Train to Kuala Lumpur

Next step in the journey … after the diversions of Christmas lights and food in Singapore … was on the afternoon train from Johor Bahru to travel to Kuala Lumpur. I have looked at some quite amazingly naïve accounts on the internet of train travel in Malaysia and I really wonder what people expect in regards to value for money. If you want true first class luxury service then I suggest you try the Eastern & Orient Express, and pay the appropriate prices! However, if you want to travel in reasonably civilized, admittedly perhaps slightly tired, comfort, then Malaysian Railways will fill the bill for a reasonable price. You might wonder why we appeared to start our journey from Johor Bahru when we have been in Singapore. Firstly I will say if you are planning your first trip by train from Singapore to KL then I really feel you should consider departing from Singapore. This is so that you can see the Singapore Railway Station while it still exists. I think Singapore would be quite happy to demolish the beautiful old Moorish style building and use the site for something else! The building, owned by Malaysian Railways, is looking quite tired, like the train itself really, and always seems to have some sort of excavation happening around or in it, making getting into (and definitely out of it by taxi) the station quite difficult, especially at night. However, if you are leaving from Singapore, a taxi will get you there quite easily and give yourself a few spare minutes to look around to actually see the building and imagine its grandeur when new. When leaving from Singapore, you had to need to arrive at the station about an hour before departure time to collect your ticket if you have booked on the internet (this is in the process of changing as you will be able to print a copy of ticket booking and use that for travel, so check). You still need (at this time) to arrive half an hour before departure to allow for clearance of Malaysian customs, which takes place at Singapore station before you board the train. Singaporean customs formalities take place during the journey, as the train will stop at the modern frontier terminal at Woodlands, just before the causeway linking Singapore island to mainland Malaysia about half an hour after leaving Singapore station. At Woodlands, you need to leave the train with your luggage, enter the building, pass through the Singaporean passport/immigration control, then re-board the train.
That said; we travel by public transport to Johor Bahru, sometimes a journey in itself, and collect our tickets from there. Why? Basically, because it is quite a lot cheaper. A first class ticket will cost 64 Ringgit. Because of pricing rules, if you book and buy your ticket from Singapore, you pay in Singapore dollars and from Johor Bahru you pay in Malaysian Ringgit (about a third the amount at the moment). The bus to Johor Bahru costs S$2.40.
Food on the train can be a bit hit and miss, so if you have particular requirements, bring it with you. Once on the train, settle back in the comfortable seat and enjoy the ride and the passing countryside. After about six hours you will pull sedately into KL Sentrel (the central railway station in KL). Be aware, that if you are travelling at peak travel times (eg holidays) the travel time can become a little "flexible". Taxis can be found at the level above where you arrive (you will need to buy a voucher at the taxi counter).
We stayed in the Le Meridien Hotel which is (along with the Hilton) virtually beside the railway station. Five stars for convenience and quality, but definitely not the cheapest in KL, its location makes it quite easy to get around by train as the light rail lines run through KL Sentrel and the Monorail is about 250 metres away, under a partially covered walkway. It is now possible to buy a multi ride "Touch N' Go" ticket to easily access all trains.
Very quickly we were checked into the hotel and in our room;
where we were presented with some very tantalizing offers for Christmas celebrations. After looking at all the options we decided on the “Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner with free flowing wine” which sounded quite interesting.

For some photos of the train trip and the Le Meridien Hotel click on the thumbnail photo below.

