Day 17 – Tours, Tickets and an Unexpected Trip to Sentosa

I woke up late as usual on day 17, and decided to a bit more washing. I collected my kilt from the line and found that it has cleaned up reasonably well, and I put a new wash on. I went out to change some money and get something to eat. I then returned to sort out the washing and then I hung it out on the line. I decided to head into town and try to get on a tour. I got a bus (for a change), and enjoyed the ride into town. That was before I realised I didn’t know where I was going until I got into town. I looked around, the bus stop told me that I would be able to get to orchard road, but I was concerned and got off at the first place I recognised, Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, which was nowhere near Orchard Road. I decided to take the MRT the remaining distance, and got off at Orchard. I then stepped outside to try to find a tour bus, and was unsure quite where to find one. I headed to the bus stop opposite the MRT, because I had seen a tour bus pass that way the previous day. I waited, but none came, and I went to find some information. I didn’t find any, but instead inquired at a perfume stall and was told to stay at the stop, because one would come. I did, and some time later I was rewarded for my patience. I got on the tour bus and was informed that it was the last of the day tour buses, but I could get a Moonlight Adventure tour on a 24-hour ticket. I got on the tour bus and took the ride to the depot (tucked behind yet another shopping centre) and was told to wait for an hour, and that there was a food court inside where I could get something to eat. I had chicken noodle bowl (well, it was a staple food in Singapore, and I didn’t fancy the Fish Head Curry). I then headed out to the bus. I got on and was asked if I wanted a ticket to songs of the sea, and I said ‘no’. The tour guide assumed a befuddled expression before I explained that I had been before. He then told me that I would need an admission ticket to Sentosa then (yep, that place again). I headed upstairs and took a seat. I was glad I did, because the bus went past the Singapore Flyer, giving some great views. When we arrived at the bus park, we were all handed respective tickets, and told to be back at the bus for 8.20pm. I headed for the segways (what else?), and booked a ride. It was quite busy, but in the queue I got talking to this nice kiwi couple and their kids. (You know what I’m like with names by now), from Auckland. We waited until about 8pm, and then we got on the ride. The staff, who knew me by that time, asked if I wouldn’t mind staying at the back to keep an eye on those in front. Not a problem. The ride was enjoyable as ever, and upon return, I was offered a free ride. They didn’t need to ask me twice. I quickly gave my email to the kiwi couple and headed out again. All hope of returning to the bus were quickly forgotten. I joined the next segway group and off I went again. When the ride had finished, I thanked the staff and headed off to the luge for a couple of moonlight rides. When I got up the hill for the first ride, i bumped into a group of immature American guys who were rude, macho and obnoxious. They were convinced they could beat me down the hill, and I proved them wrong. I let them get in front, and then laughed at their expressions as I roared past them. I also laughed as one tried to slow down for the camera and got rear-ended by the guy behind him who was trying to pass me. I reached the bottom and raced for the chairlift, getting a good few cars ahead of them. When I reached the top, I asked the operator (who I had met on a previous day) to try to run them over with the lift (I was joking, of course). I then tore down to the start area and got away before they had left the lift. I was down the hill and onto the lift again before they were even halfway down the course again. I took my last ride and headed for the monorail to Harbour Front, hoping to return again to the Island of fun, but knowing that I was leaving until another trip to Singapore, if ever. When I got to Harbour Front I wondered if they had been looking for me on the bus, but I thought ‘nah, I didn’t go to the show’. I got the MRT back to the hostel, and headed off to bed.

