The Pinoy Traveller: Singapore (Backpacking)

Singapore Marina Bay

Traveled to Singapore April of last year. Took a plane from Manila (NAIA 1) via Tiger Airways. Arriving at Singapore at around 1am with no singaporean dollar on hand our first agenda of business was to have an ample amount of money to go around. This is what I've learned in Singapore that taxi meters changed as hours progress to ungodly time. You pay hefty fees and that's what we got by taking a shitty flight schedule. We paid 21 singaporean dollars from Changi International Airport to Marina bay.

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Since we don't have any hotel reservations, the only logical thing to do is head to the safest part of the city which is a park across the merlion (Marina Bay--it turned out it was a bad idea but not so bad). Took an airport cab since mrt is already closed. It's not that Singapore does not have those cheap backpackers place (actually the have lots of it), we just took a friend's advice that we should spend 4 hours at the park while waiting for daybreak (bad idea really bad idea but safe though because the place is actually crawling with security personnel and young lovers hugging til the break of dawn). So while passing out time I studied the map of Singapore that was given to me and took several failed pictures of Sands Hotel right across the Marina Bay. I think if I'm not mistaken we did slept at the benches for like an hour or so.

SMRT station @ Raffles Place

At around 5 or 6am we started walking toward Raffles SMRT station hoping we could find a 711 and find something to eat, (it turns out that not all 711 in Singapore are open 24 hours). While walking, we walked past the mini Merlion and had ourselves taken picture with it (the ultimate singapore pic). One thing I've learned in Singapore is to follow an Indian man's advice, they always know what to ride and all the short cuts.

At the MRT station we bumped into this small store Ya Kun Kaya Toast (please google it). It was cheap so we decided it would be our breakfast but you know what I'm glad we tried it because it was so good! After eating we asked around how to get to Golden Mile Complex to procure our tickets either for Kuala Lumpur or Thailand. Again we asked a chinese guy and sent us riding to a wrong bus, but infairness to him he was on his way to the vicinity. We took the bus number 100 and walah! just infront of Golden Mile Complex. Since it was too early for the travel agency to open we walked around and smoked as much as we can (this is the only place in Singapore where you can practically throw cigarette buds on the floor and the dirtiest bathroom if not the entire place).

Buddhist Shrine @ Golden Mile Tower

The ticket cost us around 35 sg dollars each all the way to Hat Yai, Thailand. After buying we went to Geylang to find a decent hotel for us to stay. Well I'm not so sure but this place is red light painted all over it. Even in mid noon you can see prostitutes at the street like it was just an ordinary day in job. We booked a roon at Hotel 88 at Lorong 11. It was very basic--meaning no cable tv (just plain network tv), an aircon, double size bed, and a comfort room still deciding if its has a hot and cold shower or not depending on the time of the day. That's what we need anyway. After setting up and a nice shower, we ventured to neighboring Lorongs and ate lunch. Took an MRT to Sentosa, spend the whole afternood there and ended it with watching Songs of the Sea.

What to do in Singapore
Universal Studios
Singapore Zoo
Shopping at Little India
Eat at Lau Pa Sat, Newton & Geylang (Alot of food here)
Go crazy tourist at Sentosa (monorail is free going out and around sentosa but charges SG$3.00 dollar going in)
Shopping (little india, china town, vivo city)--make sure that the shop is part of the vat refund scheme.

*Visa FAQs

Getting Around
* MRT - SG$1.00 could take you anywhere
* Bus - same as MRT just read the routes carefully
* Taxi - not the cheapest mode of transportation

Tips
*do not litter
*per uncle Jack (a friend we met on our way to Thailand), never bring a pack or cigarette, apparently they have rules against it.
*eat any edible food
*go to universal studios early around 10am
*keep a lot of coins especially 1 dollar coin
*do not ask directions from a chinese guy, either from a chinese girl or indian only.
*book a hotel ahead of time--really, book ahead of time
*do not use map that is issued by raffles inc, they are so uninformative.
*take the train and buses, very easy to figure out