Sunday July 6 departing Perth on Qantas arrived in Singapore at 5:30pm after only a five hour flight. Booked two nights at Four points by Sheraton close to the Riverside area. SE Asian countries all now require online Arrival cards which can only be filed within three days of arrival. Relatively simple and free.
SINGAPORE
In front of my hotel lots of bars lining both sides of the river.
A long walk along the river passing Jumbo Seafood Restaurant where I am booked in for Chilli crab the next night.
It took 45 minutes to reach Chinatown located between Sago and Smith street where I had a meal. Very expensive for one pint a water and food. They add 10% GST and 10% service Charge which adds further to the bill.
By the time I got home I had walked off the “flight”.
Finding morning coffee Monday morning was a challenge and settled for a Late with a separate shot. It worked well enough and I booked Bayside Garden tickets. Arrived there around 10:20 and chose the Cloud Forrest as first stop.
This display endeavours to replicate prehistoric times. Brilliant greenery show with a few “ live” dinosaurs thrown in. Pathways at both ground and above, accessible by lifts gives spectacular viewing for around 60 minutes.
Next the Flower Dome. Again pathways on all levels with many beautiful displays.
Next I walked through the Supertree Grove which highlighted vegetation from many countries including Australia. The following pictures are from South African theme.
When in the tree grove it’s a must to visit the OCBC Walkway and the Supertree Observatory.
The walkway is suspended 40 metres above ground connecting you to “trees”. When the creepers reach the top of these man constructed trees the scenery will be amazing.
The observatory views are truly spectacular, showing the harbour and high rises surrounding the park. The triple tower topped by a boat shaped construction displaying gardens above is a brilliant piece of architecture, known as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
A great way to spend three hours in Singapore. I was very impressed and highly recommend to any visitor.
Off to Dempsey’Hill for lunch. A bit of history as this area was a British Army Barracks prior to WW11 then became a prisoner of war camp when the Japanese invaded. Over time the Government made it easy for restaurateurs and shopkeepers to set up their establishments there, thus the area is maintained in its former existence though not necessarily former glory.
I headed to Sam’s curry Restaurant on a recommendation for “Fishhead curry”.
Very impressive though unlike many Indian visitors who ate with their fingers, I used a spoon and fork.
Home for a rest and break by the pool as I charge my batteries before I continue my culinary journey to Jumbo’s Seafood Restaurant and Singapore’s famous “Chilli Crab”.
It’s a 15 minute walk by the river so I set out at 7:30 planning a beer at Brewerkz a. Raft beer bar a few blocks before Jumbos.
They had an impressive range of beers and I settled on an oatmeal stout. It was excellent but the $24 AUD tab means it’s a one off.
On to Jumbos and Chilli crab. Two schooners and 45 minutes of cracking shells and crab legs I parted ways with a further $180 AUD. I have to add though, it was an awesome experience amazing flavours. Thank god for the bib and the plastic gloves. The table cloth became a mess.
Last day in Singapore and I walked to the shopping precinct along Orchard Road. Very up market indeed.
Back home for a shower, pack, checking out at 11:00am and booking Grab to the airport.
Thoughts on Singapore
More expensive than Australia
Restaurant purchases will add 10% GST plus 10% service charge without advertising.
In the case of Chile Crab meal this was $60.00
airport entry and departure excellent.
KUALA LUMPER
Flight from Singapore to KL scheduled for 70 minutes but only 45 minutes from take off to landing. Cab into the city takes an hour at this time of the day but cheap by Australian standards. I arrive at Hotel Olympic shower, change and head off to explore. I did not find it easy using google maps to get around as straight line directions often did not have a thorough fare. I enjoyed a meal (prawn lakhsa spicey) with a few beers at the Tiger street night markets of Jalan Alor before heading home around midnight. Pedometer showed 21 897 steps for the day.
Wednesday a quieter day and headed off in a different direction. Temperature rising and humidity high so stayed in malls where possible. Enjoyed a Sri Lankan traditional mutton curry for lunch then headed home for a sleep as the heat was more than expected at 34 degrees.
I the evening I headed into the Golden Triangle region of KL. The money location is evident. The area oozes money as I went into up market shopping. At one point I walked behind this very large powerfully built man who clearly stood around seven feet tall. I soon recognised him as Ivan Zubac from NBA. With 100 million or more in the bank the Gucci shop interested him and would not break the bank.
