Singapore Sling

Date ascending

Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 8, 2015
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 43 m
- Singapore Serangoon New Town 1.354174, 103.8697751°21’15” N 103°52’11” E
Day 1
Hot in the Lion City!
March 8, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Welcome to the next blog!

This time T and I have jetted off sans-kiddies for 5 days just hanging around Singapore. Yes that means it might be party time in Bexley though I hear the spies are keeping a close eye on things with everyone except the Pope and the Queen checking up.

We left Sydney on QF81 (an Airbus 330 for those who need to know) and a couple of movies later arrived in Singapore. First thing to note ... it is hot. Made our way through Immigration grabbed the bags and left - Customs consisted of a bored officer sitting at a door with a sign saying 'Nothing to declare'. Nothing like in the US.

We grabbed a cab and $20 later were at the Hotel. This city is very green, lots of trees, flowers, and other greenery all very well kept. It also lives up to its reputation of being very clean. The Carlton Hotel is very nice and seems to be very central to everything.

T and I went for dinner at a food court in the Raffles Centre which is across the road. A bowl of chilli beef or chicken was probably not the best idea but hey the locals were out in force so why not us.

After dinner we went back to the Hotel and since it was happy hour we ordered 2 Singapore Slings from the bar. Very sweet and refreshing. After a walk around the block we called it a night.

More tomorrow!Read more
0 likes
Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 9, 2015
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 43 m
- Singapore Serangoon New Town 1.354174, 103.8697751°21’15” N 103°52’11” E
Day 2
The last day before .....!!!!
March 9, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Today was the day T and I started out exploring.

We were up nice and early followed by a quick breakfast and a walk up Orchard Road. This is the prime shopping strip for Singapore and every major shop you can think of is here - too many to list suffice to say there are squillions of shops.

It is interesting walking around you have the brand new shopping malls with lots of glass through to small terrace shops just off side streets a short step away.

We stopped in at the Information Centre and organised a couple of bus trips, a Zoo visit, and a visit to the Gardens by the Bay - more on all that as and when it happens!!!

We then walked back to the hotel sit in the air conditioning for a bit before heading out to lunch. Singaporeans love their food courts as there are thousands of them scattered around with really good food, Lunch today was steamed pork buns and they were good!

In the afternoon we went for a marathon walk around to the Marina Sands and Gardens by the Bay. The Marina Sands Hotel is the famous one that is shaped like a ship sitting on top of 3 big buildings. It is kinda scary looking as it is so high.

The walk around there was interrupted by one of Singapore's afternoon thunder storms. It was really heavy and lasted about 15 mins, it did help to cool things down. We did what the locals seem to do and disappeared underground into one of the malls.

After a walk around the Marina Bay Sands and dinner in the Garderns we caught a taxi back to the Carlton and scored a very friendly cabbie who helped explain some of the finer points of Singapore - large areas like the Sands and the Gardens are all built on reclaimed land. Once back at the Hotel we did what everyone does in Singapore and went for a couple of Singapore Slings!

These are a really nice cocktail and very refreshing with lots of alcohol. T had her first and then announced 'Well that didn't touch the sides' so we had to have another one, Will sleep well tonight!Read more
0 likes
Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 10, 2015
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 43 m
- Singapore Serangoon New Town 1.354174, 103.8697751°21’15” N 103°52’11” E
Day 3
Happy Birthday to me!!!
March 10, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Yes it was my birthday today, woohoo! Thanks for all the birthday wishes. That's all we'll say on the matter.

Today we did the tourist thing and hopped on a couple of those open topped tourist buses you see running around many cities. Fairly cheap and a good way to learn about Singapore.

Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world to own a car. The government charges a 100% import duty on every car, people have to bid for the right to own a car and this right only lasts 10 years before you have to buy a new one - and a new car, and there is a congestion toll to discourage people from driving in certain areas. This means Singapore is one of the biggest exporters of second hand cars only beaten by Japan. The public transport system is very good and cheap.

It still doesn't mean there aren't a lot of cars on the road, there are heaps but it moves pretty well. There are still a lot of Ferraris, Lambourghinis, and especially Porches on the road though Korean or Japanese cars are the most popular as expected.

Another interesting fact is that Singapore has expanded its land area by 25%, pretty soon it will be as big as Australia - maybe not. That explains why you'll be driving along Beach Road but you are a long way from the coast, it used to be on the beach. Reclaiming land is a logical approach when you only have a small island to start with.

Anyway T and I did a loop of Little India and then went across to Chinarown. I remember being dragged through Chinatown as an angelic 7 year old and being less than impressed. This time though it was very different, a really interesting place with lots of small shops selling just about everything.

In the middle of Chinatown is a big Buddhist temple which was really ornate.

T and I had one of the best meals we have had for lunch, purchased from one of the street stalls of which there are a few.

The architecture here is really interesting, you have the massive glass skyscrapers surrounding the older original buildings. These old buildings were very practical, the family worked downstairs in the shop and lived upstairs. The shop section all had a 5ft wide walkway so people could get out of the afternoon downpours and still walk along. Most of the upstairs residences have glass in the windows now but there are a few with just bars and storm shutters.

