Laundry Self Service In Singapore

Laundry – Self-serve in Singapore.

Laundry is the dreaded word while travelling.  Pretty easy to get the jocks and socks done by hand as required, but in the tropics where getting sweaty, and clothes quite grubby from your sweaty body, not to mention a bit smelly too, usually requires a more serious effort to get the clothes of everyday use washed.

While the traditional adage of one set on, one set being washed and one set in the bag is still a sound approach, it is when you are staying somewhere for a while and you need to wash a load or two that it can be tricky.

Commonly hotels charge really high prices for laundry.  Yes, they come back nice and clean and pressed [and on a hanger or folded and wrapped too], but you sure pay for the service.  Prices for washing shirts and trousers in many decent level hotels in Asia can be $15 – 30 each [or Ringgit, Won, Baht whatever].  That seems VERY expensive.

In Singapore one of the few hotels with their own laundry has been the Holiday Inn group.  They have a self-service laundry in the premises and that is a convenient and great cost saver.  Almost all of the Holiday Inn branded places will have one throughout Asia, but not always at other parts of the IHG group, eg Crown Plaza brand.  Pity……..they could follow the example of their more consumer friendly counterpart brand!

Singapore has been a bit of a problem with a paucity of self-serve laundry services around.  Yes, there are outside places that do laundry at more reasonable prices, but most were not self-serve.

Now there are a few decently organised and operated places starting to appear, many are open 24 hours too.  A S$5 wash and a 5min drying for $1 Singapore [allow $5 to get a load fully dry] is a reasonable price.  Clean, airy and pleasant and with liquid washing detergent added automatically it is a fairly painless 40 minute experience for a wash.  Read a book or the paper – easy as can be.

We used the new Easywash facility in Chinatown at 4 Sago Lane between S Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street opposite the Chinatown Complex.  Other ones are around the main tourist areas of the city.  The Chinatown set up is a few minutes walk from the Chinatown MRT, and can be easily combined with a visit to Chinatown.  I would use it again.

Chinatown EasyWash

Chinatown Complex opposite

Wonder Wash is here http://wonderwash.com.sg/locations/ with 36 locations around Singapore from 2010, but most are outside the main tourist areas although easy enough to get to for many. Not all are close to MRT locations.

We used http://www.easywash.sg/ at their Chinatown site, and they have other sites at Beach Road near Kampong Glam, Braddell near the MRT and another about 5mins walk from Commonwealth MRT.

You do need to get the washing done.  Now definitely a bit easier in Singapore.

ParkRoyal on Pickering - A Great Hotel in Singapore

Park Royal on Pickering – Singapore

The hotel has now been open about a year.  We visited early in 2013, and again now at Christmas 2013. Both were high quality experiences, but the current visit has been better as staff now are more settled and experienced in the nuances of the hotel and its quirks, and new experienced ones have been added.

The staff of the hotel really DO make the place – no doubt about it.  Effective, pleasant and with a “can do” attitude they are a pleasure to deal with, right down to the bellboy.  The hotel recently won the 2013 Hotel Concierge award in Singapore, among many awards in 2013.  Check in and out was quick ad pleasant.

Rooms are airy and with light colours, plus a lot of wood – with both daytime and night time powered blinds, and nearly full length windows.  Some think it a bit disconcerting, but you get used to the need to use the blinds for privacy when required!  Most rooms look out with excellent views across to the Suntec City area across the Treasury Building, so leaving them up offers excellent views both day and night.

undercroft area near main entrance

Christmas lights outside Lime Retaurant

Rooms are well equipped with plenty of multi pin type [for  different countries] power points as well as audiovisual connections and a 5V DC USB outlet for direct phone charging. The beds are all king size and with a soft top so very good for sleeping.

Some rooms have a bath, most just a shower, which is quite large with both an overhead rain shower and a hand moveable wall fixture.  Toiletries provided are of good quality and some are organically based [they say they are moving that way].

