Blogs from Geylang, Singapore, Asia
Basia i Wojtek sami w Azji czyli wielka draka w chińskiej dzielnicy II.
Published: February 26th 2012Asia » Singapore » Geylang
February 29th 2012
29 lutego ruszamy w naszą pierwszą podróż spontaniczną. Zapraszamy wszystkich do śledzenia naszych losów na blogu. Będziemy updatowac tak często jak się da :.... read more
November 30th 2011
If we were to say that we enjoy 6 hour train journeys, it would be a lie. To have the agony delayed by 3 hours however is just a kick in the balls. KL Sentral Station was home whilst we waited for our train, and boy were we glad once it finally came. For a cross-country service it was surprisingly quiet, except for 1 annoying screaming toddler behind us (I swear 6 hours must be a record). Fortunately, the train was equipped with televisions, and we had “I Am Legend” to keep us sane for some of it. To be honest it was relatively comfortable, and if you keep yourself occupied it goes much quicker. Once we reached the border there was a quick stop for the customs officials to check our passports, which only took ... read more
September 6th 2011
It’s hard to spend much time in Singapore without noticing a strange fruit that seems to get a lot of attention. On subway signs and hotel entrances, you might catch a glimpse of an image of the fruit displaying its rounded oblong form and unmistakable spines with the bold letters written underneath “NO DURIAN.” If you travel around Geylang, you’ll find cart after cart of fruit vendors selling what the locals call “the king of fruit.” But if you pass close enough to get a whiff of the pungent order emitting from the fresh cracked shells, you might start to understand why its easier to find people sampling them on the street rather than in their homes. As a westerner it’s hard for me to understand why this food has received such acclaim. Its meat is ... read more
June 28th 2011
Coming from Malapascua island in the Philippines, where there were no ATMs, no cars, and the only business revolved around fishing and diving, you can imagine the extreme contrast of Singapore. We were hit by this the moment we stepped off the plane into Changi airport; it was an attraction in itself and we could have stayed there for ages! There were computer stations dotted around everywhere for free use of internet, entertainment boards,. shops galore and even free sweets and water!! After we had finished wandering wide-eyed around the airport, we took the very user-friendly MRT train into the city where we located our pre-booked (rather pricey) hotel. For such a small country, Singapore has hundreds of sights and attractions. Due to our slightly tighter budget compared to your average Singapore tourist, we spent our ... read more
June 16th 2011
Tantalizing treats can be found wherever you roam in Singapore. Typical dishes served throughout the city include everything from the traditional Beef Noodles and Chicken Rice plates to Thai spiced curry dishes and Malaysian Hokkein Mee Noodles, not to mention a large variety of Chinese Dim Sum along with other international flavors to tempt your palate. Singaporeans love their food and it is certainly a food paradise for anyone else who feels the same. One of the most fortunate things about traveling to this country is the value you can get for each meal. While many things like housing and sundries can be higher than average, food can be bought on the cheap should you want to go that route. You can stop by one of the many hawkers centers where there’s usually a wide array ... read more
May 5th 2011
If you ask anyone before arriving in Singapore, what language is spoken you’ll receive an answer that adamantly reports English as their language of choice. I was happy to hear this before arriving, but have quickly found that there is a small language barrier (or more accurately language hurdle) non-Singaporean speakers face. Many English phrases end with “-la” as in “Would you like a size large-la?” Or if you want to get a gentleman’s attention, as in your local cabbie, you can just address him as “Uncle.” But there are more differences than a few extra sounds or odd sayings. Here though most every official sign reads in English, four different languages can usually be found on important announcements. In my first few days I’ve noticed these primarily throughout the metro transit systems and at construction ... read more
April 1st 2011
Singapore! Upon exiting the train station, we realize that we are in a quiet, tree lined neighborhood in Singapore. A neighborhood that doesn't have any access to public transportation! It's only 150km or so to the equator, and even at 8am, the heat sure feels like it! Trung and I start using the rubber express (that's how you say you're using shoes, right?) and we naturally just walk towards the towers of downtown, a few km in the distance. Well dressed people are walking down the perfectly clean sidewalks also towards downtown. It's rush hour on a Monday morning. Eventually we decide to set up camp at a coffee shop, load some maps on our computer and find the backpacker district so we can explore some hotel options. I find a Tom'n'toms, which is a Korean ... read more
March 8th 2011
Friday 14th January 2011 After a final swim in the lovely pool we had a final walk around the town. We bought a couple of dresses and vest tops from the market by the beach after failing to haggle a decent price for several items from the stalls outside our hotel. They must have been gutted when they saw us return with hands full of bags. After a smooth flight, our first with Air Asia, we arrived in Singapore and got a taxi to Hotel 81 Palace which we’d booked online. It didn’t seem to be in the best district, considering there were prostitutes hanging around the end of the road, but it was only a quick cab ride to the centre of the city. As soon as our bags were dumped we headed to Clarkes ... read more
February 28th 2011
First off I want to say thanks to Gavin, who let me and Leena take over his condo for the days we were in Singapore, giving us a key, and trusting us completely, having never met us before! So, my next stop was Singapore for a few days, where the accommodation was on a price standard equaling Australia, which meant me on my 10GBP per day Asia-budget, decided to look elsewhere. I ended up staying with 30-year old Gavin, who worked as a meteorologist at Singa airport (possibly one of the easiest jobs as the weather seems to be a standard 30 degrees and sunny, with rain at almost exactly 5pm each day), who I met through couchsurfing.org. Also staying with Gavin at the same time as me was Leena, from Germany, so we ended up ... read more
September 17th 2010
Alright friends, parents, workmates, kids and hangers on. OK...still not sure if this thing works so maybe a comment or two from you guys might help? :) Also having never written one of these new fangled bloggy type things i'm not even sure if it will be interesting, too long, too short or what....but here goes. Monday 13th Sept - arrived at the lovely Raddison at Manchester Airport and had a great meal and great nights sleep (on the Sunday). Little did we realise how much that sleep would come in handy! Looooong flight to Changi in Singapore with a stop in Amsterdam for a few hours. Horrible flight in cattle class (how much of a snob am i?). No room to stretch out, TV wasn't working and the hosty's were damned ugly! (not that that ... read more
