...Before going to Bali I decided to make a 3 days stop in Singapore and have a look at this small country.
When I was at the Airport in Phnom Penh ready to check in, the weather forecast was showing rain and storm for Singapore. I was disappointed to see that. I took Tigerair and the flight was pleasant. While flying over Malaysia you might expect to see lots of jungle. And there are still vast parts that are green. But the wood industry has left its mark. Wide areas are scarred by deforestation. A sad sight. If nothing is done soon, there won't be a forest left.
Current Weather in Singapore
Currency Converter
Currency-Converter.com
A warning to those who want to visit Singapore. Check your luggage and never loose sight of it. If you are caught with drugs you are literally done for. In Singapore the possession of drugs is judged with death penalty. You being a Westerner, even being an American citizen might not safe you. Singapore is also one of the countries with the most executions. So be careful that no one smuggles something into your bags! Capital punishment
A warning to those who want to visit Singapore. Check your luggage and never loose sight of it. If you are caught with drugs you are literally done for. In Singapore the possession of drugs is judged with death penalty. You being a Westerner, even being an American citizen might not safe you. Singapore is also one of the countries with the most executions. So be careful that no one smuggles something into your bags! Capital punishment
Arriving in Singapore
Getting close to Singapore you will see a huge fleet of ships, most of them tankers. When I arrived, there was no rain or storm. In fact during my whole stay I haven't seen one drop of rain. At least during the days. In my last night in Singapore there was some strong tropical rain, but that was late at night when I was asleep and the next day you couldn't have told that it had rained. Can't fully trust the weather forecast in the tropics. Singapore was really hot and the humidity was suffocating. Here you will definitely need air con when booking a room. I have never sweat so much in my life while doing zero sports.
Getting through security at Changi Airport is a pleasent experience compared to those at other Airports. They don't ask many questions and they work quick and they are friendly. Not like customs officers in many other countries where you might come to the conclusion that they've lost the desire to live. I pretty much simply went through with no delays. Changi Airport is also considered one of the best Airports in the world. Only thing I had to complain was that there are only few electric sockets and they are not easy to find. Not so great if you need to recharge some devices.
The easiest way to travel in Singapore is by MRT. That's kinda like the Metro in Paris and if you know how to read the map, and it's really easy, you can reach pretty much every destination in town. Also public transport in Singapore is quite cheap. If you plan on staying 3 days and longer, I recommend you to get an EZ-Link card. It makes travelling in Singapore much easier and the money left on your card will be refunded. So don't forget to ask for your refund before you leave. The stuff at the airport is very helpful. If you are lost or need any help there will be someone.
One thing that will attract your attention when taking the MRT, the bus or simply walking in town is that almost all Singaporeans have a smartphone or tablet in there hand, chatting, facebooking, twittering, playing games or watching a movie, even while walking. They seem very addicted. But Singaporeans are nice folks. At least the ones I talked to were very friendly and helpful. And even though Singapore is a country with very strict law you don't really feel like in a police state. At this point, I should tell you that it's not allowed to take a picture of Singaporean police. I had do delete a photo I had taken, but they were cool, no biggie. Otherwise Singapore is a very safe country for law abiding people. You don't need to worry about getting mugged or assaulted. Even at night and in dark corners, in this city you feel safe. A very positive aspect of Singapore as I think.
I arrived in late afternoon. After leaving my stuff in a hostel, a Singaporean invited me to a cheap food court. If you want to eat cheap in Singapore, go to the districts that are not very touristic, especially avoid Marina bay. Thanks to the good exchange rate, Singapore is a quite affordable place. Depending on the area where you buy your food there can be price differences from 2 to three fold for the same stuff.
Marina Bay
After dinner my Singaporean friend recommended me to go to marina bay. I did as suggested and went to Marina Bay. At Marina Bay you find the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. It's the one with the Pool on top of the roof. For 20 Singapore dollar you can go on top of the roof of the hotel, but regrettably the pool is exclusively for hotel guests. At Marina bay you also find the mascot of Singapore the famous "Merlion". When you are in Singapore you should definitely go to this place.
Pictures
Botanical Garden and Chinatown
The next day I went to the botanical garden of Singapore. The entrance is free. But don't waste your time here. I's a nice place for citizens to spend their weekends, but nothing special. It's just a clean garden. There are more exotic and fun places to visit. I came here because I was gonna meet somebody, however he couldn't make it. So I went to Chinatown. There is also an Indian temple close by.
After Chinatown I went once more to Marina Bay as I wanted to see the place at daylight.
Sentosa
My last day in Singapore I went to Sentosa. The leisure island of Singapore. Sentosa is located in the south of Singapore and can be reached with the Sentosa express, cable cars, or you can simply walk onto the Island by walking on the Sentosa Boardwalk. I highly recommend to take the boardwalk, not only because it's for free. And don't worry you don't really have to walk that much. Especially as there are moving walkways. The entrance fee to the island is 1 SGD and can be payed using your EZ-Link card. If you want to go to Sentosa you should plan a whole day, because there is a lot you can do there. Take a look at their Official Website
I really should have saved going to the botanical garden. Here on Sentosa you will find nice walks, which will make you believe that you are deep in the jungle.
Pictures
Botanical Garden and Chinatown
The next day I went to the botanical garden of Singapore. The entrance is free. But don't waste your time here. I's a nice place for citizens to spend their weekends, but nothing special. It's just a clean garden. There are more exotic and fun places to visit. I came here because I was gonna meet somebody, however he couldn't make it. So I went to Chinatown. There is also an Indian temple close by.
After Chinatown I went once more to Marina Bay as I wanted to see the place at daylight.
Sentosa
My last day in Singapore I went to Sentosa. The leisure island of Singapore. Sentosa is located in the south of Singapore and can be reached with the Sentosa express, cable cars, or you can simply walk onto the Island by walking on the Sentosa Boardwalk. I highly recommend to take the boardwalk, not only because it's for free. And don't worry you don't really have to walk that much. Especially as there are moving walkways. The entrance fee to the island is 1 SGD and can be payed using your EZ-Link card. If you want to go to Sentosa you should plan a whole day, because there is a lot you can do there. Take a look at their Official Website
I really should have saved going to the botanical garden. Here on Sentosa you will find nice walks, which will make you believe that you are deep in the jungle.
On Sentosa you can watch a show called "Song of the Sea", which is apart from the Disney like singing (still nice for young kids) a great show to watch. I've captured the show on video and removed the parts with the singing and dancing. So check out the video where you will see the amazing show that combines water, laser and pyrotechnics.
Next stop Bali
No comments:
Post a Comment