It claims to be a green focussed hotel, and many parts of the hotel infrastructure revolve around that theme.  There is a lot available online if further detail is needed.  I think the attitude of the hotel and staff is to try to meet the expectations for a low energy and green theme.  Certainly one major feature in your face is the external green walls.  They do add to the ambience.

The pool is excellent but end walls are not well suited to lap swimming as can be rounded and with no markings on the bottom swimming a straight line can be tricky if a bit crowded.  The pool can be a bit cool sometimes as it is partially shaded during the day - if the weather is cloudy, be aware of this.  There is a well-equipped gym near the pool.

The undercroft and main entrance area offer good weather protection and a stark visual appearance.  Especially a standout at night with lights on the curved roof.

The hotel functions very well, offering a great visitation experience.  It is well positioned on Upper Pickering Street for both business and holiday visitors, with easily reached public transport options very close by [100m to Chinatown MRT, or buses], and in close walking distance for many business offices.

Breakfast is served on the ground floor, in Lime Restaurant and a good array of western and eastern food is available, including all standard items.  Food quality and the live cooking are very good.  But beware – if staying over the weekend be there early for Sunday breakfast, before 0900hrs, or expect a delay.  Quite common in Singapore as the Sunday breakfast can be very leisurely and cause slow movement through breakfast restaurants in many hotels, including upmarket ones.

The hotel has a very well thought through Club Lounge on the 16^th floor which can be good value for business guests.  I would recommend it.

Plenty more images online under the hotel name - many quite spectacular!
 

Lime Restaurant at Park Royal on Pickering - Festive Season Food

Lime Restaurant

Visited the restaurant for the Buffet that was available for the weekend before Christmas in a party of four, of different ethnic backgrounds.  The festive buffet [weekends and festive days in the pre-Christmas to New Year period] was essentially similar to the Christmas Buffet for Christmas Eve dinner with a wide variety of Christmas fare. 

Lime Restaurant

Plenty of seafood – prawns, oysters, smoked salmon and relevant extras.  The cold seafood was excellent with the products fresh and well presented, with attentive staff such as they provided a lime-water finger bowl for “clean up” after peeling the king prawns.  Prawns were superb, presented on ice – and I am a bit of an afficionado of prawns!  Oysters were fat and tasty too. Main meat dishes included the traditional turkey, baked glazed ham and a wonderful “melt in your mouth” rare to medium rare, sliced baked lamb loin - that was a standout.  Plus a wide range of cold entrees – tabouli, hummus, other leaf salads and more.  Baked vegetables were the accompanying hot side dishes.  This was the western food choices. 

Similar wide choices were available for Indian and Chinese, although not eaten by me some others in the party commented favourable on both Indian and Chinese choices and their quality.  Definitely able to please almost any taste!

Desserts included bread and butter pudding made with an Italian pannetone base, several mousse and cake logs [dressed for Christmas], ice cream in several flavours.  Fresh fruit and marshmallow skewers were available for dipping in the [obviously very green] green tea chocolate fountain.  After all – it is Lime Restaurant!

The meal was a great Christmas festive repast.  And reasonably priced for what was on offer.  Free flow of drinks, both soft and hard, including French champagne, available for an extra charge [normal in Singapore].  Highly recommended for the Festive season – and still a few days left!

The buffet would also be something to consider for other festivities coming, with Chinese New Year soon.  Even consider for Christmas 2014.

Platinum Green Mark Hotel - ParkRoyal on Pickering in Singapore

“modern and new, with strong green credentials, excellent staff”

 

Good location near Clarke Quay and Chinatown and close to both MRT and buses, easy to reach from airport, by taxi or you could even arrive via the MRT!  [ THAT is being superduper green!] 

This is a Platinum Green Mark hotel -the first in Singapore with lots of greenery on walls and overhanging roof areas, as well as lots behind the scene on energy efficiency.  Another one is expected sometime in 2013 or 2014 but you cannot beat being the first!

