Blogs from Bugis Village, Singapore, Asia
May 8th 2012
About a third of Singaporeans identify themselves as Buddhist. Vesak Day is a big deal on the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. (Kind of like Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter all rolled into one.) It happened to fall on May 5th this year, my second day in Singapore. A caveat is in order here. I am not a Buddhist, and any mistakes I make in writing about Buddhist practices or thought come from my faulty research, not from any disregard for another’s beliefs. I try to be as clear as I can within my limits of understanding. Buddhism in Singapore is mainly of the Mahayana school, rather than the Theraveda school practiced in Thailand. The Thai version is heavily influenced by Burmese monks, Singaporean Buddhism is strongly influenced by Chinese immigrants. There ... read more
Queensland: Sunshine state of the world (Oz travels pt 3)
Published: March 24th 2012Asia » Singapore » Bugis Village
March 24th 2012
So Jeppy has filled you in on our progress up to Surfers paridise. This is where I take over again, notice the sudden improvement in writing style and wit. Firstly I should note on my version of our small split before Byron. We visited Newcastle, which had the largest ocean baths in the southern hemisphere (10 points to who knows the one in the northern hemisphere). We stayed for Sunday and had a relaxing night of recovery from Sydney. In Port Macquarie we decided to go for a stroll to see the sights. As the rest of Australia though map distances are decieving as Aussies have no reason to build things close together. So it was probably a deserved kip on the beach when we finally arrived 6km later! Coffs was a strange mix. The terrible ... read more
February 4th 2012
I promised myself before leaving Canada that I would enjoy a Singapore Sling during my time in Singapore. Completely cheesy, I know, but it had to be done. Alcohol is quite expensive in Singapore – they make mixed drinks in Canada look quite cheap. Examples: A half pint of Tiger beer cost about S$9.00 at an Irish pub. Mixed drinks cost at least S$10.00. My Singapore Sling cost S$17.00. Yes, S$17.00. I’ve never paid that much for a drink in my life. The most expensive drink I think I’ve ever had was a Screwdriver in the south of France for about 10€, but that was kindly purchased for me. …but I said I’d do it. I researched prices for a Singapore Sling in Singapore, and it turns out that the S$17.00 was quite reasonable by Singapore ... read more
October 10th 2011
I go to Singapore rather frequently on business and usually have nothing to write about. That just about summarises the place. It's safe, clean, organised. You go there, arrive at Changi Airport which is just about the best in Asia, get an impeccably polite taxi down town, whip through the check in procedure at your (usually shockingly expensive) hotel and reverse the process on the way out. Nothing untoward happens, and nothing interesting happens either. It's too expensive to eat really well and the night life.... well, Orchard Tower is known as the "Tower of Whores" - but that's also organised and if you want to take one of the various Vietnamese, Russians or Thais (No, I don't!) for extra curricular activities, you also pay about three times the going rate elsewhere in the region. That's ... read more
September 15th 2011
Arrived! 12/9 (3 days ago) Jetstar plane was very late - left at 3pm instead of 11am, so we didn't get here until 10.20pm local time. Apart from that it was smooth and the cabin only about 1/3 full, so a pleasant trip. Also the qantas lounge was lovely and a godsend when such a delay - very civilized. It is 28 degrees and smoggy. The suburbs are 'aerial' ie all multi-storey apartments. We are pooped and going to sleep very very soon. 2 13/9 We went into an alleyway and had hawker food for breakfast then we did a self-organised walking tour of places of worship, and saw a buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, a mosque, a synagogue and 3 christian churches; all in the space of 3 blocks. The people go into the temples ... read more
September 14th 2011
Hi Everyone! Well tonight is our official last night in Asia before reaching our final destination which is Perth Western Australia. At this point I'm fairly exhausted from all the travel. After being on 12 flights in 10 weeks and not to mention the other 100s of miles we travelled overland I think it's all finally catching up with me. That said it has been such an amazing experience, with so many countless memories, pictures and funny stories. It is going to take me some time to process it all! It's hard to pick one thing or one place that was my ultimate favourite although I will say I will DEFINITELY be back to Vietnam as I loved it there. Kuala Lumpur and Singapore took some time to get used to as they are much more ... read more
Singapore what a FINE City / Marina Bay Sands
Published: August 16th 2011Asia » Singapore » Bugis Village
April 8th 2011
Its been a while since my last post so I'll try to make it up.... Went to Singapore last Apr with my family for a little R n R. It was actually 3 months waiting period as the airline tickets were both sometime in Janaury to which we've managed to get it at a knock off bargain price of 350 usd...a two way ticket for the four of us!!! we arrived about 1400 hrs to which hunger struck us big time as the budget airfare doesn't offer free food, and the only thing they have on the menu is some instant noodles and colas......hey its a budget airline so I beleive it is all good right? After a late lunch, we proceed to our hotel in Arab street called the Landmark to which T n Z ... read more
April 6th 2011
Back to civilisation and Singapore! We hired a cab from Changi (Probably the Greatest Airport in the World!) Airport and found our way to a rather posh Ibis Hotel in the centre of town. The Singapore skyline is something to behold - a New York skyscraper approach to building and a huge canvas of a manmade landscape. Even the parks were neatly manicured and looked rather like meticulous paintings!! It really was quiet a shock after the chaos of Vietnam and Cambodia! The world had suddenly become neat, tidy, organised and frankly quite clinical in appearance. As fate would have it we found ourselves accommodated on the 15th floor with a superb panoramic view of the city - it was very attractive in a glass and concrete kind of way! That night we dined in the ... read more
April 5th 2011
Ladies and gentlemen!! We are proud and astonished to announce our 25th bed in 3 months and still going... I must admit that, for so called hostel accommodation we have been had some wonderful places to stay - and some VERY weird ones!! 2 and 3 star hotels have often been like palaces.... But enough of all this ... We have beds to warm and places to go!!! PS Price range??? From £1 per night to £20 per night - for the two of us!!!!... read more