Even today you see the high rise residences with washing hanging out the windows on long poles. Most people live in government flats that are actually quite nice and not the old blocks they were in the past.

Our evening activity was the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. This was really well done. It is set up sort of like the Dubbo Zoo in that there are no fences but it is a lot more compact than Dubbo. They load you onto tram-type things that they drive you around on and they give you a commentary on each animal. They have all the expected animals - lions, tigers, elephants and lots more. In some sections like the deer and tapirs the animals can come right up to the trams and check out what is going on.

After the zoo it was another open top bus ride back to the hotel.

Of course when ever you travel with my wife she invariably runs into someone she knows. We were at the bus terminal this morning and she met Peta and Michael (Mud) friends of Rachel and Warwick's.

It's a small world!!Read more
0 likes
Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 11, 2015
- ⛅ 26 °C
- Altitude: 43 m
- Singapore Serangoon New Town 1.354174, 103.8697751°21’15” N 103°52’11” E
Day 4
Hills and waves
March 11, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Today we set off early to Dempsey Hill. This is an old British Army base and when they pulled out in 1971 the Singaporean Army took it over but they have moved out as well and now it is a trendy cafe and antique area that's popular with expats and ladies-who-lunch.

T and I had arranged to meet a former work contact of mine who now lives in Singapore. We had a pretty good breakfast and chat. Followed by a walk around looking at the shops.

After Dempsey Hill we took a cab to the Henderson Waves bridge. This is on the western side of the city which we hadn't really been to before. The bridge links 2 large hills and gives good views over the City and Sentosa Island.

The bridge itself is a fantastic design and the parks were beautifully kept. T and I had to shelter from one of Singapore's thunderstorms and it drizzled a bit for most of the afternoon but in a way it was good as it kept the other tourists away and we had most of the walks to ourselves.

There were warning signs about how to deal with any wild monkeys we come across as they could be carrying rabies but luckily we weren't attacked.

After a walk across the bridge and around Mt Faber we took a cab to Chinatown again. We stopped off for lunch at one of the street vendors and had the best chicken satay ever. Singapore has some odd liquor laws, you can get a beer just about anywhere, so T and I had satays washed down with a couple of Tiger Beers.

We wandered around Chinatown and then hopped on the bus and went across to Little India. There are lots of Indians in Singapore and this is their home turf. Really interesting to walk around. Talk about an assault on the senses, you had Indian rock music blasting out with the smell of every spice known to man and an absolute riot of different coloured buildings, clothes, and shops. A real chaotic mix but a great place to just walk around.

After hanging out there for a while we made a pit stop back to the hotel and then hopped on the bus again to go to Boat Quay which is on the Singapore River and is a trendy place to eat. As something different we ate Italian but we could have had any type of cuisine known to man.

After a dinner of pasta and gelato we wandered up the river a bit before cutting across to the Digital Life shopping mall where you are meant to be able to by any technical thing you could want. It was OK but the prices are pretty much on par with what you'll pay in Sydney.

We then walked back to the Hotel for an obligatory Singapore Sling - really liking those things - before bed.Read more
0 likes
Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 12, 2015
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: 11 m
- Singapore Kampong Noordin Sungai Besar 1.412007, 103.9580091°24’43” N 103°57’29” E
Day 5
Bummin' around
March 12, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
This morning we decided it was time to test out Singapore's famous public transport system. To date we had tickets on a system of tourist buses that drove set loops and gave a commentary but they expired so we had to find our own way about.

A couple of comments about public transport in Singapore. To date we had just grabbed a taxi when we needed to get anywhere the buses didn't take us, taxis are cheap and plentiful. Our highest cab fare was just under $20 from Changi airport to the hotel in the City, you could get from one end of the island to the other for under $30. The Mass Rapid Transport (or MRT) is the subway system. It is fast, reliable, and very clean. The MRT doesn't have a time table it just runs every 10 mins in peak hours or 20 mins outside peak hours. And if the MRT can't get you where you are going there are lots of buses, many of them double deckers. Tourists can buy unlimited travel for 2 days for $16 so that's how we got around.

We hopped on the MRT at City Hall and headed to Tanah Merah station which was about 15 mins away. We wanted to go to an island off Singapore's east coast called Pulau Ubin, we had seen it on TV and wanted to get out of the City so we decided to head for there. Once at Tanah Merah we had to catch the No. 2 bus to Changi ferry wharf. The bus wound around the suburb of Changi and went past the infamous Changi Gaol. The Gaol is still in use and very, very big. Some sections of it were obviously very old but others were quite new. Also over the east side of the island is Changi airport and lots of military bases - we saw army and air force bases but I bet the navy was out there as well.

Once at the elaborately named Changi Ferry Terminus we had to wait until there were 12 of us and then we could board a bum boat and pay the outrageous $2.50 each for the 10 min trip across the Straits of Johor to Pulau Ubin. Lots of shipping around as well as big barges loaded with sand presumably for land reclamation.