by oldfartz99

Singapore Food

Singapore is a truly international food city. In the shopping centres, you could think you were anywhere in the world, as you look around and see well known brand names from just about every nation, and you will pay accordingly. Then you can go to the food centres and you will see perhaps the true Singapore food variety. The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by her population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. It is heavily influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Indian (specifically southern Indian styles), Indonesian, and even Western traditions since its founding by the British in the 1800s. It is said to be similar to the diverse cuisine of Penang at North Malaysia as most of the foods in Singapore can also be found in the state of Penang. In Singaporean hawker stores, for example, chefs of a Chinese ethnic background might experiment with Indian influences such as tamarind, turmeric and ghee, while an Indian chef could serve a greater amount of coconut products.
This phenomenon makes the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Most of the prepared food bought outside home is eaten at hawker centres or food courts, examples of which include Lau Pa Sat, Newton Food Centre and the Tekka Centre and even in the basement of many shopping centres rather than at actual restaurants. These hawker centres are relatively abundant which leads to low prices and encourages a large consumer base. I think I enjoyed the best murtabak I have ever eaten at the Tekka Centre nearly 3 years ago, but have been unable to have any success in finding the same cook there on subsequent visits. I continue to return, in the hope that one time he will be there, even though I have recently discovered that the Tekka Centre is to be renovated and will be closed for around 16 months from this February. It is not the most salubrious surroundings to dine in as the fruit and vegetable market is in the same building and by evening the resulting fragrances are quite strong! It is, however, easy to access, with Little India MRT right next door.
You can also find cheap restaurants within their own ethnic areas, which do a roaring trade, with people often queuing on the street during peak times. Because it is often viewed by her population as central to Singapore's national identity and a unifying cultural thread, Singaporean literature often declares eating as a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a constant topic of conversation among Singaporeans who like to comment on the food they have eaten and the eateries around the country. There are some religious dietary strictures as Muslims do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef; there is also a significant group of vegetarians. Nonetheless, people from different communities often eat together while being mindful of each other's culture and choose food that is acceptable to all. There are also some halal Chinese restaurants that prepare Chinese food in a way that conform to Muslim dietary preference.
Food in itself has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists. It is usually promoted by various initiatives undertaken by the Singapore Tourism Board or the associations it deals with as one of Singapore's best attractions alongside its shopping. The government organises the Singapore Food Festival in July annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. The multiculturalism of local food, the ready availability of international cuisine, and their wide range in prices to fit all budgets at all times of the day and year helps create a "food paradise" to rival other contenders claiming the same moniker. The availability of a variety of food is often aided by the fact that Singapore's port lies along strategic routes.
The cuisine bears some resemblance to the cuisine of Malaysia due to the close historical cultural and geographic ties between the two countries. However, there are also significant differences. While a number of dishes are common to both countries, the way the dishes are prepared is often different. This is due to numerous evolutionary forks in their development, which gave rise to unique tastes pertaining to each country's cuisine.
As Singapore is a small country with high population density, land is scarce and is mainly devoted to industry and housing. Most of the agricultural produce and food ingredients are now imported from other countries, although there is a small group of local farmers who produce some leafy vegetables, fruit, poultry, and fish.

For more photos please click on the thumbnail photo link below.


by oldfartz99
(partially sourced from Wikapedia)

Singapore Lights up for Christmas

Our return to Singapore is in time to see the Christmas in the Tropics lights of Singapore.

“Christmas in the Tropics is one of the key tourism drivers for Singapore, being a season that our overseas visitors look forward to,” said Ms Joycelyn Ng, Deputy Director of Leisure Marketing and Events Management, Singapore Tourism Board. “With a programme packed full of shopping, dining and entertainment options, it’s little wonder that one in five visitors surveyed last year planned their trips to coincide with Singapore’s Christmas celebration. We hope that this year will be no different as we create for visitors their most memorable Christmas experience yet.”

A key favourite of the annual Christmas in the Tropics celebration is the Christmas Light-up, themed “A Fairytale Christmas” this year. Scotts Road and the Orchard Road stretch from Tanglin Road to Plaza Singapura and the Marina Bay area from Hotel Rendezvous to Raffles Avenue will be transformed into a bewitching Crystal Forest decked with magnificent chandeliers, magic harps, glittering jewels, dazzling lights in red, gold and white, and even a magical carousel. Conceptualised by Mr Dick Lee who is the Creative Director for the second consecutive year, this fantasy land is the setting for the unfolding of a fairytale inspired by the Nutcracker Suite, which tells the story of handsome Prince Noel who goes in search of his missing true love, Princess Ballerina, through the Crystal Forest.

For the 17th year running, Hitachi is the sponsor of the Christmas Light-Up along Orchard Road. “The Hitachi Group is delighted to support the Christmas Light-up for the 17th year, raising funds for those in need of help with the hope of lighting up their lives as well. Our commitment to the community demonstrates our corporate philosophy to contribute to society through technology wherever Hitachi is located.” said Mr Shunsuke Ohtsu, Hitachi Ltd’s Chief Executive for Asia.

