Singapore Photos

Little India

Botanic Gardens

Courtyard at Raffles Hotel

Street scene

Seeing the Sights of Singapore

My little Frommer's Day-by-day guidebook was a good investment in that it clearly maps out things to see in a limited number of days. Using it extensively I visited sights in Colonial Singapore including Raffles Hotel (home of the Singapore Sling drink as served up at the Long Bar -- though I didn't have one there since it was during the morning). I walked over to the Singapore Flyer which is the world's largest Ferris wheel. Due to budget I didn't go for a ride. Walking along the Esplanade I saw other memorable sights and admired the beautiful tall buildings in the central business district. Finally, a visit to see one of five merlions and have my photo taken (above).

On another day I visited the Botanical Gardens, at Daniel's suggestion, and admired the natural beauty just a short bus ride from the condo. And neighborhood visits that I enjoyed were Chinatown and Little India.

Though the weather was very hot and humid I was able to duck in to air conditioned buildings from time to time. The public transportation is air conditioned as well. Speaking of that, I am amazed at how easy the MRT is to use -- even for me! Everything is clearly marked, announcements are made in English as well as other languages and if ever there's any doubt someone is nearby ready to help. Wonderful!

Singapore and my First Air B&B Experience

There are clearly advantages to staying with young hosts. My arrival in Singapore was late and by the time I got to where I was staying it was even later. Both Daniel and Chin were awake and watching TV. We chatted for a little while before I finally indicated that the bed was calling me since my "body time" was actually 3:30 a.m. (local time being 12:30 a.m.)

This was my first experience using Air B&B and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone traveling at home or abroad. Daniel & Chin turned out to be wonderful hosts (they've been together five years) and were kind enough to spend time one evening taking me to Ichiban Boshi, a Japanese restaurant they enjoy and on the day of my departure, Chin cooked a wonderful fish lunch. They're condo is super tidy, they monitor electricity usage carefully (since it's very expensive in Asia) and the amenities include a beautiful outdoor swimming pool which I was happy to enjoy! And they are right next to the Redhill MRT train station which made transportation to/from the city very easy! I certainly enjoyed their company and hopefully didn't bore them too much especially since I could easily be the age of their parents. If I did bore them then they were kind enough to act as though I didn't. My thanks to them both for making me feel welcome! (I offered to reciprocate, however, neither of them care much for cold weather).

Flight to Singapore

Here you see pictured a very very very happy aviation & airline enthusiast seated in business class on the upper deck aboard the Qantas Airbus A380!

The flight, QF 31 was called for boarding and I wasted no time at all to get to the gate so as to spend as much time on board the aircraft as possible. While standing in line on the jetway I happened to notice a young (39 y/o) woman who appeared to be as excited about the next few steps we were going to take as myself. In inquired. She definitely was excited. "Giddy?", I asked. "Absolutely!" Moments earlier at the gate I learned that my seat had been changed to 12K, a window seat on the right side. Previously I was in 21A so this was a good change albeit unrequested by me. There was a man in 12J who, frankly, looked too boring to be seated next to for an 8+ hour flight so after I stowed my stuff I walked to the young woman I'd just met who was seated on the aisle directly behind me. We arranged a seat swap and the man was kind enough to agree.

After brief introductions and some festive champagne, Carolyn and I began what would be nearly four hours of non-stop chatting. Suddenly we were BFF (best friends forever). I learned that she is a member of Qantas staff, (stationed in Brisbane) traveling on a pass and headed for London (LHR) then to Iceland on holiday. (Why Iceland? "Because it's there and I haven't been.") The aircraft pushed back on time and we taxied out to the runway for takeoff. Using my new little Samsung pocket camera I filmed the entire take-off roll (historic purposes) and then some (seven minutes total). We headed to the forward lounge -- yes the plane has a small lounge in front of business class which is available to business and first class passengers. More champagne and lots more chatting. Gerwin, our male flight attendant called us back to our seats for the meal service: dinner.

Carolyn switched from champagne to Heineken beers and was having quite a few; I lost count after 7 so she did more listening while I chatted away. I had a sweetcorn chowder followed by lamb fillet with roasted vegetables and sliced fresh fruit for dessert. My alcohol consumption ceased after the lounge. Smart choice. Carolyn's request for another beer seemed to be ignored by the flight attendants so when I headed to the bathroom after dinner she asked me to mention her desire for another. I did so and Gerwin suggested she'd had enough and another flight attendant would be speaking with her. Oops! Upon my return we headed back to the lounge where she was pulled aside discretely and then disappeared. After ten minutes I returned to my seat, found her and asked what happened. A reprimand. She had to be a good girl or else. Well, we were both tired and others were preparing to sleep so I pushed a button and the seat converted to a 180 degree lie-flat bed. Sweet! The next thing I knew was an initial preparation for descent announcement from the captain. There was some light turbulence during the flight and although my seat belt was fastened while at my seat I was amazed that the seat belt sign was never illuminated except for take-off and landing. The aircraft is certainly big and stable beyond belief. My only complaint? The individual lights, overhead and for reading are the bright-blue/white LED kind which I absolutely detest.