The bum boat was a very basic affair but it did come complete with flower pots - see photos.

Pulau Ubin has been described as Singapore 50 years ago, it was more like Singapore 100 years ago. There was a wharf, a seafood restaurant, a police station and about 10 places with 100s of bikes for hire. Luckily it was very quiet when we were there so we hired a couple of bikes for the massive fee of $8 each and went for a ride. There are lots of mountain bike tracks but we stuck to the sealed roads and made our way to the other side of the island to look at Malaysia. After an hour or two we made it back to the wharf and sailed back to Singapore island. We actually had to go through border security as lots of people must come from Malaysia this way.

We made it back to the MRT and came back to Bugis station. T had heard about a lane in the Malay quarter she wanted to visit - Haji Lane - and it was really cute. Loads of trendy shops and boutiques. I offered to buy T a burka but that was met with an eye roll. We wandered around for a bit and then hopped on a bus to the National Design Centre. It is Singapore Design Week and the NDC is just around the corner from the hotel so we dropped in for a look. Really interesting with some clever designs of everything from eye glasses to buses to bridges.

It was Singapore Sling-o'clock so we headed down for our nightly slurp, wandered around Raffles Centre for a bit and then headed back to the HotelRead more
0 likes
Traveler Singapore Sling
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Mar 13, 2015
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: 14 m
- Singapore Serangoon New Town 1.350227, 103.8605051°21’1” N 103°51’38” E
Day 6
One last look ...
March 13, 2015 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today was our last day in Singapore but the plane didn't leave until 8pm and there were still things we had to tick off our list so we were out and about early.

We caught the MRT to the Bayfront station and headed towards the Gardens. We had to cross the river and I had been wanting to cross the Helix Bridge which was on the way. This is a really cleverly designed footbridge based on the structure of DNA molecules. Typical of Singapore, you don't just build a bridge you build an award winning bridge with massive complexities that work to create something amazing.

Once across the bridge we walked past the Art Science Museum. This is another unique building on the foreshores of Singapore Bay. We didn't get a chance to go in but the photos show the unusual shape of the building.

We then took a short walk through the Marina Sands Hotel and were at the Gardens.

As I have mentioned before a lot of Singapore is built on reclaimed land and one of the most spectacular new additions are the Gardens by the Bay. These are one of the top tourist attractions. The gardens themselves are only 2 years old and will get a lot better with time as plants grow and the Gardens are expanded but they are still very impressive.

The most recognisable features are the huge 'supertrees' that are metal structures shaped like trees and are slowly being covered by plants. There are also a couple of green houses one called the Cloud Forest and the other the Flower Dome. The budget to build all this was just over $1 billion by the way - you don't just build a garden!

We went to the Cloud Forest first. This is a giant atrium with a cloud forest built inside. Yes there is a mountain, lots of air conditioning, lots of water, elevated walkways, and of course plants.There are escalators and lifts inside the mountain to get you to the upper levels and elevated walkways so you can see the plants. There were lots of orchids and some Australian additions like the Wollemi Pine.

We then went over to the Flower Garden and this was on a similar scale. They had different gardens like an Australian Garden, South American Garden, etc and there were succulents, huge olive trees, roses, boab trees, and they were in the middle of planting thousands of tulips.

We still had some shopping to do so we caught the shuttle back to the MRT station and headed to Orchard Road. A couple of comments about shopping in Singapore, yes there is every shop imaginable. All the luxury brands as well as international chains are here and not just one shop - Uniqlo for example has 21 stores across the island, Starbucks have over 100! So the range is excellent BUT the prices are pretty much on par with what you would pay in Sydney so it's not as good as New York. That said you could still get some good specials so overall the shopping was OK but not brilliant.

We visited the large Ion Centre on Orchard Road which is where the luxury brands can be found - Gucci, Burberry, Calvin Klein, etc. We scored a couple of pairs of Levis jeans (2 for 1 special!!), then went for a wander along Orchard Road before catching the bus back to the hotel to grab our bags and make for the airport.

Being the seasoned travelers we are we used public transport to get to Changi airport. One of the good things about shopping in Singapore is that you can claim the GST back on some purchases, it is only 7.5% but still it financed some of our duty free alcohol purchases!

The flight back was long and not overly interesting except the route was a little odd. On the way there it was pretty much a straight line across the middle of Australia but the flight back went a lot further south. It actually flew almost due south to the Australian Bight before turning left and crossing Adelaide and Canberra. Presume this is to take advantage of the jet stream winds.

So some final thoughts on Singapore. Things I liked:

- The scale of everything, you don't just build a bridge!
- The food was absolutely sensational
- The people were very friendly and helpful
- It was spotlessly clean

The one thing I didn't like was that lots of locals smoke.

And that was the end of our Singapore trip. I guess the best way to sum it up would be to ask the question would I come back again and spend a few days again? A definite YES!Read more
0 likes

Hot in the Lion City!

The last day before .....!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Hills and waves

Bummin' around

One last look ...