November 26, 2022
The day had finally arrived! After months of planning, Steve and Alison were finally on their way to Singapore and beyond. We left our home in Jurien Bay at 1pm and headed for Perth, where we would be staying with friends Daryl and Kath.
The drive to Perth was uneventful, and we arrived in the city around 4pm. We were greeted warmly by Daryl and Kath, and they all went out to dinner at a local pub. The Commercial Hotel Midlands was a cozy pub with a friendly atmosphere. They had a great meal and a few drinks, and we all agreed that it was the perfect way to start our 3 months away.
After dinner, we returned to Daryl and Kath’s house and got a good night’s sleep. We were all excited for Steve and Alison’s upcoming adventure in Singapore, and they couldn’t wait to explore the city.
28 November 2022
We woke up early, feeling excited and a little bit nervous. Today we were flying to Singapore to start our 3 month holiday! We have been planning this trip for months, and we couldn’t wait to finally see Singapore for ourselves.
Daryl was kind enough to take us to the airport at about 9pm. This meant we had plenty of time to check in and go through security. It was a little disappointing when the automated baggage check broke down as we were using it, but we didn’t let it get us down. We joined the long line at the old-fashioned check-in counter.
After a long wait, we were able to check in and get our boarding passes. Then headed to security, where we were quickly cleared.
Our flight was called, and we boarded the plane. Before we knew it we we enjoying the first beer for our trip. As we were flying Singapore Airways, it was Tiger Beer, not the same wonderful taste as Chang Beer. After a late night meal we caught an hours sleep.
29 November 2022
We arrived in Singapore at 6am after a cramped flight and little sleep. We were glad it was only 5 hours long, but we were still exhausted. After a $31 cab ride to our hotel, we headed off to the Lau Pa Sat markets to find a coffee and some food, as we couldn’t get access to our rooms until midday.
Our cab driver had told us that it had been raining from 3am to 6am that morning, but the weather was now fine. We were relieved to hear this, as we were hoping to do some exploring.
We spent a few hours exploring the markets, which were full of stalls selling all sorts of food and souvenirs. We found a coffee shop and had a quick breakfast, and then we wandered around, taking in the sights and sounds.
After a while, we started to get tired, so we headed back to our hotel. As we checked in the heavens opened and it started to pour down with rain. The storm lasted for about two hours. We checked into our hotel and collapsed on the bed, exhausted.
We slept for a few hours, and then we woke up and got ready for dinner. We decided to try a local Thai restaurant, and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious, and we all agreed that it was a great way to end our first day in Singapore.
We were all looking forward to exploring more of the city the next day, and we were even more excited to continue our journey to Thailand. We knew that we were in for a treat.
30 November 2022
After a good night’s sleep, we had a quiet morning. We set out around 9am to exchange some Australian dollars for Singapore dollars. We took a scenic path along the Singapore River through the Boat Quay precinct. There were lots of interesting restaurants and cafes, and we ended up at Raffles Place where we found the Money Changers Alley in the Arcade. While we waited for the money changers to open for business, we had a great coffee at Seriously Coffee.
After picking up some more Singapore dollars, we headed down to Marina Bay, via the underground Marina Bay Link Mall. After a walk around the Bay, we ended up at Apple Marina Bay Sands. It’s an amazing building, which looks like it is floating on the water. After a look around and chatting to some of the staff, we headed off underground to the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Centre. It’s a very impressive and exclusive shopping centre, and the spirit of Christmas was in the air.
Our next stop was the Gardens in The Bay, crossing over the Dragonfly Bridge. We checked out the Christmas Wonderland, which was still being set up. We then caught a taxi to the Lau Pa Sat food pavilion for a bit of lunch, then another taxi back to the hotel for an afternoon rest before heading out again for an evening exploration.
During the afternoon, we had another thunderstorm. There was lots of lightning, thunder, and rain. It’s typical tropical weather. At 6pm, we caught a taxi down to the Thai restaurant in Shelton Way foodhall for another great Thai meal. With the rain still falling, we walked down to the Clifford Pier to see the Merlion. Unfortunately, it was a bit early for it to be lit up, but it was still interesting.
So we headed off to the light show at the Gardens by the Bay, around the bay via the Jubilee Bridge, and the Helix Bridge. The rain was persistent but fortunately not heavy. We walked through the Marina Sands Shopping, which was awash with Christmas lights. Over at the Gardens, we found that the Christmas Wonderland was open, so we enjoyed the light and music show at the Garden Rhapsody.