Floor to ceiling clear untinted windows might be unnerving to some, but there are a set of shades[electric operated] so both privacy and light control is good. A really top notch bed - one of the best have been in anywhere! Very comfortable!

Good desk and work area, incl light, with plenty of modern power sources incl direct wall plugs for usb charge cords, and multi function power plugs, led lights [ matches the high green mark rating].

Has an extensive well shaded and protected external corridor system, plus some internal corridors. Bathrooms are spacious and many with both shower and rain shower heads and some rooms have baths too. Toilet usually seems to have a separate door, although it is part of bathroom. The rooms are very light and airy - with pale wood wall panelling - a good overall vibe.

Breakfast was very good in Lime restaurant downstairs, with a good range of food style choices [ western, asian etc] and an extensive range of options within each food theme. The coffee was good too! Staff in the restaurant were very good.

A pool and well organised gym are available, and the gym is adjacent to the pool.  The pool area has some snazzy looking day cabins - a bit like a bird cage but somewhat larger.  A bit kitsch if just using the area for exercise, but plenty also wish to lie around a bit.  You tend not to do that when you live in the tropics, but am sure plenty will.  A fantastic view out towards the city. 

Loved the big open high ceiling concourse area outside the main entrance, as allowed a breeze to blow right through but no rain [ might be damp in very strong windy conditions though].

Cannot miss it - look for the grey curved outside [ has been described as similar to armour rail used for road edges].

It is new, trendy and worth it. Especially if keen to be environmentally conscious as well as stay in a top class hotel.

Would we stay again? YES.

 

 

The Ice Cream Seller

Watch for and enjoy the simple ice cream slice, cut by hand, between two wafers.

Many around the city areas, and this one was down near the Double Helix Bridge, where you walk over to the Marina Bay Sands precinct.

Great value ice cream for $1.20 - gone up from $1 in 2010!

Muthu's Curry House Singapore - Little India

Muthu’s Curry House – Singapore

Three ethnic groups predominate in the polyglot brew of nationalities and races that is Singapore – Chinese, Malay and Indian.

Seems it might be a good location to sample some decent Indian food. And over the years we have had some great meals, mostly favouring the smaller places, food halls, and hawker stalls. Great prata, various roti types, Chicken briyani, korma curries and similar relatively common and well known dishes. Places such as the Tekka Centre where food is both good and very well priced.

But if you wish to venture into some better Indian food in Singapore then Little India is obviously the location to head for.......and Muthu’s Curry House, serving Indian food for three generations is an excellent choice. It has been upgraded and has excellent air-con if a bit fainthearted. Do not be put off by the word “curry” – there is much more to Indian food than just a throat tingling hot curry.

Definitely no beef around, but plenty of mutton and chicken is just as tasty.

Muthu’s is on Racecourse road, not that far from Farrer Place MRT [ less than 100m] and easily reached by public transport, with regular services up Selegie road, one street away. Get off at the Broadway hotel.

This is the original [and best?] location although other sites operate – Temasek Place [Suntec City] at Marina Bay. As a third generation restaurant [opened in 1969] they must be doing something right!

And based on a recent meal, they do seem to have it well sorted.

The night we were there was mid week, and the place was full. We went with local Singaporean friends in their car, and parking was a bit of an issue, but solvable. Nothing too unusual about that though.

As a group of four, we could mix food around a lot and that is a much better idea than just two people. The Kashmiri Naan was exceptional as was the Romali Roti. The Kashmiri Naan has chopped cherries on the top – very different and a great taste. Most other dishes were equally good. Our main dish was the inevitable fish head curry, along with butter chicken, a small serve of chicken tikka and briyani rice – basmati rice with attitude – that itself was great. There were quite a range of smaller side dishes – across vegetables, fish/meat and rice/breads.

Most dishes priced in the $6 - $12 bracket, with a few [often multi serve sizes] priced higher.

Great food and is worth trying. Would we go again – DEFINITELY!

They, like much of the wired place that is Singapore is online at:
www.muthuscurry.com and wifi is available and orders taken on a PDA!