We take a trip by MRT to Orchard (at the intersection of Scotts and Orchard Rds) and as we exit the underground station the lights are really in your face. Immediately you see the display up high right across the road. Wooden soldiers in their turrets high above the road, beautifully lit and turning slowly on a turntable so that everyone can see them. Yes, the advertiser does have his name prominently displayed but we will disregard that little bit of commercialism for the moment and enjoy the display.

Walking down Orchard Rd there are beautiful displays on just about every shop. What appears to be a waterfall of lights down the full height of Tangs, discreet, classy displays in front of Prada and Yves Saint Laurent (the real bling is inside), huge white candle castles complete with Princess, large white moving doves at Robinsons and lights as far as you can see the full length of Orchard Rd and down Bras Basar Rd to Raffles Hotel. Christmas sentiments other than commercialism along with the lights are evident in many of the displays. Outside Raffles City shopping centre there is a huge tree, which continually has people being photographed in front of it. I stop to join the photographers and notice, right on the edge of the footpath, with the traffic whizzing past within centimetres, a couple of rickshaw drivers, would you believe, catnapping in their machines, resting between customers! They must have nerves of steel to even consider stopping there, let along sleeping!
For more photos click on thumbnail below


by oldfartz99

Bintan is Bliss

Travelling from Darwin to Singapore with Jetstar is a new experience for us; previously we have travelled Qantas or even Tiger Airlines, but as Qantas has seen fit to take Darwin [in the NT] out of its international flights schedule, the “cheap seats” of Jetstar have now replaced most Qantas services, with some people even saying that Qantas needs to take “NT’” out of its name!

I guess there was a bit of apprehension – maybe expecting the worst, but overall, fears were groundless. There were, however, some passengers who thought they were getting a Qantas service (there is a codeshare flight number) and were a little agitated when they boarded and found that there were no movies or other in-flight entertainment available, and they had paid more too. To add to the anxiety; Jetstar hire DVD players to passengers, but they only had 4 machines available! Not good Mr Jetstar.

The meal served was adequate, and unexpected as most budget airlines charge for meals. Presentation was quite picnicky – it came in a little cardboard lunchbox – but the content was fine. It did appear, however, a little hard to get water; handed out in tiny disposable cups. Very person and time intensive, rather than the bottle you usually get from Qantas. There were pillows and blankets (PS they even had Qantas names on them) and the seats did recline a few centimeters; both of these features were absent from Tiger. Watches back an hour and a half; the time flew by and we arrived into Singapore close to time.

We proceeded through the formalities, collected bags and into a taxi and on to our hotel.

Back to an old favourite in Little India, refurbished and a new name, now the Parkroyal on Kitchener Road, so we decided to try it again. After we had checked in, eaten a murtaback at a small Indian eatery behind the hotel [the McDonalds of Indian food], we then had to go and check that Mustafa Department store was still the same.

It was marginally not as chaotic as it can be on a Sunday, but I guess it was a bit late, 11pm by the time we got there, and many of the workers would have headed home to bed to prepare for their early starts on the construction sites the next morning. Usually on a Sunday, if you are on the Serangoon Road side of the hotel and look out your window, you will see a sea of humanity meeting in the streets and parks as the (mainly) “tourist worker” construction workers have their one day off, do their shopping, and meet their friends.

Mustafa is open 24 hours, so is quite a handy spot if you arrive in late or only have a short stopover, as you can buy most things there. It has changed over the last few years as it has “modernized” and the spaces between the shelves have increased; it used to be quite an effort to move about through the place! We also notice that the new shopping centre / residential high rise across the road has got quite a move on since we last saw it in August. We have been watching the project since it was an empty block, through the last two and a half years as it has progressed. The taxi driver (always the local expert of most things) told us that if we had purchased an apartment ”off the plan” when we first saw construction start, we would have doubled our money by now. Haven’t dabbled in that sort of thing for a while now … hmmm ... reminds me of the Gold Coast in the 80’s.

