Blogs from Singapore, Asia - page 359

Picture this; its a roasting hot day here - mid 30's & humid as a sauna, i had just checked in with this thingy, been for a big walk all morning, i was fed, watered and ready for some R&Rn by the pool.... But then i met these Oz oil rig guys who were on a bit of R&R too...it all went downhill from there, they had to offer me a drink, i had to accept. Suffice to say; four hours later we were watching the Aussie rules final (Sydney won) drinking some stuff (?) out of a bottle that none of us could read (not that it mattered as we couldn't read by that stage either) in one of the rooms talking about what they had been up to (they have been up to a ... read more

Holy smokes - this thing looks mean. I'm obviously very concerned. Judy seems reasonably calm, and she does have our good friends the Weavers and the Bullocks very nearby to help as necessary... But, I'm still worried. Looks like mid-day Thursday Houston time will be the deciding point for most residents of The Woodlands (Where we live - 45 miles north of Houston.) to stay or go. Judy tells me that some in The Woodlands have gone, and many are playing a wait and see game. Many thanks to Pearce and Rick for your help! Pouring down rain here on Thursday afternoon. Came back to the room for my umbrella. Back out shortly. Just wanted to post and let you guys know that Judy is on top of things and has very able help in deciding ... read more

I left the safety of Australia, on an all night flight to Singapore, arriving at 4am. This wasn't such a good idea, because I'll too tall to sleep on flights, and NOTHING is open at 4am. I waiting till 6am for the first train into the city, and met up with a German guy, Dom, who was on my flight. We found the first open place to sleep (which was a bit of a hole) and crashed for a couple of hours. My first experience in Singapore was buying a new camera. It doesn't work the same as NZ. The prices quoted varied by $100s of dollars, and often they didn't have the camera in stock. It got to be very frustrating, but eventually I brought one for NZ$500, which is pretty good, so I shouldn't ... read more

Russia, an intriguing land of rich cultures and fascinating history. If you're attracted to older parts of the cities, old Russian architecture, museums and galleries, places where great historical events took place, Russia might just be your ideal place. Part of our excitement stemmed from the fascination about travelling to an exotic less ventured tourist destination, St Petersburg, the city of tsars. a developed city where the not-so-seasoned backpackers from Singapore could still enjoy and immerse themselves in a controversial country rich in history and culture. Some advice to start off if you're considering backpacking in Russia. Do a thorough research on travel tips, guides and what nots. Accomodation selection is key as you need a confirmation slip from the hotel before your Russian tourist visa can be approved. if in doubt, check with your local ... read more

This is our first entry and our first stop. We got to Singapore fine with no troubles. After a nice experience on the Singapore MRT (their version of the underground), we got to the hostel safe and well albeit a bit sweaty. We did the shops on Orchard street for the first afternoon (slept in a bit too long with Jet lag!). We did the 'Singapore Zoo Breakfast' the next day where you get to get close to orangutans and pythons as well as get fed. This Zoo is probably the best one we've been to as most of the enclosures are not caged but either on an island or behind glass. They even had a Polar bear! We also had to do the 'Raffles Hotel Singapore Sling' thing which was interesting. Jason just had coke ... read more