Art Science Museum Singapore - Dali Exhibition 2011

Art Science Museum Singapore – Salvador Dali Exhibition 2011

It is new, innovative and attempts to marry art and science. Somewhat in the tradition of the great people of the past – da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and those of similar ilk.

It is also a very distinctive building in shape and location – the new white lotus blossom form near the new Marina Bay Sands Casino and the equally distinctive three towers of the nearby Marina Bay Sands Hotel - the one with the boat on the top!
There is some irony having a museum next to a casino though.

Having watched the building take shape over several years it is interesting to see the final building.

The Marina Bay Sands precinct is quite easily reached over the very distinctive double helix Bridge, a footbridge joining Raffles Avenue across from the Ritz Carlton and Pan Pacific hotels plus Marina Square. That bridge is actually a work of art and science in itself.......maybe more on that separately.

Access is also possible from the other side of the Marina Barrage area, but public transport is a bit more difficult in that area, whereas getting to Raffles Avenue by bus or via the MRT is normally quite easy .

Current exhibitions in the mid to late 2011 period in the Art Science Museum are two well worth seeing – a multi media event based around the art of Vincent van Gogh [ actually a joint Australian – French production] and a masterful exhibition of art by Salvador Dali. He tends to evoke loathing or love – I am a great fan of his art works! Yes, I am biased.



Quite a large exhibition of Dali works with more focus on sculptures, although there are a lot of his smaller paintings in the show. Some of the sculptures are truly spectacular, and special, but there are none of his iconic paintings on show - those seen in textbooks, art books or in the world’s great galleries – maybe they are just too valuable! Do not be disappointed though, some of the paintings are very good.......but mostly smaller, art pieces.

Dali was a master at the surreal art piece, and those art works on display do not disappoint if you enjoy the art of Salvador Dali.

Definitely worth a visit if you are a visitor [or a resident] of Singapore in the last half of 2011, up to 31 October.

More photos here -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfie999/

in the Salvador Dali set.

Helicopters in Singapore at Twenty Metres

Helicopters at Twenty Metres

It was cloudy.......that typical tropical haze before rain – but there in the distance were one, then two then five helicopters, backwards and forwards across the horizon in the west – maybe just out to sea over the harbour. Below one seemed to be a large flag, the Singaporean flag.

I have seen that before, on National Day, when a large flag is held below a helicopter and is part of the fly past down near Marina bay. There has been someone - a real person - at the bottom of the flag to weight it down sometimes.

But this was in the distance, and a little hard to really tell what was taking place.
Then the helicopters turned and headed directly to our building. We were on the 27th floor – and they were very very close above us. A Chinook with the flag and a metal weight, plus four Tiger attack helicopters. Great view.

Not sure if a practice for National Day [ 9 August 2011]- but impressive.

If you are in Singapore for National Day – watch for the National Flag fly by and the festivities down at Marina Bay. Plus a fantastic fireworks display around 7pm.

Zam Zam Restaurant- Best Murtabak in Singapore

Little more than a hole in the wall opposite the Sultan Mosque on North Bridge Road, and not far from the Golden Landmark Hotel, this restaurant serves the best murtabak in Singapore. And they have won awards for their murtabak too.

Well known to locals, but rarely visited by visitors it has a great atmosphere and some good food too. Offers a take away too and the special "drive by", but you need to be organised for the drive by pick up - might be best left to the locals! watch out for it if you vist the place.

Chicken briyani is also good, but the murtabak especially in mutton is excellent, and represents top value for money. Have a fresh lime juice to go with it.

For visitors the food is prepared right in the front enclosed section of the streetside restaurant.

Upstairs is air conditioned, but most sit downstairs or even at tables on the street.

A great visual experience for visitors, as they throw the cover for the murtabak. A bit like throwing a pizza base.

It is halal, and the place is alcohol free. Should be expected in the muslim area of Singapore, I guess. But do not let that stop you from a great feed!

If Zam Zam is full, and it is usually busy, Victory Restaurant a few doors up the road is quite good too.

