Singapore
Flew out of Saigon on Vietnam Airlines. It's the second foreign carrier I've flown as part of the Skyteam alliance. Haha, too bad I don't fly Delta much. I also forget that foreign carriers still serve full meals even on short trips unlike the domestic carriers. It's like the 80's all over again for flight travel...
Landed into Changi Airport. I'm once again reminded why everyone has such high opinions of this airport. It really feels like a high end mall that happens to have planes landing through here. The combination of Western chains and local tastes is interesting. I've become a fan of kaya toast and was able to have some at the airport.
Public transportation is really easy in Singapore and took the SMRT to the Hilton Singapore. Located in a central location on Orchard Avenue and near a MRT station, it was nice getting out of the muggy weather. The humidity gets worse as you get closer to the equator. I'm impressed that the body odor smells are minimal. The hotel is next to some major shopping malls. I was happy to see a 24 hour McDonald's next door but disappointed to see that the menu was very average. Across the street, there was a club that was hopping at night, rumors had it that there were a lot of prostitutes that work the club. The hotel was very nice, rooms were comfy and the lounge was pleasant. One word of advice, it seems that the hotels in this area breakfast is often included in the room rate. As a Diamond member, I could have eaten in the lounge or the restaurant. The restaurant was a far better choice because the breakfast buffet options were so varied and things made so fresh it was a waste to go to the continental breakfast in the lounge.
The MRT system is really easy to use and I think the most environmentally friendly. Why? They utilize the reader cards for all transit passes, even the one time use. You pay $1 Singaporean dollar as a deposit and whatever the transit fare is. It is a little cumbersome to buy it one at a time; I do recommend buying a card and putting in a set value if you are planning on being in the city for a little bit. Everything in the city is accessible from the subway. A good thing too because the taxis will take as much as they can from you if you choose to travel by taxi.
Since I was settling in from the late flight, the next day was a late start. Wandered around the city center for a bit and checked out some WWII sites. Singapore was a British colony at one point. The Brits lost Singapore to the Japanese in the 1940s and got it back when WWII ended. It is interesting to see the level of cultural influence the British had in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong I was not suprised because they only gave up control fairly recently, the Singaporeans has retained alot of the influence and is interesting to see the mix of asian and western traditions in this city.
The highlight of the trip was the visit to Fort Canning Park and seeing the Battle Box command center. This is where the British military leadership decided to surrender to the invading Japanese.
The next day, went out to Little India to check out the scene. Little India is like Chinatown in other cities. Lots of markets, trinkets, and jewelry stores. Im not used to seeing so many Indians in a city especially in a designated ethnic area. The ones I've seen are generally westernized but the folks here look and act as if they were recent immigrants. Had some great food at The Banana Leaf restaurant in Little India. Cheap and good, better than the Indian food in Canada. :)
While working around the city, navigating to MRT stations had me passing through some of the malls in the city. The one thing that caught my eye was Famous Amos and Garett's Popcorn. These local American outlets in Singapore surprised me especially Famous Amos. Ironically, I had taken a bag of Famous Amos cookies to snack but the Famous Amos bakeshops sell freshly made cookies by the gram. I will say that Famous Amos cookies taste really good fresh. :)
The next day, wandered over to Sentosa Island. It is Singapore's answer for recreation and entertainment in one place. The island is home to Universal Studios, other theme park like attractions, resorts, and beaches. It is very family oriented area and anyone can find something to do on this island. Didn't really check out the commercial venues but went to look at Ft. Siloso. It is a British fort designed to protect Singapore's harbor back in the day.
The next day, took off for Kuala Lumpur on Jetstar Airlines for an overnight trip.
Landed into Changi Airport. I'm once again reminded why everyone has such high opinions of this airport. It really feels like a high end mall that happens to have planes landing through here. The combination of Western chains and local tastes is interesting. I've become a fan of kaya toast and was able to have some at the airport.
Public transportation is really easy in Singapore and took the SMRT to the Hilton Singapore. Located in a central location on Orchard Avenue and near a MRT station, it was nice getting out of the muggy weather. The humidity gets worse as you get closer to the equator. I'm impressed that the body odor smells are minimal. The hotel is next to some major shopping malls. I was happy to see a 24 hour McDonald's next door but disappointed to see that the menu was very average. Across the street, there was a club that was hopping at night, rumors had it that there were a lot of prostitutes that work the club. The hotel was very nice, rooms were comfy and the lounge was pleasant. One word of advice, it seems that the hotels in this area breakfast is often included in the room rate. As a Diamond member, I could have eaten in the lounge or the restaurant. The restaurant was a far better choice because the breakfast buffet options were so varied and things made so fresh it was a waste to go to the continental breakfast in the lounge.
The MRT system is really easy to use and I think the most environmentally friendly. Why? They utilize the reader cards for all transit passes, even the one time use. You pay $1 Singaporean dollar as a deposit and whatever the transit fare is. It is a little cumbersome to buy it one at a time; I do recommend buying a card and putting in a set value if you are planning on being in the city for a little bit. Everything in the city is accessible from the subway. A good thing too because the taxis will take as much as they can from you if you choose to travel by taxi.
Since I was settling in from the late flight, the next day was a late start. Wandered around the city center for a bit and checked out some WWII sites. Singapore was a British colony at one point. The Brits lost Singapore to the Japanese in the 1940s and got it back when WWII ended. It is interesting to see the level of cultural influence the British had in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong I was not suprised because they only gave up control fairly recently, the Singaporeans has retained alot of the influence and is interesting to see the mix of asian and western traditions in this city.
The highlight of the trip was the visit to Fort Canning Park and seeing the Battle Box command center. This is where the British military leadership decided to surrender to the invading Japanese.
The next day, went out to Little India to check out the scene. Little India is like Chinatown in other cities. Lots of markets, trinkets, and jewelry stores. Im not used to seeing so many Indians in a city especially in a designated ethnic area. The ones I've seen are generally westernized but the folks here look and act as if they were recent immigrants. Had some great food at The Banana Leaf restaurant in Little India. Cheap and good, better than the Indian food in Canada. :)
While working around the city, navigating to MRT stations had me passing through some of the malls in the city. The one thing that caught my eye was Famous Amos and Garett's Popcorn. These local American outlets in Singapore surprised me especially Famous Amos. Ironically, I had taken a bag of Famous Amos cookies to snack but the Famous Amos bakeshops sell freshly made cookies by the gram. I will say that Famous Amos cookies taste really good fresh. :)
The next day, wandered over to Sentosa Island. It is Singapore's answer for recreation and entertainment in one place. The island is home to Universal Studios, other theme park like attractions, resorts, and beaches. It is very family oriented area and anyone can find something to do on this island. Didn't really check out the commercial venues but went to look at Ft. Siloso. It is a British fort designed to protect Singapore's harbor back in the day.
The next day, took off for Kuala Lumpur on Jetstar Airlines for an overnight trip.
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