Day 16 - A German, A Merlion and One Big Wheel

Day 16 Began as usual. I woke up late (as ever) and headed out to the airport to change money, having decided that by this point I was getting stiffed on rates just as much in the city as I was there. I changed my money and headed to the Qantas desk in T1 to see if there was anyone present, and yet again finding no-one. What was up with these people? I headed back to the train station through T3, and found a very confused German woman being given very little help by the staff. Flying Scotsman to the rescue once again. Thank god she spoke English, because my rudimentary German wouldn’t have stood a chance. It turned out that the woman (her name since wiped from my memory (explanation coming up in Sydney)) was looking for a hostel and had been told that she would find one on Orchard Road. I decided to take her up there (well, I had no other plans). We took the train to Orchard station, and bode her farewell (I gave her my email address), and decided to explore, my attention being grabbed immediately by a collection of brightly coloured statues depicting shoppers, but mostly depicting many caricatures of Margaret Thatcher. I noted that many (most) of the shops stocked only items above my price range (or that of anyone who isn’t rich), and decided to take some shots of the architecture before heading back to the hostel to bid farewell to Fahin, who was leaving. I took some shots, and noticed a tour bus, and decided to come back another day for a tour. I took the train back to Kembangan. After saying farewell to Fahin I headed for some food (from the Hawker Centre at Tanjong Pagar) and then I headed up to Dhoby Ghaut to begin a colonial night walk as described in my guide book. I walked right through the city, past the National Museum of Singapore, through the grounds of the Singapore Management University and past the Philatelic Museum, Masonic Hall and Armenian Church. I then entered the parliamentary district, passing the Parliament itself and the Supreme Court as well as the statue marking the spot where Sir Stamford Raffles first landed, and then along the riverbank past the Asian Civilisations museum and the Fullerton Hotel, before slipping under the dual carriageway to end up at the Merlion Park. I got a great view of quite a lot of the waterfront, as well as the Singapore Flyer, which, upon discovered closed at 10pm. I looked at my watch, 9.15pm. I decided to find a way there, and found a bike taxi waiting by the bridge on the carriageway I had ducked under. Poor Guy. He was about a third of my weight, and really skinny and he kept getting caught at the lights. I reached the Flyer in just enough time to get a ride, and boarded the big wheel, which happens to be the biggest observation wheel in the world (30m bigger than the London Eye). Just my luck then that the batteries on my camera were running low. And where were my spares? In a hostel in Kembangan, that’s where. I tried to conserve batteries, taking as few duplicate shots as possible, and it just made it, conking out in the last couple of minutes of the 30-min ride. I then headed down and caught a bus to City Hall, followed by a train back to the hostel, which I found yet again empty.

Day 15 - Marina Bay, Marina Barrage and a Muslim called Samil

On Day 15 I woke up and decided to do some washing, so I washed my kilt, before leaving it to dry out on the line. I headed for the obligatory money change before deciding to go out to Marina Bay MRT to see what is there. The answer: not much. On exiting the MRT station, you are surrounded by construction sites, and you have to follow a series of laminated signs pointing to the 'Marina Barrage shuttle bus'. That sounded promising. The trip to Marina Barrage passed through more construction areas, and then we reached the barrage, which seemed to be a great feat of architecture, was based around a large, sweeping roof which you could walk up, since it was covered with grass and had a path. There were many people on the roof itself, flying kites. From the roof I saw a fountain area, which you could paddle in. I headed round the remaining sweep of the roof, and into the area, and soon I was paddling in the lovely, cool water of the fountain, and then I decided, what the heck! I took my shirt off, removed anything which could be water damaged from my pockets, and proceeded to get thoroughly soaked, which highly amused a small kid who had exactly the same intention. I then got talking to the boy's father, who was a native Singaporean Muslim called Samil, his son called Ahmed. We had a cvery interesting conversation, where I learned many facts about Singapore, especially about the educational system, which I strucured very similarly to that of England, and English is actually taught as afirst language to children, before Singaporean. We then got talking about Kembangan, and Sam told me that he lived in Bedok, nearby and that there was a large mall there with a hawker centre inside. He offered me a lift, and I gratefully accepted, and he took me to the mall, explaining that Singapore is smaller than you might think, and that the Merlion in Sentosa is not acutally the real Mrelion, the real one being much smaller and located in the CBD. He pointed out some of the sights on the way, and I thanked him when we arrived and he droppedm me off, having to head home. I headed into the mall and trawled the bookshop, looking for a 'bible' for Sydney and, after a lengthy search ended up with an alternative, so Sydney's adventures will be based on the bible of Frommer's, not on a Lonely Planet bible. Then I hit the food ourt, enjoying chicken rice (although the chicken was a bit dry) followed by (I couldn't help myself) Choclate Fondue, which had strawberries, banana, waffles, chcolate wafer bites and marshamallows, and rich choclate sauce. Bliss. I then headed for the aptly named 'Giant' hypermarket, where I found some books to read, Including one from the author of the book I had finished the previous evening (not included in the blog since reading is not exploration, and would seem quite boring and repetitive). I also found another book, and bought both for S$18, good value for books. I then headed back, to find that I had a new roommate, called Fahin from Sri Lanka. When I first reached the room, he apologised, but he was very tired, and so I took my book and headed to the downstairs cafe/bar to sit with a beer and read. After a beer I felt slightly peckish, and decided to brave some of the cuisine, only to find (to my delight), that they served sweet and sour pork. I ordered a small portion and it arrived, complete with fork. I sent the (bemused) waiter away to get chopsticks, and felt quite stisfied a while later when I finished the dish with a clan shirt. Well, as they say, when in Rome.. I then had another beer before retirting to the dorm, ti find Fahin was now awake and we sat and talked for a while about Sri Lanka and Scotland, and he told me that one day he wanted to move to the UK for work. After a while, pooped, I retired to my bed and slept.