Sad that the journey was soon to end, I soaked up the last few moments as we descended and landed at the Changi airport ahead of schedule. Upon landing I noticed three Singapore Airlines A380s parked at the gates (they were the first airline to fly the aircraft). All passengers were required to deplane and take all of their carry-on belongings with them (government regulations). The aircraft would be cleaned during the 1.5 hour layover for those continuing to London. Carry-on bags would again be re-screened by security (government regulations). We deplaned, Carolyn and I hugged good-bye (emails were already exchanged, of course) and parted company.

A beautiful airport and a smooth transition through immigration, baggage claim and customs. By the way, on the immigration card that is filled out prior to arrival it states in bold red lettering: Warning Death for Drug Traffickers Under Singapore Law. This portion of the card remains with the passport until departure from the country, perhaps as a constant reminder. Off I headed to the taxi queue where despite a very long line it only took 10 minutes to get a taxi. The most notable change from Sydney? The temperature: 90-ish degrees and humid beyond belief. Of course I was over-dressed. Oh well ...

The Qantas Airbus 380

Currently, I'm sitting in the Qantas business class lounge at the Sydney airport. Shortly I'll be boarding an Airbus 380 which is the new giant in the skies, having bumped the venerable Boeing 747 into second place. The aircraft is parked at gate 9 nearby and I can view it out the window to my left. The beautiful Sydney skyline is in the background. The skies are blue, the sun is shining. I am giddy with excitement. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on anything except the aircraft. I am in fact, obsessed. They'll be calling to board flight QF31 to Singapore shortly for a flight that takes 8 hours and 15 minutes.

Business class seats are all upstairs on the second deck in the first two sections of windows seen in the photo above. This is where I'll be sitting. The premium economy is also upstairs but in the last two sections of windows. First class is on the main deck, first set of windows followed by economy all the way to the tail on the main deck. It would have been my preference to fly the aircraft from the U.S. to Sydney and then again to Singapore, however, Qantas hasn't opened up trans-pacific airline award travel seats for this sector. Too bad, but I'm happy nevertheless. For me this is a highlight of the trip and the fact that the aircraft is parked at the gate and that it hasn't been swapped with a 747 is fantastic. For a glimpse of the experience I'm in for you can click here and check out the aircraft on the Qantas website. There's a virtual tour. Take it! I don't mind if you're jealous. To be sure, I'll have someone on-board take photos of me and post them sometime in future.

There is little doubt that the upcoming experience is going to be fantastic, but I'm sad about having to leave Sydney. My how the city has changed since I was here 28 years ago, though I have to confess I'm not exactly sure how it has changed. One thing I discovered: they added two new steeples to St. Mary's Cathedral since I was here last! The city is as vibrant as ever, the people warm and friendly. I could easily live here.

The flight has been called. Got to go!

Stevenson Said It Best

It's my last day in Sydney and the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I can't resist yet another trip down to the Opera House & Circular Quay. Embedded in the footpath of both the eastern and western arms of the Quay are 50 bronze plaques with a quote about Sydney by famous writers, hence the naming: Writers Walk.

The Harbour Bridge in the mid-day sun. I didn't climb to the top as the charge for having too much fun is way over AUD$100. I did take a bus across and back.

The Sydney Tower poking its head above the trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Even Rainy Days Can Be Fun - A Ferry Ride to Watsons Bay

There were a few days of on/off rain and I wasn't about to let it interfere with the fun I was having so I decided to hop on a Sydney ferry for the 20 minute ride to Watsons Bay. There was a very brief stop at Garden Island. (See map). We arrived around 11:30 a.m. and everyone headed immediately to Doyles, a famous beach-front seafood restaurant that's been around for something like 124 years. The kiosk on the wharf was where everyone headed for their take-away order of fish & chips (the main restaurant was closed for renovation). I did too. Frankly, the entree wasn't that good; I found the same thing at the Circular Quay restaurant City Extra to be better and less expensive, albeit a "snack" portion. Travel to/fro was on a "Supercat" and I was glad I dressed warmly and with a windbreaker! We were at Watsons Bay for an hour and a half. It was fun being out on the water and seeing some of Sydney Harbour.