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A visa run to Singapore

Written by James Clark on January 21, 2012 · 7 Comments

I am spending a few months in Thailand on a basic tourist visa, which means that after one month I have to leave and reenter to start a new visa. The previous month I went to Myanmar for 3 weeks. This time around I had not planned for a new country visit, so a short trip was ok for me.

In Thailand there is the option of doing a minivan day trip to the nearest border, but I prefer to make a mini break out of this situation, so I do one of my favourite travel pastimes and start playing with the destination maps on airline websites.

AirAsia flights from Bangkok
[AirAsia destinations from Bangkok]

In the end I chose Singapore on the strength of a super cheap flight sale on Tiger Airways on top of a craving for good Indian food.

Indian would have to be in my top 5 foods, so I tend to find myself in Little India every day I am in Singapore. Little India is also an interesting place to wander, though everytime I go there the sound of loud Bollywood music and the smell of spices makes me want to go back to India proper.

[Masala Dosa feast in Little India - Singapore]

While walking around Singapore I realised that there is a serious lack of bubble tea merchants in Chiang Mai. Bubble tea is everywhere here so I was happy to be back on the bubbles (if you can say such a thing?)

[Things I love about Asia: Bubble tea and peace sign photo posing.]

Another reason I came to Singapore was to meet up with one of my friends who lives here. I found out after booking my flight that he was working in London this month. No problem. I got on the Facebook and Twitter to see if anyone was going to be around, and I saw that Dan from Tropical MBA was passing through Singapore as well.

Dan is a fellow online business guy who I have been following online for a while, so we arranged to meet up for lunch and a cafe/internet session.

[Dan @Tropicalmba - all smiles while he checks his Paypal account]

Travel is large chunk of my business life, and one of the joys of travel for me is to be able to meet up with like minded people that I may not have met otherwise. I realised afterwards that I had way more fun hanging out in a cafe with wifi (and a chain cafe at that!) talking shop and swapping ideas than I would have had walking around seeing the sites.

So I now go back to Chiang Mai, ready to tackle some online projects with my wanderlust sated for another month. After that I will be heading off to my first new country of the year: the Philippines.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: drink, food, singapore, visa, work remotely

Marina Bay Sands Pool – Singapore

Written by James Clark on May 6, 2011 · 1 Comment

I had the pleasure of staying at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The crowning feature of the hotel is the 150 metre long infinity pool that sits on top of the three hotel towers with an unobstructed view of the Singapore skyline.

Categories: Travel Photos - Tags: hotels, singapore

Where I Stayed: Marina Bay Sands – Singapore

Written by James Clark on January 11, 2011 · 13 Comments

I pass through Singapore at least once a year as it is such a convenient travel hub. Over the last couple of years I have been wondering, “what is that thing being built at Marina Bay?”. The answer is the Marina Bay Sands.

[Marina Bay Sands view from Merlion Park]

This was my first trip to Singapore since its completion, and I was invited to stay for the night to have a look around for myself. I accepted the invitation.

The hotel is one part of an integrated resort, which includes a casino, shopping mall, theatre and convention centre.

James at Marina Bay Sands
[At Marina Bay Sands]

The hotel looks across Marina Bay and has an unobstructed view of Singapore’s financial district skyline. The hotel accommodation is five star luxury at its best, with 40 inch TV’s, automatic curtains and luxurious beds that make you to never want to get out of bed again.

While I appreciated having a luxury king size bed, I was equally impressed with the reading couch. Getting horizontal on a couch and reading a book is a wonderful way to relax, and if I had time I would have lay down on this all day. As it was I was Singapore for just over 24 hours, and I had much work to do. Plus there was another couch I need to look at, on the roof.

[King size bed and reading couch -both very hard to get out of]

Amidst all the trimmings of 5 star luxury, the stand out highlight of this hotel is the pool. This is not some puddle of water tucked away in a sweaty little room on the second foor. The pool is on the roof. All three roofs. And then some.

This is the most ridiculous swiming pool I have ever seen.

[Marina Bay Sands pool lounge chairs]

That spaceship parked on the roof of the hotel is the SkyPark, which is 340m-long. 67 of those metres overhangs the north tower, making it the world’s largest public cantilevered platform. The showpeice of the SkyPark is the 150m infinity swimming pool.

There is a night club and bar at the SkyPark, which is open to the public, but only hotel guests can swim in the pool.

I thought that I might get some vertigo in the pool, but I didn’t feel that at all, even swimming up next to the edge.

The SkyPark is 191 metres above the ground and it felt a few degrees cooler up there, though that might have been the wind blowing off all that water.

[Marina Bay Sands swimming pool]

I love this pool. I had every intention of having a morning swim and then heading over to Little India for a lunch time curry. I ended up lingering for longer than I planned, so I missed my curry. I figured that I’m not going to be staying in such luxury on my next trip to Singapore, so the curry will have to wait until next time. I think I made the right choice.