A taxi ride back to our hotel finished off the evening. We had a great day exploring Singapore, and we were all looking forward to our next adventure.
1 December 2022
This morning we decided to head down to Clarke Quay MRT via the underground walkways. It was our first adventure on the Singapore MRT system. We got on the North East line to go to Little India, which was only two stops down the line.
When we got off the train at Little India MRT station, we were immediately hit by a wave of spices and smells. We walked out of the station and onto Bukit Timah Rd., and we were amazed by the sights and sounds of Little India.
There were people everywhere, and the streets were filled with stalls selling all sorts of things, from food to clothes to souvenirs. We walked through the Tekka Centre, which is a huge marketplace that is a mixture of a wet market, hawker centre, and other assorted stores all joined together under the same roof.
We were amazed by the variety of food on offer at the Tekka Centre. There were stalls selling everything from Indian curries to Chinese noodles to Malay dishes. We decided to try some Indian food, and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious, and the prices were very reasonable.
After we had eaten, we wandered around the Tekka Centre for a while longer. We browsed the shops and bought some souvenirs. We also bought some spices to take home with us.
After we had finished exploring the Tekka Centre, we headed back to the MRT station. We took the train back to Clarke Quay, and then we walked back to our hotel. We had a great time exploring Little India, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Singapore.
After some rest, we were both hungry, so we headed off to the Maxwell Centre for dinner. We chose Boat Noodle, a local Thai restaurant, and enjoyed a lovely dinner. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was lively. After dinner, we headed off to the Apple Store for an evening class on Singapore photography. The Apple Store is an incredible building shaped like a glass soccer ball. We had a fun evening being taught how to get the best from our Apple devices before taking a train home.
The class was taught by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic instructor who showed us how to use our devices to take better photos of Singapore. We learned about the different settings on our cameras and how to use them to capture the best possible images. We also learned about composition, lighting, and other important aspects of photography.
We had a great time at the class and learned a lot about photography. We are looking forward to putting our new skills to the test and taking some amazing photos of Singapore.
2 December 2022
Our first stop today was the Sim Lim Square Centre, one of Singapore’s electronic retailer hotspots. We were excited to see what kind of deals we could find on electronics.
As soon as we entered the mall, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of stores. There were stores selling everything from computers to cameras to cell phones. We wandered around for a while, comparing prices and reading reviews.
The Sim Lim Square Centre is a great place to find electronics at a good price. However, it is important to be aware of the haggling culture in Singapore. Sellers will often start with a high price, and it is expected that you will negotiate the price down. It is also important to do your research before you go, so that you know what a fair price is for the items you are interested in.
Our next stop was Sungei Road District, a vibrant and bustling area with a mix of old and new. We found a multitude of eateries, from traditional hawker stalls to trendy cafes. We also found a mosque, the Al-Abrar Mosque, which is one of the oldest mosques in Singapore.
We wandered around the district for a while, taking in the sights and sounds. We saw people from all walks of life, from locals to tourists. We also saw a variety of shops, from traditional souvenir shops to modern boutiques.
We had a great time exploring Sungei Road District, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a unique and authentic experience in Singapore.
After Sungei Road District, we headed to Kampong Glam, a historic district that is home to a large Malay-Muslim community. We wandered through the narrow streets, admiring the traditional shophouses and mosques. We also visited the Malay Heritage Centre, which tells the story of the Malay community in Singapore.
We had a great time exploring Kampong Glam, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a glimpse into Singapore’s rich culture and history.
Our last stop for the day was the Maxwell Centre, a popular hawker center in Singapore. We decided to try some more traditional Singaporean food, and we were not disappointed. We had a delicious meal of chicken rice, laksa, and satay.
Maxwell Centre is a great place to try traditional Singaporean food. There are many different stalls to choose from, and the prices are very reasonable. We had a great time trying all the different dishes, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a taste of Singapore.
After dinner, we walked back to our hotel. We were tired but happy after our long day of exploring Singapore. We had a great time on our last day in Singapore.
3 December 2022
We woke up early at 7am to catch a taxi to the Changi Airport for our flight to Chiang Mai. We were sad to be leaving Singapore, but we were also excited to explore Thailand.
We arrived at the airport and checked in for our flight. We had a short wait before our flight boarded, and we were soon on our way to Thailand.