Day 14 - Addicted

If you want to know where I went on day 14, the title is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give you a clue: I was there on days 12 and 13. Yep, Sentosa again, but not immediately. First, I headed to change some money (as always), and then I headed to an area of Singapore called Little India, which contained much of the Indian population of Singapore (no points for guessing that), but it also contained a shop called the Mustafa Centre. This is a HUGE department store, which sells everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! I had to go to the top floor to find menswear, and then I had to wade through Aisles of Trousers, Shirts, T'shirts, Pyjamas, Boxers, etc, until I found shorts. I then bought several pairs of very nice shorts at a very cheap price, which is good since I ripped my other pair in Hong Kong. I got two pairs of bermuda shorts, which have more pockets than I could ever have stuff to put in, and a pair of lightweight shorts, also with pockets. I then headed out to explore Little India, and also to find a shop which was called 'Indian Candys' (sic, no typo), which was in my bible (of Lonely Planet), although a traipse through LI turned up no result, but I did get a good picture of the Sri Veermakaliamman Temple (try saying that while drunk), as well as some of the colourful houses and shopfronts (will be on facebook as soon as I find a computer that works). I then found asmall food court hidden in one of the backstreets, and I had some duck noodles, of which the duck turned out to be more bone than meat, but it was really cheap, and it was food, so I didn't complain. I then decided to follow a recommendation from Joyce and Cheryl, and went back to the island of addiction, to see the 'Songs of the Sea' show. I discovered upon arrival that those with a ticket for the show got a S$3 discount on a Segway ride, so need I say more? On the ride I met a nice American couple, whose names I have since forgotten (I hope to get an email from them to remind me), and they were also going to the show, so we decided to sit together and watch. The special effects in the show were spectacular, a Pyromaniac's dream and the laser lights were enough to cause an epileptic fit (in a non-epileptic). Brilliant, but I felt the show was made very cheesy by the lipsyncing used by all of the actors, and the use of cartoon characters also made it seem a bit childish, as well as the plot (or lack thereof). The SFX were a saving grace, however, so it comes with a recommendation from me (especially if you have kids). I then said my goodbyes to the Americans, as they were headed back to Singapore island, and I headed back for (yet another) ride on the Segway, and the woman gave me another S$3 discount. My monetary funds then almost exhausted, I had one go on the luge before leaving for Singapore, vowing not to retrun tomorrow (but maybe to go again). I headed back to the hostel and found the room blissfully empty, and I got the room to myself for the night. Lovely.

