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| The captain taxied to Terminal 2 at Changi
airport & after exiting the plane I couldn't believe my eyes, this was by
far the most fantastic airport I'd had ever
seen, not only was it gorgeous but it was also very efficient. (You can rent
a room at the airport by the hour. They have a swimming pool with a bar on the roof of the terminal
and a smoking section after you clear customs on your way out of Singapore. It has almost a hundred shops, a
fitness center and a sauna.) I
cleared customs in about ten minutes and grabbed a taxi into town. |
| I had decided before I left the states that I was
going to stay in the Chinese section of the city. I enjoy Chinese food and the prices for a room are very reasonable in
this section of Singapore. In fact as long as you don't stay downtown or on Orchard Road
you'll find that Singapore is a fairly inexpensive city, not compared to Asian standards but definitely
better then you could expect in the west. |
| I ended up in a small hotel above a open-air Chinese restaurant,
where I ate breakfast almost every morning. It was clean, had an overhead fan with air conditioning
and a shower in the room, the commodes were down the hall but for twenty dollars a night, the
inconvenience wasn't a real problem. |
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One Afternoon at lunch I saw what appeared to be guinea hens, they turned
out to be pigeons. So Here I am sitting at a table feeding a bunch of
pigeons while at the same time eating one of their own. I felt like a cannibal,
but was it ever delicious. |
|
I was only in Singapore for five days. Long enough to make airline
reservations to Yogyakarta (Pronounced Jogjakarta 'Jogja' for short) in central Java.
(See "Jogja") (You'll find that by making air reservations for connecting flights at travel agencies in
your hub city, you'll save a substantial amount.) |
| Singapore turned out to be a lovely city. (Not quite as hospitable
as Indonesia or Bangkok, but more, then say, Phila. or N.Y. City.) Clean, is the word that comes to mind
when I think of how I can best describe Singapore. It is an immaculate city where littering will
cost you a S$1,000 fine (S$ = Singapore dollar) (U.S. $549). Smoking in a public place will cost you at
least as much and
chewing gum cannot even be brought into the country. |
| If you ever go to Singapore make sure you spend a day at the
Singapore Zoological Gardens. It is remarkable, not only in the variety of animals but the fact that none of
these animals are in cages, (all are behind glass or motes, in a wild setting.) You can even have
breakfast with an orangutan (For a price, of course.) and they have a night safari. You follow dirt trails
through a rain forest setting, even over a bridge that takes you through the canopy. The areas where you can
see nocturnal wildlife are dimly lit, and the snack bars stay open till the zoo closes around ll:00
P.M. |
| Also spend a day on Sentosa Island.
Take the Singapore Cable Car, though you can walk over by the Causeway
bridge, you'll miss a great ride. The cable car rides over the Keppel
Harbour high above the sailboats & freighters, coming into Santosa at
the Merlion. Sentosa is a resort area
with: a butterfly park, aquarium, orchid garden and many more attractions, including a waterslide area for kids and
adults alike. Take the cable car over and walk back over the bridge. I found the restaurants in the area
just over the bridge to be excellent though a little expensive. (I'm not talking about the American fast
food restaurants. i.e. Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, or Burger King.) |
|
The shopping in Singapore is some of the best in the world &
the prices if not as good as in Indonesia or other parts of Asia, are still very reasonable & the variety of
products is much greater. |
| All in all Singapore was an experience I'm glad I had. Good
food, good people, a good time. If you decide to go to Singapore, I recommend you get (lonely
planet city guide - Singapore. It's small and easy to pack, plus full of information.) (Insight Guides -
Singapore - read this one and leave it at home.) You'll want to research every place you travel to, you'll
enjoy yourself more if you do, plus you have less chance of offending. Remember every traveler is a ambassador |
| Links: Photo's seen with links
were taken from web site that link leads to. |
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