Highlights included the Pteronas Twin towers and KLCC Park
The water light show in the park is spectacular and it is also surrounded by spectacular buildings and expensive hotels. I try between the towers takes you into the Ritzy shopping centre of Bukit Bintang – a shoppers paradise if you are one and have money.
I dropped into “The Brew House” on the way home. Unlike its name no such thing as a craft beer just the usual Carlsberg, 1664, Heineken and Guinness on tap. Could not complain about the price however. Home for an early night.
Thursday my last full day in KL. I have woken up to a 36 degree day forecast which will curtail my walking. I finally completed my Korean digital entry card. They sound easy but booking. Com addresses and immigration expectations don’t align and require google searches to get them right.
At midday I caught the hop on hop off bus which was a bit of a let down as it went to all places I had been. Added a tower photo which can be compared to my night photo.
At 6:00pm I join a small group lead by Nadia on a four hour food tour where we expect to taste 15 food samples. Lovely young lady who took us first to a wet market and proceeded to outline all the herbs and spices that went into traditional Malay cooking. She also showed the variety of fruits different from Western culture of which we got to taste. Mangosteen my favourite. We also sampled durian (below) a delicacy to some, horrid to others but boring to me.
Interesting and tasty food along the way and I was struggling to fit any more in. The night sky lit up around the Petronas Towers – spectacular to say the least.
last night in KL alcohol free made getting up and to the airport on time somewhat easier.
Some thoughts on Kuala Lumper
Google maps often difficult to follow (Other visitors said the same)
much cheaper than Singapore and Korea
Incoming passengers simply head to the passport scanner, get photographed and head to baggage claim or taxi service! Best I have used at any airport.
Taxi trip around one hour to city centre though Grab (main ride share option) is cheaper way to go.
One way streets everywhere and a 2km Grab ride may take 20 minutes.
SOUTH KOREA
Friday arrive at Incheon Airport at 8:05pm then spent 40 minutes on the tarmac. On to departure gates. Pathetic advert for Korean technology. Queuing up for an hour to get through along with 250 “foreigners”.They only had 4 employes at the immigration gate. By the time I got to go through the number of arrivals had doubled n they added two further officers.
a one hour taxi ride to Gangnam and met up with Aommy.First impressions of Seoul is that it has no heart, no soul. Young people come out at midnight (it is Friday) to meet eat and drink. Most noticeable was the lack of mixed couples. In fact woman, in their twos and threes made up 75% of all diners.
Saturday we book tickets on line for the billet train to Busan. After a few cancellations we are on board and travel the 340kms in 150 minutes and that included 6 stops of between 3 and 5minutes. The KTX bulletin train lives up to its name.
Busan with a population of 3.5 million has retained its character. The area around the wharf is packed with alleyways hosting market stalls bars and cafes. We had a lovely time here but an early night beckoned.
the next morning we toured the Huinneyeol Cultural village established to showcase modes of living from a century ago. Aommy above dressed in period costume then we wandered around the cliff top for two hours admiring the views the headed back to our hotel.
After wandering through the Busan alleys we enjoyed a lunch, Aommy bought some items from the street vendors then we hit the Railway station. it was a two hour train trip back to Asdan where we were met by Nabee who was working in Korea for a few weeks to top up the bank balance. An hour and twenty minutes later we arrived at our hotel which is excellent.
Aommy’s work town is called Eumseong and it basically half way between Busan and Seoul. Our hotel is in Eumseong and is a businessman’s stopover between cities with excellent amenities.
By 9:00pm we were ready for dinner a combo steam boat and grill washed down with a couple of beers
Aommy back to work the next morning so I filled my day exploring the town which was larger than I expected and enjoyed a session in the massage chair in our room.
That night we went to a chicken diner and ate with two of Aommy’s work colleagues, one of whom spoke passable English. Impressive food.
Wednesday morning, I say goodbye to Aommy and go for coffee. I have organised a taxi to drive an hour and a half to Itaewon, a suburb of Seoul. Pick up time is 11:00am.
Itaewon is on the other side of the river to Gangnam and much more to my taste. Non-stop rain spoiled the party a little, but I did get to enjoy a couple of the small bars around the area known as Old Town. Incredibly hilly part of town.
Up Early into the Business lounge at Incheon Intenational Airport before departing to Kuala Lumper for a stopover staying at the Grand Millenium. Plenty of time to explore Bukit Bintang entertainment area nearby before an early night as I needed to leave the hotel at 6:15am for my flight home.
Out of the blue I bump into friend and work colleague, John Carr at the airport as we are travelling on the same plane back to Perth. John was making his way back from the UK. Overall a great trip.
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