Day 13 - A Return Visit to Sentosa

On day 13 I awoke at 12pm, again, and I decided to abandon my initial plan of a trip to the 'Army Open House', which In had heard about on the radio, instead deciding on a return visit to Sentosa island. I headed out first to the airport to change money before taking the train to Harbour Front. On reaching Harbour Font, I decided to take the Sentosa Express monorail instead of the cable car. I was pleased when I reached the station, tucked away on the top floor of a shopping mall, as the tickets only cost S$3. The ride to Sentosa was short, but informative, and took me to my first intended port of call, the eco tours hut. I asked to book the eco adventure tour, and I was told that I could, but the next available tour was at 5pm. I told her that it would be no problem, and booked the package of Eco Adventure + Fun Ride, taking the Fun Ride immediately. After my short ride, I took the beach tram from the Monorail station down to the other end of the beach. and on arrival saw a group of monkeys sitting on a ledge. I reached for my camera, but when I went to take the picture, they had disbanded. Typical. I walked up to the snack stands instead, to get some food. I purchased a chicken burger and chips, and sat down in the picnic table seating area, only to find that I was not alone in my meal, being joined by too friendly (and hungry) peacocks, who had no trouble in helping me eat my lunch. I sensed a photo opportunity, and placed a chip on the opposite side of the table, only to have the peacock leap onto the bench and grab the chip. Several chips later I had quite a few pictures, which will be uploaded as soon as I am able to find a capable computer. I then headed to the underwater world ticket desk, and upon seeing the prices, swiftly headed away from the underwater world ticket desk. Well, I'm not made of money. I then strolled back along the beach and had (just one) ride on the Luge. After this, it was almost time for my ride, so I headed to the 7 eleven and purchased a giant slurpee and sat down to enjoy, and after that it was time. The Eco Adventure was even more fun than the Fun Ride, due to both and extended length of trip and the opportunity to mess about on a beach with a Segway, resulting in one of the other riders, a kid from China, falling off several times. If my camera had been recording, I could have been 250 pounds richer, but sadly it wasn't. Following the fun ride I decided to head into town for some food and, after a wander round the VivoCity mall at Harbour Front, found a cheap restaurant to have some food. I then headed back to the hostel, intending to head out again, but instead deciding to update my blog, and eventually I fell victim to tiredness and decided not to bother going out again. Eventually my room mates returned, and they told me they were checking out the following morning. We swapped contact details, and then I went to bed.

Day 12 - Sentosa - Skyrides, Segways and a Luge

On day 12 I awoke at around 12pm, and I decided to head to Sentosa, an island connected to Singapore by a cable car and a monorail. I took the MRT to Outram Park, and then changed to the NEL to Harbour Front. Here I took a walk to the Cable car station and purchased a return cable car ticket, which cost S$20. The cable car provided some brilliant views of Hong Kong, and I enjoyed the trip, before arriving in Sentosa. The cable car deposited me at the top of Mount Imbiah, and right next to the Tiger Sky Tower. I headed for the reason I had first come to Sentosa. The Luge and Skyride. I queued up, intending to buy an 8 ride pass for S$44, but when I reached the counter I was told that it was a family pass (with at least one person under 16 using it). Instead, I purchased a 1 hour unlimited ride pass, and headed straight for the Luge. I don't know quite how to describe the luge, so I won't bother. Instead, here's a link to their website. The hour went quite quickly, especially as it took some time to return to the top by the Skyride. I managed to take about 5 rides, although I didn't get the Skyride back up in time. No big loss, because I wanted to explore the beach anyway. I took a short walk, and found a bicycle rental shop, which was quite reasonably priced, so I took a nice bike ride along the beach, and then, after a few circuits up and down the island, I returned the bike, as I had a new objective. On my last circuit, I had met group riding past on Segways, and I had asked where the tours were. I took the beach tram up to the beach station (the beach tram was actually a road train). There I walked around the corner and found the GoGreen Eco tours hut, and (I booked a fun ride (it was my last S$10)), and it was really fun. I was a bit shaky at first, but I soon got the hang of it. The fun ride lasted a short while, and I would have liked another go, but I needed my money to get back to Singapore and to get some food. I caught the Skyride back to the top of the hill, and then the cable car back, before heading to Harbour Front Station. It was then that I noticed the sign, next to those that said the obvious, 'No Smoking', 'No Eating or Drinking', and 'No Flammable Liquids or Gases', which said 'No Durians'. How odd, I would have to ask someone at some point. I too the train back to Outram Park, and then another train to Tanjong Pagar, and the hawker centre where I had the same as day 11, with the addition of some fried Wonton. It was quite nice. I then headed back to the Hostel to update my blog again, and to await the arrival of my room mates. My room mates turned out to be Joyce and Sheryl from Malaysia, and a Japanese guy (whose name I'm afraid escapes me). I showed them my card trick (if you've seen it you'll now how effective it is. (I'll try to put it on YouTube or something), and then we had a chat about Singapore, Scotland, Malaysia and how we came to be here. It turned out that Joyce and Sheryl were at an expo to do with improving workskills, and the Japanese guy was working at the expo. I then went to bed (it was quite late) and slept.