The photo is taken from Zam Zam - across the road showing the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque - an easy place for a taxi driver to find.

From First Class to All Class …

…A journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by Malaysian Railways – part 3

At Kluang there was a large group of elderly Japanese golfers waiting when we pulled into the station. They came aboard, with much noise, confusion and enthusiasm; assisted by several guides. One of the guides insisted that we were sitting in their seats. We consulted our tickets, which showed we were in the correct seats; and as all travelers know, possession is nine tenths, so we stayed where we were. Much confusion ensued, but finally everyone appeared to have a seat. Then the picnics were delivered to the golfers. Rather typically Japanese; very neatly and organized presentation, many choices of fruit, sushi and drinks.

Did I mention drinks? There was just about every choice they could possibly want. The gentleman across from us very swiftly polished off two cans of Japanese beer, water, but dispensed with the can of oolong tea and offered us a can top jar of saki. Pull the lid off and you have a full glass to drink. It is a long time since I have drunk any of it, but the taste memory returned with a bang and I remembered why I had previously named it rocket fuel!

Ah .......the last time 'canned" liquor was consumed by me on a train was on the Trans Siberian Railway, many years ago, through a swap deal with Russian [ sorry USSR] troops, who were keen to taste better quality scotch whiskey. In this case the cans were about the same size as a condensed milk can - two quick holes in the top of the can - hey presto - vodka, army issue! and you drank it neat, too. At least the sake was branded and obviously Japanese.

It wasn’t too much longer and we were approaching Johor Bahru. Since our last trip by train, the new Immigration and Customs hall at JB had opened, so we were interested to find out if the transition from Malaysia to Singapore would be any less painful. We had previously done a reconnoitre from Singapore to JB by bus to check out the transition but had not been able to see how the train transition worked.

We didn’t use the new station on this trip as it was not yet operational. The officials came on the train and we were cleared out of Malaysia with little time taken.

Then it was on, across the causeway to the Woodlands Immigration facility for clearance into Singapore. Everyone disembarks with their luggage and proceeds through immigration and customs and when everyone is cleared, the doors are opened, you can re board the train and proceed to Singapore. Or, you can clear immigration and customs and exit the station there, and catch a taxi, train or bus direct to your destination in Singapore. This was the course we chose. It was the first time we had tried this tactic. This decision was taken, mainly because the supposedly short trip to Singapore railway station had taken such a long time last trip. There can also be a long wait for taxis at the somewhat isolated station when you arrive. If you haven’t seen the station, it is worth the visit, as it has recently had a clean up and is quite a historic building (with traditional malay food available, particularly late at night), but that is another story …

Would there be a taxi readily available or would we be left standing at Woodlands while the train chugged on to Singapore without us? So we made the decision not to reboard and once we were out the sliding doors we were committed and could not change our minds.

Through the doors, up the escalator and directed out to the taxi rank, we found three taxis waiting, and within 20 minutes we were settled into our hotel room and having a fresh cup of coffee. Successful comfortable transfer from Kl to Singapore; and that is the way we will do it next time too!

From First Class to All Class …

…A journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by Malaysian Railways – part 1

Mention at checkout from the Le Meridien KL that you are leaving the city by train and you are immediately offered (well, it is insisted on actually) assistance to the railway station. This is not a long distance but you can feel a bit like someone out of an old movie being followed across the road to the station by a bellboy with a typically large hotel “trolley” with just your bags on it. The feeling of importance is quickly dashed when it is discovered that the First Class Lounge is not open prior to this trip. Hmmm, is this a warning of things to come, as it has been open for the morning departure on our previous trips. We find a seat in the departure area and assure the bellboy that we will be OK. Nothing else in the station is yet open in the way of food establishments. I had planned to perhaps forage and gather some sustenance for the journey. Ah, wait a minute; Maccas is open. Why did that not surprise me? An orange juice and a McMuffin will do while we wait and we will get lunch on the train.

