Bangkok to Singapore

Over time I have learnt to make things easier on us by not booking flights for first thing in the morning. Nothing says 'stressful' like a 6am flight to a foreign country. Our 1pm flight still meant a 10am departure from the hotel. There were no dramas with our car or the time it took to get to the new airport (30 minutes). After the traffic we'd seen during the past few days, we'd allotted an hour for travelling.

Check in with Air Asia again was no trouble (I've learnt not to turn up more than 3 hours before the flight as check in for the low cost carriers is not available) and our bags weighed in at exactly the figure I'd allowed!

We wandered the airport awhile, spending and changing the last of our Baht. Incredibly, the food and drink prices at the airport were about 8 times higher than in town. I haven't noticed a discrepancy like that for a long time.

Clear weather all the way to Singapore, where we had to try three cabs before we found one with a boot big enough for our bags. Not that they were ridiculously large, but there are gas tanks in the taxi boots, making storage space very small.

On arrival we were subject to a security check - through the x-ray machines with us and the bags. This has never happened to me before, but it was possibly due to heightened security after the foiled terrorist attack on a plane bound for the USA yesterday.

The view from our room; the amazing Marina Bay Sands and the new Botanic Gardens to the left of it

I was elated to be back in Singapore, although I hadn't realised how I'd been feeling about Bangkok. I did enjoy the experience, but it was so much more difficult to negotiate in all ways than Singapore or Malaysia, or even Bali. You can't drink tap water, even in 5 star hotels. It was quite difficult to get around and we didn't see nearly as much of the place as we'd wanted to. It was difficult to understand the locals, despite trying to learn a little thai on the run.

The business district, with Clifford Pier

Singapore is a delight - everything is easy. Great transport network. The city is close to the airport. The locals speak english well. The local food is excellent and there are lots of places to find it. You can drink the water from the tap. On the downside, it is an expensive place to stay, hotel wise, and restaurant wise. We have spent very few evenings eating in restaurants here, despite this being Dom's 6th trip with me, and my umpteenth trip.

I never tire of the greenery in the city (I think if the men in orange overalls stopped trimming them back, the lush parks would overgrow the city in a year!), the people and the shopping. Plus - there is always something new to see when we come back. This year there is a new MRT (Mass Rapid Transit - their mostly underground light rail system) line, making travel from our favourite Marina-based hotel location easier. Last time we came, the Marina Bay hotel, with it's magnificent cruise ship top level, was finished. They are continuously reclaiming land here. What used to the be docks for cruise ships is now a landlocked bay.


The exchange rate is $1.25 SGD to $1 Aussie. A cab ride is at least $10. A jug of beer (4 glasses) is $17.50. Dinner at the hawker centre is only $4 though, and a ride on the train is usually $1.20.