From a design point of view I find this hotel fascinating. The cantilevered deck is an engineering marvel. I like looking up at it from the ground as it looks like a zeppelin is parked on the roof. Related trivia: did you know that the tower on the Empire State Building was built to dock airships? In the end they scrapped the idea of making it a port for dirigibles (love that word) as it was too windy that high up.

[A zeppelin lands on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands]

Marina Bay is reclaimed land and there is more construction going on in the area. There is a metro line being built nearby, and behind the hotel the Gardens by the Bay is nearing completion. It will be interesting to see how the area looks once everything is completed.

Search and compare rates for Marina Bay Sands Hotel Singapore.

Note: James stayed as a guest of Marina Bay Sands.

Categories: Where I Stayed - Tags: casino, hotel, singapore

Bussorah Street and Sultan Mosque – Singapore

Written by James Clark on June 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Bussorah Street and Sultan Mosque – Singapore.

Categories: Travel Photos - Tags: mosque, singapore

Flight Review: Firefly – Singapore to Subang

Written by James Clark on April 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Firefly is a regional airline based in Subang, Malaysia. Before coming to Malaysia I had not heard of Firefly, but they are actually owned by Malaysia Airlines, which anyone who has been to an airport has heard of. Firefly operate to destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra), Thailand and Singapore.

Firefly Destinations

I took a flight with Firefly from Singapore to Subang, near Kuala Lumpur.

Firefly operate out of the low cost terminal in Singapore. While the airfares are cheap, they are not considered as a low cost airline. They offer free onboard snacks, assigned seating and 20kg free checked-in baggage allowance. Firefly are a point to point airline, so like a low cost airline there is no connecting flights service.

The Firefly fleet is made up of ATR 72 twin-turboprop aircraft.

Being a regional aircraft and operating out of the smaller budget terminal in Singapore meant that check-in and boarding was very quick. Flying time from Singapore to Subang is about one hour.

Subang was the Kuala Lumpur Airport before the current KUL airport was built. It is now only used by regional airlines. There is no bus service from Subang, but it is close enough to KL to make getting the taxi an economical option. There is a taxi voucher desk at the airport where you prepay your destination.

If you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia, it’s worth having a look at the Firefly destinations for travel inspiration.

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Firefly.

Related: Firefly offer Holidays To Kuala Lumpur.

Categories: Flight Review - Tags: airlines, firefly, kuala lumpur, malaysia, singapore, subang

Things To Do In: Singapore – Singapore Flyer

Written by James Clark on April 15, 2010 · 2 Comments

I have been through Singapore many times as a stop-over destination, so I thought I knew the city well. Seeing Singapore from the Singapore Flyer has given me a whole new perspective of the city.

The Singapore Flyer is located in the Marina Bay area of Singapore, and upon completion in 2007 became the world’s highest observation wheel.

The wheel is 165 metres high, which at ground level it didn’t seem as high as I thought it would be. Once you are in it and start ascending though, you get an appreciation for how high it is.

The Marina Bay area is reclaimed land and some of the biggest developments in Singapore are happening in this area. The Flyer’s location is ideal as it sits by the bay with a uninterrupted view of the financial district skyline.

The Singapore Flyer happens to be in the middle of the Grand Prix circuit, so one of the first things you see on your “flight” is the pit buildings and track grid. There are packages available for Grand Prix fans where you can watch the race from the Singapore Flyer.

As the wheel gets higher the harbour comes into view, with container ships as far as the eye can see. Singapore has one of the busiest shipping ports in the world (it was the biggest until Shanghai took over). This fact isn’t apparent at ground level, so seeing all those ships out there I could see how busy Singapore really is.

Beyond the ships on a clear day you can, apparently, see the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan.

On the land side is where you see where Singaporean’s live, with apartment blocks stretching to the horizon. Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. At the street level the city is so well organized with public transport and infrastructure that it doesn’t feel crowded. Viewing Singapore from the air gives you a better picture of the population density.

The wheel rises to what is perhaps the best view in Singapore – The Marina Bay and financial district skyline.

The wheel takes around 37 minutes to complete and the descent faces the city skyline. Looking at the other buildings, the Singapore Flyer probably has the best location for views of the city.

Note: James was a guest of singaporeflyer.com.

Related Links
Firefly offer Holidays To Singapore.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: observation wheel, singapore

How to get from Johor Bahru airport to Singapore

Written by James Clark on September 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Johor Bahru is the Malaysian city on the other side of the causeway from Singapore. It may look close on the map but getting from Johor Bahru Senai Airport to Singapore is time consuming.

Singapore does not allow a direct bus service as the government view Senai Airport as competition to their own airport.

Air Asia have a hub at Johor Bahru so if you want to go to Singapore it may work out considerably cheaper to fly to JB. A saving of a couple of hundred dollars on a flight makes it worthwhile for the time it takes to transfer from JB to Singapore.

