Travel to Singapore

Recently took a guided tour to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand during the last two weeks of September.  Part of the tour was spending time on a cruise and travelling to some of the port cities of the above-mentioned countries.

Herein the blog, I am recording the travel as to what we did and when.  But more importantly, I am recording my thoughts and feelings about the trip and its various highlights.

Departure from Mumbai

There is always a pleasant excitement when going on an international tour.  This is the feeling one gets at the airport right from the time you arrive at the check-in gate at the terminal, put your baggage on the trolley and wheel it to the check-in counter.  Once the proceedings are done and you get the seat of your choice (perhaps), the time is to clear the security and go to the waiting area at the boarding gate.  But smart airport design means you go through the duty-free shops on your way to the gate.  Also, there is a food court next to the shops. Given that my flight is around mid-night, I have a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.  I like it that there are good bookstores at the airports.  I manage to find a couple of bookstores and spend some time leafing through some books and Fortune magazines.

Finally, I take a seat at the waiting area at the boarding gate.  People slowly start filling in at the waiting area.  This is the time I look around and check out the waiting public.  Most of them are on their mobile phones, some are conversing with others, a few are reading.  Me – I am people watching.

One of the best part of the travel was we were flying Singapore Airlines – one of the best airlines in the world.

Soon, the boarding call was announced and we got in a queue to board the airplane.  We were greeted warmly at the airplane door and then walked the narrow aisle to my seat.  I was traveling with my parents so all three of us got in a single row.  They had arrived to the seat before me being given first preference because of being elderly.  Soon everyone was settled in and the plane departed about 50 minutes late than the original time which was past midnight.

Later beverages were served and then the supper.  I put my glasses in the case and put it in the front pocket, put on the eye mask and went to snooze.

Arriving in Singapore

The flight was about 5 hours flying time.  Singapore being 2.5 hours ahead of India time, we arrived in Singapore early morning local time about 8 am.  We finished the immigration and customs and were soon breathing the early morning Singapore air outside the airport.  I was in a group tour of 11 people, me including.  All of us were soon seated in a 12 seater minivan.  The group was split in 2 minivans with the luggage distributed accordingly.

Driving through the beautiful city state of Singapore was truly pleasing.  The sun shone brightly with the temperature in the upper 20s.  On the expressway the traffic wasn’t much.  In the city, the traffic was alright and the road connections were good with not much of waiting at the traffic lights.  The lanes are wide with superb landscaping with trees planted on both sides of the roads.

Our hotel was in Little India.  Once we arrive at the hotel, our luggage is sorted out and we sit in the waiting area awaiting our turn for checking in which was mid-afternoon.  In the meanwhile, Mukeshbhai, our tour leader took us to a tea shop close-by to experience a novel masala tea.  This tea is served in a tall beer like glass and along with the quantity, the quality is amazing.  From there we go to a nearby Indian restaurant for lunch.  We return back from lunch to the hotel and are allotted our rooms.  The room is on the eighteenth floor and is pleasantly furnished with AC cooling.

Sightseeing Begins – Night Safari

After a brief period of rest, we head out to world’s only night safari.  At the safari we see an animal show first.  Then we take a tram ride through the park.  The tram proceeds very slowly as we see the habitats of the various animals.  There is no barricade between the road on which the tram travels and the place where the animals live.  Yet, the tram ride proceeds everyday without any incident.  We see lions, hyenas, foxes, rhinos, hippopotamus, elephants and many other species on the ride.  All animals were awake and lazing around. 

Later, we went to a riverfront restaurant for dinner.

The Cruise

Next day, by noon we check out of our hotel and head to the cruise terminal to board the Genting Dream cruise.  As expected, the queue was very big and we wait for our turn at the counter.  Standing in line there gave us a feeling of the enormity of the cruise liner.  Except for the rooms, everything about the cruise liner is huge.  We clear the check-in proceedings and head to our room.  From here on, our cruise travel begins.

To describe our room, it is narrow and tight.  There is a balcony which overlooks the sea with two chairs facing each other and a small coffee table in between.

The way hotels handle luggage is amazing.  Of so many bags for different decks, your bags arrive at the door intact without any incident.

Once settled in, it is about evening and we head out to one of the lower decks to see a live dancing show.  Walking around in the cruise doesn’t feel like you are on water.  There are six elevators in front of the boat and six in the rear, each elevator big enough to carry 10 people.  As we walk around, we pass through an arcade where there are several different types of casino machines and cards tables.

The show was ongoing when it was past 8 PM and it was dinner time.  We head over to one of the upper decks for dinner at The Lido restaurant.  Meals in cruises means crowd.  The people are more, the lines longer and the meal stations less than what is needed.  One major issue was not sufficient chairs and tables to handle the crowd at meal times.  A whole group may not get an entire table.  But we managed, throughout the cruise time.  The food is a different story.  Surprisingly, the food is mainly Indian fare even though the crowd is mixed.  However, the taste is not what we would find in a restaurant in our city.  The taste of a normal Punjabi subzi is different from the regular taste of that subzi outside.   One thing about the food though, is the variety.  Apart from the vegetables, there is fruits, pastry, ice cream, juices, pizza and many other varieties.  The crowd means noise, not deafening but still more of chattering than what we would expect at mealtime.

For things to do on the cruise at night, there is Zouk Beach Club which is outdoors and Zouk Night Club which is indoors.  Both the clubs are with music and dancing floor.  They open at 10 PM.  From 10 to 11 PM, there is one hour of dancing lesson where a dance teacher teaches the various steps.  Post 11 PM, it is dancing to the music.  The club stays open till early morning, but I stay till a little after 12 and head back to my cabin.

