Blogs from Singapore, Asia
Be Prepared...
I had written a great blog entry about hostel life the other night when my internet decided to crash and not keep the entry I'd spent about an hour writing. I was rather cranky about it at the time. Hopefully I'll come back to that in the near future. Tuesday was a pretty action packed day, so we decided to each buy a day pass from SMRT (Singapore Mass Rapit Transit -- but I bet you also thought of Homer Simpson singing the 'S-M-R-T' too). It was $18, but you got $10 back if you returned the card within five days. I thought that was a really smart idea to encourage reusing materials. Singapore was generally pretty good about recycling, with the exception of our hostel that didn't recycle. What the heck? Who doesn't recycle these ... read more
Singapore Sling!
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
Marina Bay by night
Although only a 9 hour bus journey from the sleepy village of Cherating, Singapore city is a world apart. Magnificently glitzy skyscrapers dominate the skyline, Singaporeans’ hurry through the ever efficient metro system, walking with purpose whilst the covered food markets of China Town and Little India cater for both shop workers and business men. By far the most expensive destination so far on my trip I spent only a couple of nights in the city, heading out by day to visit the sky scrapers around Marina Bay, shuffle through the malls selling designer labels like a pauper and returning by night to eat curries in the bustling food market in Little India.... read more
Welcome to Singapore
The flight from Hong Kong to Singapore was quite cold. I decided to wear my cardigan and quick dry pants instead of my typical hoodie and jeans in anticipation of the warm Singapore weather. What I didn't account for was the cold air conditioning we'd have on the flight. Our other flights so far have not been air conditioned, and I've often been quite hot in my hoodie. So the flight was air conditioned. So what? This also meant I couldn't use my sweater as a pillow. We were put in an emergency exit row, which was great in terms of leg room, but also meant that we couldn't recline our chairs. For whatever reason, I was much more fidgety on this plane ride than my other ones so far. I couldn't get comfortable, I couldn't ... read more
Wang Qing Yuan open house
Sunday, 29th January 2012 Visiting Wang Qing Yuan (aka Dr Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall) at Tai Gin Road (off Balestier Road) was a last minute affair. Never mind that there were more relatives' homes that I was supposed to visit this afternoon. And never mind that there were birthday celebrations and a farewell dinner that I was supposed to attend the very same evening. This was just one of those few lousy moments that I genuinely wanted some peace and quiet. And since I had combed through all the other museums during the previous open houses, I just wanted to add Wang Qing Yuan to my portfolio. This was the latest museum to be included under the National Heritage Board umbrella. No prizes for guessing it right, the $4 admission was waived and this ... read more
Financial District
I landed in Singapore at 3:35 am. I could have waited until 7:00 or 8:00 to take a tour directly from the airport – however I wouldn’t have been able to leave the bus. Instead I decided to go through customs and take a cab into town. Before that I called my parents via Google Voice. Google Voice is a great way to make free calls from your computer. My parents even claimed that it was clear than when I call them using AT&T. I’m so glad that it worked. Before I left I got a dedicated number so I can use it from anywhere and it’s just as if I was calling from the US. This is probably the first major difference from my European trips. Thirteen years ago I had to buy a phone ... read more
A Singapore Skyline
This is how it felt!...As soon as I boarded the plane and was handed the drinks menu (yes, I know...a drinks menu in economy!) my eyes scanned the list and as they fell upon "Australian Sauvignon Blanc" I did a tiny yelp of delight! Finally White Wine! Bring me 3 please! I'm staying with my Singaporean friend Irene for 3 days whom I haven't seen for nearly 4 years! She meets me at the airport and we get a cab back to her beautiful apartment in the city. The first thing I notice is how quiet the traffic is...No horns, no screeching of brakes, no zipping in and out of tuk tuks, no near death experiences (always a bonus); Singapore is beautiful! Everything seems brand spanking new and clean and shiny! I love it! We go ... read more
012
Its only been a couple of weeks since I set foot here in singapore. I never thought that it was really time for my travel inclinations to take charge as I was occupied getting set for the start of a new phase of my life. It was mere chance that made me travel to this place which I have never heard of or I knew anything about. So I left for Pulao Bin one fine morning, on a cab, leaving the skyline and the traffic behind. I had to take a ferry from Changi Village which for me looked like a calm and composed town. When I saw the ferry it gave quite a normal impression on me. But everything changed once the ferry started to drift away from the point. Within no time it was ... read more
Klar til afgang
Kære Brevkasse. 4 x M på eventyr, startede ud en meget tidlig torsdag morgen, med frost og klart vejr i Københavns Lufthavn. Med 4 ens tasker, lidt rejsekuller og en masse forventningen lettede SQ351 med kurs mod det første stop, Singapore. Efter 12 timer i et halvfyldt fly, god mad og ikke mindst en stor fødselsdags lagkage til Marianne (dog vil den opmærksomme tænke, at hun endnu ikke har fødselsdag, men Singapore Airlines havde kludret lidt i datoerne. Men pyt med det! Jordbærkage og champagne er altid godt…) landede vi sikkert i Singapore. Efter 2 timer på øjet, trodsede vi (pånær Martin) jetlag og drog ud på sightseeing. Vi fik det meste af Singapore fra bus i både 31 grader og høj sol, og fra noget der minder om en monsunregn. Dagen blev sluttede af med ... read more
Financial Buildings from Marina Bay Night
Singapore isn’t really what I expected, I think. It is very similar to a lot of other cities we have been to before in that it has the modern buildings, casinos, high viewing points, redeveloped harbours, Chinatown and shopping. It is a fabulous city but overall its drive to be “western” may ruin it slightly. Everywhere you look the adverts have western models, the designer shops (you would not believe the amount of them) are just continuous and very similar to what you would see in Dublin, New York, London etc. and the buildings are so new that the “lived in” feeling is lost to the WOW factor. Do not get me wrong, the city is so clean and well-kept it is a breeze to hang out in and get around but maybe it is just ... read more