Day 11 - Hong Kong to Singapore

My alarm clock woke me up, as planned, at 4am on the morning of day 11. I got dressed quickly and got my bags together, placing them out in the hall whilst I donned my kilt for the trip. I then checked the whole room (it didn't take long) to ensure that nothing would be left behind. Then I left the keys on the bed and locked the door behind me. Time to go. I dragged my bags (as quietly as I could) past one of the guys that worked at the hostel, Ajibike. I then headed for the lift, and waited as it took its sweet time, as ever, to go up and then decide to come down. The lift would be one thing of Hong Kong which I wouldn't miss. When I was finally at the bus stop, I was witing for the night bus to the airport, and a taxi pulled up. He wouldn't accept that I wanted to get the bus, and kept trying to offer me a ride to the airport. After an exchange of words which are unrepeatable ina public blog, he finally left. I waited for about 15 minutes for the bus, and I was glad when it came, as it was air conditioned (it was quite humid even  at that time in the morning). I placed my large bags in the luggage rack provided, and found seat. Just a bit further down the road, someone else got on, airport bound, and she wanted to pay cash, but couldn't find the right change. Flying Scotsman to the rescue! I moved down to the front of the bus anb found some loose change. Well, I wouldn't be needing it. Once she was paid, she sat down and we got talking. Rachael was from Edinburgh, and she was going to the airport to fly back on the 0830 flight. We chatted about our travels as we travelled to the airport and, when we arrived, we were trying to decide which was the point to get off. I was anxious at trying my tactic of waiting to see where everyone else got off, but was saved by someone who could obviously see our struggle, and told us when we were at the terminal. We found trolleys for our bags, and headed to the departures area. We split, promising to meet up again after check in, and the Scotsman headed off to try his charms on another unsuspecting check-in girl. It worked again, and I got another exit row seat. Brilliant! I also got away with having one bag just over 23kg, but she said it would be okay because the average was under the limit. Then I headed off to find Rachael, and found her at the BA check-in desk. We headed though to the security check, and I prepared to be frisked, as the kilt's buckles always set off the alarm. The search actually turned out quite funny, since the woman wielding the metal detector wand turned out to be five-foot nothing. She had to stand on tip-toes. Once we had been proven not to be terrorists, we heaed to find some food. Rachael said she was not hungry, and went to starbucks, and I headed upstairs to find some sustenance, which came in the form of a scrmbled-egg sausage tray with tomato soup (curious combination) and tea. I took this downstairs only to find that Rachael had dissapeared. I remembered her flight was gate 40-something, so I headed to the other end of the terminal, which had a bad effect on the condition of my as yet uneated breakfast, as the lid in the tea turned out to be ever-so-slightly loose, allowing tea to spill out onto the tray. Thankfully, the tray survived the trip, and I reached gate 41 to find Rachael not there. So I headed back to the other end of the concourse for one last check. upon reching there, I found that Rachael had been sitting on the side of the concourse opposite Stabucks and, of course, I hadn't been looking that way. I settled down to eat my (not slightly tea-flavoured) breakfast, which was actually not bad. The soup, although an unusual addition, brought something new to the table. I didn't actually drink the tea, though, as i realised that i hadn't asked for milk. I also had a slight mishap involving scrambled egg and kilt, which resulted in a quick rush to the toilet to prevent staining, which seemed to be successful. After breakfast had been consumed, Rachael's flight was getting close to boarding, so we grabbed our