Shore Excursions

Next morning we get up, refresh and head over for breakfast.  The same meal crowd but the breakfast with eggs and a few other varieties makes it okay.  Today, we are arriving in the port city of Penang, Malaysia.  We have our lunch and proceed for the shore excursion.  We have a 12-seater minivan with a tour guide.  We visit a few Buddhist temples.  The temples have a quiet atmosphere with pleasant incense sticks burning.  In one of the temples, there are different poses of Buddha statues.  Post that in the evening, we head back to the cruise.

There are several activities in the evening to choose from.  I go to the pool deck for swimming and jacuzzi.  Post that, it is dinner.  After dinner, I head over to the Zouk night club.  Zouk every evening has a different dance trainer and different music themes.  I stay till a little past midnight and then head back to my cabin.

Next day, we visit the port city of Phuket, Thailand.  We visit a Gems International shopping mall where there is a varied collection of pearls and precious stones.  The prices are extremely high but overall the place is worth seeing to see the fancy craftmanship on the gems.  From there we go to a sightseeing point, something similar to what one finds in a hill station.  From there, we go to a beach which is clean with white sand.

One thing about the port cities is that there is very less population so the roads and shops seem empty.  People in the various attractions in the port city are mainly from the cruise as the cruise rents several buses for the travellers for shore excursions.

The next day we dock at Langkawi – which means eagle on a stone in Malaysia.  We go to Langkawi park to see a huge eagle statue on stone.  Post visit to Langkawi we are back in the cruise.  This evening, Mukeshbhai has booked tickets for all for a show in the cruise.  This was a live song and dance show some of which we had seen on the evening of the first day.  Post that dinner and Zouk night club where the music theme was the 70s and 80s.

The next day, we go to Port Klan – Kuala Lampur in Malaysia.  We visit the King’s Palace which wasn’t much as the main gate was closed and we could see the palace only from a distance.  We go to Kuala Lampur City Center – the Petronas Towers but could not get the tickets as the show was full.  We head back to the cruise.  Post dinner, it is Zouk night club where tonight, there was a special called Bollywood Funk.  Post-midnight, head back to the cabin.  Tonight, we pack our bags, attach luggage tags and put them outside our door before 1 AM for pickup.

Back in Singapore

Next day, it was check out time from the cruise.  We have brunch today and then carry our hand baggage for checkout.  Every thing on the cruise works on cabin key including any extra charges and giving and picking our passport and during visiting port cities.  We steadily exit the cruise terminal, pick up our baggage which is neatly arranged by the deck floors and wait outside for our pickup – similar to when we landed in Singapore – Changi Airport.  Our pickup arrives and we are transferred to the same hotel we were in before the cruise.

That afternoon, we go to Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay.  Marina Bay Sands has an observation deck on one of the top floors that overlooks the city.  Post that, Gardens by the Bay has The Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.  The flower dome is simply superb with an airconditioned dome with glass panels to let the outside light in.  The flowers are of many varieties but the atmosphere inside is simply irresistibly pleasing.  The Cloud Forest is similar with a waterfall and greenery inside.  Later, we have our dinner in one of Little India’s restaurant and then folks in our group go to Mustafa for shopping.

The next day we visit the Jurong Bird Park in the morning.  First, we see a bird show and then take a tram ride throughout the bird park to see birds of many different varieties.  It was interesting to see birds how they are trained for the show.  They would fly from the main floor to the end of the stadium and perch themselves there and fly back once they are called back in. 

Later in the day, we visit Sentosa island.  We take the cable car and then see the aquarium and then the maritime museum.  The Typhoon Theatre was a simulated boat ride in a storm with water being sprinkled to simulate the storm.  Later in the evening, we see a show “Wings of Time”.  This is a light and sound show and is about time travel where we are transported to different centuries in the past.  Post the show, we head back to the Hotel and have dinner on the way.

Next day, 29^th September was the last day of the tour.  We check out in the morning and leave our bags at the concierge to be picked up later and dropped at the airport.  Amazing again, how luggage is handled by the hotel and tour guide without any incident.  We then head out for city tour.  First stop is the Singapore Flyer which is a slow moving giant wheel with view of the city.  I had a chat with Mukeshbhai where he advised me regarding my meals and what to take.  Yogurt, he said should be taken at lunch daily which helps build the stamina.  Then, we head out to Merlion park for photo session with the Merlion.  Then, we go to Chinatown for shopping.  The prices in Chinatown were at an amazing discount compared to other branded stores and there are plenty of shops with different items to sell. After that we go to precious moment shop for some souvenirs and memorabilia.  It’s time now to head out to the airport.

We are dropped at the airport with our baggage to arrive later to the airport.  We put our hand baggage in a trolley and rest on a few benches inside the check-in gate.  The tour is coming to an end.  If we think of home and that in a day’s time we will be back to the old routine, then there is a feeling of melancholy.  So we don’t.  Instead we talk about the highlights of the tour and how we felt at various stages of the tour.  Mukeshbhai, our group leader even found something at the airport to see – two attractions – one a waterfall in Terminal 1 and a butterfly garden in Terminal 3.  We were in Terminal 3.  We take the train to Terminal 1 for the waterfall, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall which is surrounded by terraced forest settings.  The waterfall is an attraction at the Changi airport.  From there we come back to Terminal 3.  The Butterfly garden is shut down as the Butterflies are sleeping by the time we reach there.  We head on to our boarding gate.

Our flight is at 8:40 PM.  We arrive in Mumbai at 11:45 PM.  Our group is dispersed upon arrival and by the time we arrive at the baggage collection counter, all of them have left or are leaving.

All in all, it was a memorable experience.  The three countries we visited were south east Asian nations and part of the ASEAN countries organization.  Experiencing their rich heritage and culture was an enjoyable experience.