Blogs from Singapore, Asia - page 363

We were definitely leaving Indonesia, our first Lion Air flight took us to Jakarta, whose airport we did not even leave, some hours later we boarded the following plane to Kuala Lumpur. Air Asia offers really cheap flights, according to the rules which apply to all no-frills airlines. The earlier you book, the cheaper the flights are (we got a flight Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur for only EUR 15), there is no food or drink of any kind served, except if you pay for it. This is all perfectly fine for us, we have never understood why meals absolutely have to be served on short flights. The really unusual feature of Air Asia, though, is the fact that the seats are not numbered, which results in people fighting for the best places, we only wanted to sit together, ... read more

Little India/ Kampung Glam/ The Arab Quarter (North East of the City) Today I've done a walking tour of my area, the names listed in the heading. FASCINATING!! Words and even photos won't describe the little streets, the stalls, the people..... ......the fact that you suddenly find amazing buildings all the time, just by accident, cause you happen to look up a little lane while you are crossing the road, or you see something shining behind something else! It's a fabulous place I could definately live in, with a mixture of temples, mosques and a lot more. My day included, just to give you some idea: little and big markets, such as * Zhujiao Hawker Centre, * Tekka Centre, * Little India Arcade, * Albert St Mall, * Bugis Village stalls * and Thieves Market. You ... read more

Checking in at Little India SAT 6 AUG: Singapore, yay! Easily got through immigration, then customs, not having to wait for bags. God not checking anything is a great idea, i tell you. Easily found the shuttle bus, and only had to wait about 5 minutes. Only 1 guy was on there as well. A nice, friendly guy, he was heading home to Melbourne, an environmental scientist who had just been to Amsterdam and Finnland (for work!! really!) and got an overnight and part day here in Singapore. We chatted all the way. He even remarked how light I was travelling, so I know now I've definately done well. He had what I had, plus a BIG bag for his 2 week trip. We talked about China cause he'd like to go there too. I ... read more

So what and where’s Mustafa’s? For those who haven’t been in Singapore, Mustafa’s sort of a landmark in a country where shopping is sort of a national sport (next to eating, I think). Located in Little India (one of my favorite places in Singapore), Mustafa’s is a 24-hour shopping center, where you can just buy about anything (from digicams to underwear to canned garbanzos to jewelry) for reasonable prices. Perfect for those who are in retail therapy but don't have enough moolah to support their, uhm, "habit" . The downside is, Mustafa’s always crowded. So claustrophobes - beware! Plus, goods are stacked up together in such a small space that it’s difficult to navigate the grocery section with a bulky shopping cart. My colleague, Shahira, a Mustafa regular, swore that the best time to shop ... read more

If ever I win a Noble Prize for pre-travel preparations, my thank you speech has to include an acknowledgement to two important things that allowed me to organize my travel itinerary even if I’m still tied to my workstation in Singapore, writing news stories that will be published by my soon-to-be-ex-media company. I would like to thank the guidebooks (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Frommer’s), some of which I bought, others were borrowed from my friends for giving me phone numbers, websites and addresses of hostels, hospitals, travel agencies, book shops and vegetarian restaurants; a brief history and health advisory of all the countries I will be visiting in the next three months: Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, India and Indonesia. And second, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the Internet which ... read more