An attempt to buy two donuts, for a bit more junk food on the train, accelerates into a major negotiating business deal. They don’t have their cash register working yet, the shop assistant who does that has not arrived and no-one else can set it up. Can I just leave the money with them and take the donuts? No, they are not sure how to calculate the ++ and the amount may not be correct. Hmmm. Ah, but there is a nett price on the menu for six donuts and can I just pay that? Consultation takes place between the staff, and at that stage I almost totally loose the inclination to eat a donut. However, it is decided that I can do that if I choose six donuts. OK, six donuts are selected, placed in a box, I hand over the correct money, and then there is a long search for an appropriately sized plastic bag to carry them in. I escape with just the box of donuts, wondering what himself is going to say when I turn up with six donuts! It is all said; I won’t spell it out!

Soon there is an announcement that we can board and there is a rush for the entry. Eventually we settle into our seats and find that the carriage is only about one third full. We find that a bit unusual, as we thought, when we booked that we had got the last two seats. A brief chat with an English couple who are settling in a few seats from us, and the train pulls out of KL Sentral on its way towards Singapore.

to be continued ...

Seeing the Sites in Singapore……….by Bus – VERY DOABLE

No, it is NOT a spelling mistake.

As a tourist you need to get around the place and the tourist sites easily, cheaply and quickly. Often that may be on foot, especially in a city area.

In Singapore the MRT and the associated light rail in some suburban areas provides a great way to travel around. But for comfort, avoid morning and evening peak hours……….they get very crowded. Quite a normal experience really. The various MRT stops and interlinked lines are mostly convenient around the main city tourist spots. BUT……..you are underground and really see little.

Although, like many underground systems around the world [Mexico City and Moscow come to mind immediately] they do have quite a bit of art work on the walls and tile art on the floor, especially at Dhoby Ghaut in the interchange walk areas. Singaporeans usually rush past……….take some time and have a look.

But buses around the city are also worth discovering. First principle………assume you can get very close to where you need to go, even if there is a bus change part way. Buy and use one of the current and easily obtained bus and train annual guide books put out by the authorities. You can easily work out the how to get there from where ever quite easily. You can also obtain verification of the routes and bus stops at the actual bus stop itself. It is very common to see locals also checking out this while they are waiting.

Buses are usually reasonably quick for journeys around the main downtown city core areas and within a few kilometres from the central areas. Often they allow you to board at a very close by stop, avoiding the walk to the MRT Station. For some areas eg Parkway Parade / Mercure Roxy Hotel and East Coast area buses are it……….there is no MRT [well not yet anyway].

There are some special tourist buses that offer “get on / get off” passes for a day. Compared to the local buses they are VERY expensive, so do not dismiss the local buses in Singapore. Mostly air-conditioned too.

It is generally possible to get to and from most tourist sites by public transport, with buses offering a reasonable option. Whether it be Changi Point or Changi Chapel or Woodlands Interchange or Woodlands Checkpoint [crossing to Johore Bahru] you can get there by bus.

Try it …………you might like it. Remember that the “touch and go” multi journey stored value MRT / Bus ticket means you do not need to know the fare, just use it on the bus. Makes it very easy.

There are some late night routes that offer a slightly different route to daytime, often combining a few bus routes into one. Not always as convenient, but usually cheaper than a taxi.

Singapore is NOT a late night city for urban public transport, with the MRT having last trains around 1130 pm, and buses around midnight for normal routes. But these night bus routes do offer some extra travel a little later into the early morning.

Out and about in the Lion City

The street furniture is really going up for the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. I am sure that somewhere there will be records of the amount of concrete and steel; but let me tell you, it’s lots! There is also a new permanent pit building, 1.2 kilometres of new road, a large amount of spectator seating and the lights are on, big time - turning night into day along the route.

The photo is looking down Bras Basah Road towards Marina Square, with the lights from the corner near the War Memorial . They are very bright!

