Blogs from Singapore, Asia - page 7

Arriving in Singapore was a breeze, as usual, although AirAsia hadn’t bothered to give out landing cards so we all had to do this in the landing hall. Immigration took 5 minutes and our bags were out in a trice. I changed some money in one of the normal exchange places as the rate was identical to on the xe app and so the same as my bank. They didn’t need to see my passport. Then I got the transfer bus from T4 to T2 to get the MRT, topping up my EZ-link cards for Gill and I. As we had left Langkawi on a half empty plane 20 minutes early I was at the hotel by 1pm. On the MRT only about 10% were wearing masks, but the Chinatown stop, usually really busy, was very ... read more

How quickly plans change. Thanks to the threat of The Virus, particularly on cruise ships, we literally walked away from our 8 day cruise from Singapore up the Malaysian Peninsula to Phuket and back. There were just too many horror stories of quarantined ships breeding more sickness. Still, we managed 3 enjoyable days in Singapore. You will be spared the multitude of photos this time. We’re now at Changi Airport waiting on our flight to Sydney, Australia where we will spend the next month. Singapore is not a typical Asian bargain. Hotels are expensive. We paid $200 a night for a pretty ordinary room. When a beer costs $16 Canadian I flinch! Considered the safest city in Asia, there was not an obvious police presence. Plenty of electronic surveillance and strict enforcement though. Caning is a ... read more

I like the small, out of the way, quirky museums. Sure, when in Chicago I drop by the Chicago Institute of Art which is wonderful, but Tokyo’s Museum of Tobacco and Salt, now that’s an experience. I had read about the Funan Digital Life mall being torn down and replaced with a “lifestyle” mall, and I wanted to see it. On my way there, I realized that the Civil Defense Heritage Gallery was right across the street. I figured that merited a look, but first the mall. The Funan Digital Life mall was a landmark in Singapore for several decades. It was six floors of electronic stores, selling all manner of computers, cameras, cellphones, appliances and consumer electronics. It was geek paradise. I had my doubts about it being torn down and rebuilt as ... read more

Plan for 2020 - London- Singapore - Krabi/Ao-Nang - Ko Lanta - Ko Muk - Ko Lipe - Langkawi - meet Gill back in Singapore - Melaka - KL - Penang - Singapore and home. Time to be off again, having hung on until November to see if I got any work, didn’t, so cheered myself up a LOT by booking a flight to Singapore, coming back on March 6th. The cheapest flight was Royal Brunei, but wasn’t prepared to compromise myself by putting money into that homophobic economy, and couldn’t face either a long stopover somewhere in China so BA it was, booking in December, 4 months later than last year and much more expensive. The price looks OK but now hold baggage needs to be added separately, a sneaky trick. Their seat selection prices ... read more

I like horse racing and I like Singapore, so going out to the Singapore Turf Club on New Year’s for the Prosperity Stakes sounds like a good time. Kranji Racetrack is out on the northern edge of the island of Singapore, but you can get there on the MRT for just a couple of dollars. There are forests and lush green lawns out there; a very different vibe from the downtown core. And once you get there, you can pay for entrance to the track with your MRT transit card. I’d been to Kranji for the Prosperity Stakes about five years ago, and I remembered it as a fun time. I paid my admission to the track with my E-Z Link MRT card, and just inside the gate a nice lady was giving out packets of ... read more