end up licking themselves dry. Dogs, however, often benefit from a good groom.

I use the services below. If you know of any good additions to this, please add them in the comments below.

Veterinary Medical Care – A Doc for your Fur Baby
I have been using this vet for 10 years now, and they are listed with the Singapore Veterinary Association (SVA).

Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Cent
Blk 105, Clementi St 12, #01-18/20 S120105
T: 67768858 | F: 67761678

I use the one in the west (address above) because that is close to where I am, however they have other branches, and they all receive pretty good reviews. If you visit the SVA site link above, it will have the other locations so that you can see one that is perhaps closer to you.

This vet also provides a number of services including preparing pets for moving country, dealing with deceased pets, spaying, etc. They are pleasant, helpful, and don’t treat me like an idiot. They have information sheets on a lot of things – we had a mite infestation and they gave me a sheet with instructions on how to go through the home and clean everything out. Very professional.

Pet Transportation – Pet Taxi Services

If you don’t have a car, then my sitter (Rick – see next bit) has a pet taxi service to get your pet to and from the vet: See his pet taxi services on his website.

Pet Sitting

The sitter I use is Rick Tan and he runs Pet Mobile. His mobile number is 9099 8511.

Usually what he will do is set up an appointment to come and meet your pet, find out where the food, toilet and any play things are kept (and anything else necessary for your baby’s care), learn what walking schedules are, etc. Rick usually offers to do some basic “while I’m away” type chores (eg. Please throw the newspaper delivered to the front door, please water these plants). If it’s just a couple of chores he’ll usually do that as part of his visit.

You can either give him a key to keep, or you can arrange key swapping on an as-needed basis. He says that some clients arrange for him to collect the key before they leave on their holiday/trip, and then he leaves it in the letterbox after his final visit.

Rick has a full list of rates for pet sitting on his website.

Pet Grooming

As stated above, grooming is usually a battle at our place with our three cats, however if you want to outsource this, Pet Mobile does Grooming Services, which include transportation to and from your home.

Check out the pet grooming services here.

 
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Posted in General, Living in Singapore

 

Travelling to Cambodia from Singapore [Living in Singapore]

17 Aug

Travelling to Cambodia from Singapore is just too easy on a budget. Recently I have been planning a trip for ourselves and my brother and his family. We went in 2008 and loved it so I wanted to share the wonders of Siem Reap and Angkor Wat with them.

Steph in Siem Reap

Steph climbing around Angkor Thom

I’ve listed some of the resources that I’ve used below.

Flights

Jetstar – cheap and good. Their service runs in a loop: Singapore >> Siem Reap >> Phnom Penh >> Singapore. We’re going to go Singapore to Siem Reap and spend a few days there, then either take a bus or a boat to Phnom Penh, then jump on the Jetstar flight from Phnom Penh to Singapore.

Flights for the above trip had to be booked as two separate legs and cost as follows:

  • Singapore >> Siem Reap – SG130-150 per head for the Jet Saver rate
  • Phnom Penh >> Singapore – USD50-USD60 per head for the Jet Saver rate (the closer to the travel date, the higher the price)

The Jet Saver rate includes 20kg of checked-in luggage.

Accommodation

I use Hotel Club to book accommodation regionally – membership is free and you collect points which you can then use for discounts for your next stay. Those points translate into real dollar savings.

Siem Reap

Last time we stayed, we were treating ourselves a little, and stayed in a 4-star – Steung Siemreap Hotel. Very nice and located in the heart of town.

This time we are staying in Motherhome Guest House, and if their email correspondence is any indication of their service, this will be a memorable trip.

Phnom Penh

I’ve used Hotel Club again, and we’ve booked Royal Inn Phnom Penh. Let’s see how that goes. I’ll update after our trip!

Visas

Most people will be able to get a visa on arrival, but seeing as the Jetstar flight from Singapore leaves at 6am, and lands around 7-ish, I prefer to pay the US$5 more and have the visa pre-approved. I recall the queue at the visa counter when I arrived last time, and don’t wish to be waiting in line at 7 o’clock in the morning.

The Cambodian government runs a website for e-visa applications, and for those that don’t trust the internet, I had a payment glitch when processing this time – my card statement said I had paid, but their website hadn’t recorded the payment. Easy to fix – I just emailed them a copy of the email receipt that I received and they tracked it down and fixed it.

The visa is valid for 3 months from date of issue, so apply well in advance to avoid any dramas. You can pay a little extra and get express processing if you need.

 
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Posted in Living in Singapore, Travel