Day 5: Back to Singapore
I woke early on Thursday morning and packed my bags and headed downstairs. It is almost an hour to Kulua Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) by taxi and I wanted to get there early to have a look around.
After checking out I went and sat outside while the concierge went and found me a taxi. I took the time to take some photos of the hotel.
I paid the concierge upfront of the taxi trip which still seems cheap to me at MR100 which works out around $AUD30.
Once the taxi arrived we headed off towards KLIA. The driver was a lovely lady with a terrible cough, I really wanted to give her some money to go to a doctor but I didn’t think it’d be polite to suggest it.
Arriving at KLIA an hour later I went and checked in with Singapore Airlines and made my way through immigration.
The gate was in another building and there is a train that runs back and fourth between the buildings every few minutes. KLIA is a huge airport, much larger than what I am used to in Sydney and there’s people everything heading off to all parts of the world. The model plane display was certainly a good find on my walk through the terminal. I also walked past McDonalds and didn’t go in. Malaysia is now the only country i’ve visited and not eaten McDonalds.
Once I arrived at the C building I went and found the Singapore Airlines lounge to see how the other half live. Sad to say Virgin do a much better lounge in Australia but still the food wasn’t too bad even if there wasn’t a big selection and the lounge itself was quite small. Not wanting to waste exploration time I didn’t stay too long before heading out to check out the C building. There’s a few shops and restaurants as well as other airline lounges but it’s certainly not as populated as the main terminal building.
I then went and checked in at the gate, where I had a run in with security over a bottle of diet coke I forgot was in my bag. The language barrier kicked in here as I had no idea what the problem was until he actually showed me. I then went through security, waited a little while and boarded flight SQ107 to Singapore. The plane was an Airbus A330-300 for those that are interested.
Here’s some photos of the journey and a video of the takeoff.
The flight only lasted around 45 minutes, barely enough time for the lovely flight crew to serve everyone up a quick drink of water/coffee. I had no seat passenger so I had room to stretch out.
Arriving at Changi Airport again was great, I love Changi Airport. I did find it a little odd that I had to pass through a checkpoint as soon as we exited the plane and scan my passport before going to Immigration. This was my first time in Terminal 1 so maybe things are different here. There is a tram that takes you from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 where I went through immigration.
I found the awesome slide in Terminal 3. For those who don’t know, you don’t need to take the stairs when you can take the slide. The slide is 4 stories high but was closed when I went past, not that I think i’d be tempted.
I grabbed a taxi and headed to my “hotel” which is called The Residence at Singapore Recreation Club. Basically it’s a country club with loads of sporting grounds, pools, gaming areas and other amenities and they’ve got some hotel rooms on the top floor. The room was fairly basic and the amenities what you’d expect. Surprisingly while the most “budget” accommodation, it actually had the most comfortable bed.
Hotel Reception at The Residence at Singapore Recration Club
After checking in, I went for a walk to the nearby Marina Square Shopping Center in search of lunch. I met a local on my way who was a cleaner in the nearby War Memorial Park who helped me find my way to the shopping center. After a quick lunch I decided to head back to Chinatown which being the first place I ever visited in Singapore seems to always draw me back in. The rain was coming down and instead of grabbing a taxi I figured why not act like a local and catch a train. It took me a little while to work out how to do that, while the SMRT is SMaRT it doesn’t mean it’s easy to understand. After working out how to buy a single use ticket and where I had to get on and off I was on my way.
The stations I went to are quite a long way underground and the trains are driverless and arrive every 2-5 minutes. Talk about efficient. After working out where to go I made my way to Chinatown and back like a pro.
Here’s some photos of my explorations.
On the walk back to the hotel from the MRT, there is an underpass which is quite large under an intersection. The area is awesome, airconditioned etc. Because of the humidity in Singapore there are lots of inside areas to keep out of the heat and this is one such example.
While I was walking through, there were a bunch of guys in there with their music playing loudly break dancing. I tried to get a video:
Soon I was back in the hotel, testing out a comfy bed and getting some shut eye. This week has certainly taken it’s toll on me with too many late nights and many early mornings not to mention some nasty rashes from all the sweating.
Have You Seen?
Day 3 – Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
Day 4 – Exploring KL and The Petronas Towers
Day 5 – Back to Singapore – YOU ARE HERE NOW