bags, and I decided to show her the easier way to get from one side of the termianl to the other. A purpose-built underground railway. Nifty, eh? We reached Rachael's gate, and by the time we had exchanged email addresses, she had to board. Then I headed off to gate 29 for my turn, which came quite soon after, as we were told to start queuing just as I arrived, and so I ended up second in line to board. This changed when th guy infron was taking forever to find his boarding card, resulting in me being first on the plane. Upon boarding, I was accosted by a few of the stuardesses and one, named Cherry (I kid you not), asked for a photo, as she had never met someone so tall, and she had never met someone in a kilt. I also got aked if I knew how to play the bagapipes, which seems to be the second question, after, 'is that a kilt?'I was then seated, and I took off my kilt (the buckles add too much width for me to reach the tv controls when I'm in the seat). I awaited my seating partners, and was joined by a fashionista, who looked as if she had trodden on something quite nasty, and her escort, who lookead as if he had fallen out of the gay tree and hit every branch on the way down (a purple jacket, ripped jeans and crocodile-skin pointy-toed boots will do that for a guy). Thankfully, they didn't seem to speak english, so I got peace to watch Star Trek (for the third time). The flight was uneventful, the food ok, though unmemorable, since I can't recall what I had (I think it was chicken noodles, though I;m not sure). Upon arrival inChangi airport I had to queue for quite a while for immigration, but once at the desk it was fine (there was only one form, and no health check). Baggage ollection was next, followed by custons, where the guy asked me if there was anything I wasn't sure about declaring. I remembered the gravy granules (thanks, Auntie Julie and Auntie Lisa), but I was told they would be fine, and my bags were x-rayed before I was free to go (I suppose he thought I looked a bit suspicious in a kilt). I then carried my bags outside, past taxi, all offering business, and up the escalator to the skytrain, which I s quite a piece of engineering (look it up in wikipedia). I was taken by the skytrain to terminal 3, where I could catch the MRT. I took the lift down to the MRT platform, and then the train to Tanah Merah Interchange, where I crossed the platform to take another train to Kembangan as dictated by the instructions sent from the hostel. I then exited the station, only to find no reference to which way to go, and I decided to give in and take a taxi. The taxi journey took 3minutes, and cost S$5. Then I headed for the hostel, which turned out to be up 3 flights of stairs, with not a lift in sight. I was just about dead when I reached the top, and then I had to a self check in, which was a simple process involving a safe code and some money. I then entered the room and dumped my stuff before having a shower and a change. I then put my dirty clothing (left over from Hong Kong) into the washing machine, and went to get some grub. I had intended to eat down in the cafe downstairs, but the menu turned out to consist entirely of fish (fishballs, fish skin or fish head curry). I consulted the Singapore version of the bible of Lonely planet, and headed off into the MRT system to Tanjong Pagar, and to a Hawker Center which I was told was within walking distance of the MRT. It was, but I had gine in the wrong direction. After a panicky moment, I consulted the pull-out map and righted myself, and then I set off for some food. I had a look around the stalls, eventually finding one I liked the look of, and had Wonton Noodle Soup accompanied by pineaplle drink. It was lovely. I then headed back into the MRT and too a train to Raffles Place, to explore, and found a beautiful, twinklingly lit river which will be returned to with a camera. Then, yawning, I decided to head back to the hostel and do a bit of blogging before turning infor the night. My dorm buddies arrived around midnight, and after a quick 'hi' I was sound asleep.