We had a reasonably early start the next morning to get to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to catch the mid morning ferry to Bintan. The terminal has had an upgrade since last visit and after we checked in there is time for a coffee before we are allowed into the boarding area. The crossing was quite rough on a choppy sea and cloudy, rainy conditions, with a few course corrections to miss the odd floating log or three, and it takes about 45 minutes on a wave piecing high speed catamaran. We passed by a large number of ships anchored; it is a very busy shipping lane for tankers, container ships and cruise ships as well as the many inter island ferries and shipping boats. We put our watches back another hour and we are soon slowing down and pulling into the ferry terminal at Bintan. Through the formalities, visa on arrival for Australian passport holders [$10US for 7 days single entry], collect bags and the resort provides a bus for transport.

Check in at Bintan Lagoon Resort is quick and pleasant and we decide to have a walk around to orient ourselves. Bintan Resorts is a popular escape island for Singaporeans, with several resort options available, depending on what you want. Golf or no golf, with courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Ian Baker-Finch, Greg Norman and Gary Player that I am aware of. And pretty fancy they are too, with some lovely beachside greens and tees; complete with the odd strolling monkey I also noticed; I am not sure what his handicap is, apart from the obvious one, height. I must state here that I am not a golfer; sad way to spoil a nice walk I think, but there are a lot that don’t share my view on that topic.

Sadly, some of the fairways desperately need a major herbicide spray workover to clean up weeds [professional opinion of one of us – it can be done], greens were good, the courses appear challenging, and quite a few balls disappeared [mostly into water] from a steady stream of players while we were strolling among the fairways.

Bintan is a bit like Nusa Dua on Bali in some ways – an artificial westernized resort in Indonesia. All prices in Singapore $, and matching high prices too, yet the bill must be in Indonesian Rupiah. And you tend to be captive to the resort, so have little opportunity to lower costs, buying a few drinks outside in local shops. Many Singaporeans carry a lot of food and drink across with them, and it is a good idea, especially if with family or staying a few days.

In general Bintan Lagoon Resort – as any of the resorts on Bintan Island – is an opportunity to turn off, laze and relax. As such, a perfect location to do just that. Do as little as needed, although there is a wide range of the usual extra curricula options, at a fee – go here or there, ride ATV bikes, shoot arrows etc, but there are many activities that are free, the swimming pools are good and so are the beaches. Bintan Lagoon Resort beach may even have real surf, as it has done in late December, due to the NE monsoon.

Food in the restaurants is good; starting with breakfast in the Kopi-O. And I quote from the advertising: “Feast on authentic Asian and Western specialties created with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Overlooking a cascading pool and waterfall, the restaurant offers buffet and a la carte dining breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our sumptuous evening buffet presents a new theme each day; from Malay to Middle-Eastern; Chinese to Steam Boat and Grill and more. Boasting 12 restaurants, bars and cafe as well as function rooms, guests can enjoy culinary delights from around the world using market-fresh imported and local ingredients prepared by our brigade of international chefs. Choose to enjoy casual al fresco dining, sumptuous buffets, cocktails by the pool, ‘surf and turf’ beach BBQ, Mediterranean cuisine or authentic Japanese, or make it memorable and intimate under the stars with a candlelight dinner at the water's edge or go deep into the jungle for a rousing rendezvous to the beat of the drums.” Just about whatever your stomach desires is available.

Weather remains overcast and rainy for our stay but there is plenty of time to get out on walks, even if they had to be kept short a couple of times to avoid a drowning. But even that in the tropics is not too traumatising, as the rain is not cold and you can usually find shelter and dry off fairly easily after the storm passes.

Out time on Bintan is too quickly over and we are on the ferry on our way back to Singapore.
For more photos please click on one of the thumbnails below.



by oldfartz99

by oldfartz99

Watch This Space

We're on the move..........AGAIN! Although stopping to inspect the street art in Singapore is an interesting option too. A lot to see, but few stop to look.

So watch this space.......Asia again, or is it still, complete with RAIN and lots of it.

And remember, monkeys are two footed with two hands or is that four footed with no hands......until you lose it. A useful warning on a very upmarket golf course in Asia. How many Louis Vuitton golf club covers were stolen?

For no answer to this and other entrancing problems, read on.