[Air Asia at Johor Bahru Airport]

How to get from Johor Bahru airport to Singapore
At Johor Bahru airport take the bus to Larkin Bus Station, which is the bus terminal in Johor Bahru. You can buy tickets for the bus in the arrivals hall. Tickets cost RM8 one-way and journey time is approximately 45 minutes.

At Larkin Bus Station get the Causeway Link Express Bus (look for the yellow bus). There are two services that run to Singapore:

1. CW1 Larkin Bus Terminal <--> Kranji MRT Station
2. CW2 Larkin Bus Terminal <--> Queen Street

[Causeway Link Bus]

The Queen Street service is the most useful bus for visitors but you can get on either service to start with.

The bus then takes you to Johor Bahru Customs where you will alight to clear Malaysia customs.

Once you have cleared customs return to the bus park and get the next Causeway Link bus using the same ticket. This will take you across the causeway to the Woodlands Custom terminal in Singapore.

Once you have cleared customs in Singapore exit to the bus stop and get on the Causeway Link bus. This time you will need to get on the correct bus number (CW1 for Kranji MRT Station or CW2 for Queen Street).

By now you have two more stamps in your passport and the bus will take you straight to Queen St bus terminal.

All up you will need to allow for around three hours from arriving at Johor Bahru Airport to arriving at Queen Street Terminal in Singapore.

[Causeway Link Express Bus]

Categories: Travel Tips - Tags: airport, bus, johor bahru, malaysia, singapore

Reasons to travel with an ipod

Written by James Clark on May 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I got the train from Singapore to KL which is a great way to travel between the capitals. The onboard entertainment selection though had me wishing I had an ipod. Todays selection was the movie “RV”.

Onboard Movie

I was seated in the second row from the TV screen so I couldn’t not watch it. Once was hard enough, but it was on three times. If there is a TV on I am naturally drawn to it, even if it is a movie that rates 23% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: malaysia, movies, singapore, trains

Signs: Protected Place – Singapore

Written by James Clark on May 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Protected Place - Singapore

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: signs, singapore

Flight Review: Tiger Airways – Singapore to Melbourne

Written by James Clark on April 8, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Flight: Tiger Airways TR 702 Date: 27 Feb 2008
Flight: Tiger Airways TT 7567 Date: 28 Feb 2008

Tiger Airways is a low cost airline based in Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. Tiger Airways began operations in 2004 and has since set up Tiger Airways Australia in Melbourne and plan to launch Incheon Tiger Airways based in Seoul in 2009.

[Tiger Airways at Singapore Airport]

Tiger Airways fly from Singapore to Melbourne via Darwin. The flight is with Tiger Airways and Tiger Airways Australia on separate aircraft. Unlike other low cost airlines Tiger facilitate the booking of these separate flight segments in the one booking.

Go to Flight Combo on the Tiger Airways website and you can book two segments in one go. It is important to note that this is two separate flights so your bags are not checked through to the final destination.

Another good feature of the Tiger Airways booking procedure is that you can pick your seat when you book your flight. Oh how I loath the mad scramble for a seat that occurs on low cost airline flights with unallocated seats.

Singapore to Darwin
The entire Tiger Airways fleet consists of Airbus A320 aircraft, thus Tiger only fly within a five-hour radius around Singapore. The flight time from Singapore to Darwin is approximately 4 hours 20 minutes.

As Tiger Airways is a bare minimum no frills airline the onus is on you to keep yourself entertained. There is no TV entertainment and no complimentary meal and drink service.

[Tiger Airways Uniform]

Darwin Airport
In Darwin you must claim your bags and clear Australian customs. Then you must check in again for the Tiger Airways Australia flight from Darwin to Melbourne. Darwin Airport is small enough to make this a simple transfer and there is about 2 hours between the Singapore arrival and the Melbourne departure.

With a population of just over 110,000 people Darwin is a small capital city, even by Australian standards. When you look at a map though of Australia and Southeast Asia Darwin is well situated to be a major hub of air traffic between Australia and Asia. Jetstar have floated this idea recently with a plan to make Darwin a springboard into Asia, and I will revisit this idea in another post.

[Time to spare at a laptop bench - Darwin Airport]

Darwin to Melbourne
The second leg of this flight is with Tiger Airways Australia. Flight time from Darwin to Melbourne is just over 4 hours, leaving Darwin at 2.20am and arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine at 8am. I always forget what a big and empty continent Australia is. Asia seems so far away and exotic to us Aussies. Exotic certainly, but Darwin is much closer to many Asian cities than most other Australian capitals.

Like the flight from Singapore this is a no frills service. Drinks and snacks are available to purchase. Here is a price sample (in Australian Dollars):

Muffins $3
Pot Noodles $4
Coke(250ml) $2.5
Coffee $3
Beer (VB/Hahn) $6

At the moment Tiger Airways Australia only operate in and out of their Melbourne base. They are scouting around for new Australian hubs which should be known sometime in 2008.

[Tiger Airways - Proudly Calling Melbourne Home]