Viet Nam! – Myth to Modernity

I am sorry to say that I felt that the exhibition was very disappointing, no even more so……a tad underdone. Yes, there was quite a lot of artifacts, from earlier eras, but little to tie them together and cover the ebb and flow of the great dynasties, rulers, regality and the reach of kingdoms across what is now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia even into Thailand and southern China in the period 1200- 1600, before the arrival of Christian missionaries. After all, one of the ancient rulers of Vietnam beat the great conquering mongol, Genghis Khan. Some of the artifacts are quite stunning, especially the bronze and porcelain, and the statuary.

There was little on the modern period, even the 19th and 20th centuries – little on the French period in the late 18th and 19th centuries, little on the nationalist era of the early 20th century and the removal of the French colonialists, little on the American war [the Vietnam War of the 1960s- 1970s] except for a small photo of the Ho Chi Minh trail, nothing on the heroin trade of the 1970s and 1980s [see the book - The Politics of Heroin in SE Asia by Alfred McCoy] and really nothing on the period since 1980, when most of the current citizens of Vietnam arrived in the world.

All of a sudden the exhibition just stopped, with nothing but a few propaganda posters of the 20th century and a picture of Ho Chi Minh made of postage stamps. Not a lot that extended the exhibition in name ie the modernity, and the rapid industrialization of the past 30 years was also conspicuous by its absence.

Even the Ho Chi Minh trail, a key element of the so called American war…….if you have seen it, you marvel at the effort to move goods and munitions along the trail. It is tough going in monsoonal weather, of the character of the WWII Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea, and a powerful tool that boosted nationalism and effectively operated through, and survived the US bombing. Where is all this stuff???? You can learn more of the pre 2nd world war period [1930-1940] by reading The Quiet American by Grahame Greene, or seeing the movie. What an opportunity squandered!

On the road again … oops, that’s in the air again, first.

We are on our way to Asia; first stop Singapore, and lucky for us, or our bank balance anyway; we will be there just over a week before the vroom, vroom of very expensive, very loud and very fast machinery hits the city streets of Singapore for the first ever night Grand Prix. Who would have thought that Singapore would close down its streets for a loud crowd of expensive, fast, Formula 1 racing cars. This is the city that had “encouraged” travel by (admittedly a very good) public transport system, by making ownership of cars out of the financial limits of most of the population, by its pricing of the cars themselves and the “on road costs”, plus city road congestion charges. I guess money talks as loudly there as it does anywhere else. If pricing of hotel rooms during the event is anything to go by, the hoteliers are definitely not missing out on the starting gun. $160 per night to $900 per night in just one day; and that’s not even at a front row seat establishment – you will need a lot more shekels for that type of genteel place to rest your head before and after the roar of the Ferrari’s and McLarens flexing their muscles. With three day passes ranging in price from $168 to $1388 there will be plenty of cash changing hands as there are expected to be 90 000 spectators attending. At least some would appear to be going Aussie way as Melbourne architect/engineer firm Kellogg, Brown & Root have been involved with construction.

So we plan to have a look at the Vietnam! From Myth to Modernity exhibition at the Ancient Civilizations Museum, do some street wandering with camera’s again and enjoy the beautiful street food of the place. And, I guess we will wander through Sim Lim Square and the Funan Centre, just to see what the latest and greatest electronic must haves are for the whiz kids.

Then we might go for a boat ride, not a slow one; but rather, a fairly fast one to Bintan.

But more about that later.

One of things that rather annoys me about travelling is the excessive cost which hotels charge for internet connection. One day charge can be as much as a two to three month charge for the average provider. Is it that they don’t want too many people using it – must be I think. Oh one of the joys – take up thy laptop and walk … to the nearest reasonable priced internet cafe or wifi powered venue, have a couple of coffees and upload and download. Wouldn’t it be nice to just sit at the desk in your room, which one has paid a reasonable amount for, and do it from there. But I refuse to “waste” that amount of money, so it won’t happen. I will just have to look a bit harder and move a bit further out of my comfort zone … again … and find a place which has the lot.

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