Singapore-Kuching-Day 6 - Shopping and Travel

(By Jim)

After the busy day yesterday, we could have been forgiven for indulging ourselves in the Singapore café scene the next day before beginning our travel to Johor Bahru and Kuching in Borneo. Instead, we went shopping.

First, though, we took breakfast again at the hotel, then packed up and checked out, leaving our bags stored with the hotel. Barbara had read about a funky, cool shopping area on Bugis Street, and read that it was 24 hours, so we started out to go there. Our taxi driver dissuaded us, telling us it wasn’t open 24 hours, and if we wanted to go shopping, let’s go to the Mustafa Center first which was open 24 hours, then we could take another taxi over to Bugis Street later in the morning.

Mustafa Center was impressive. 4 stories, and a city block long. Anything you need, you can find here. Groceries, jewelry, clothes, souveniers, or electronics. We ended up getting a shot glass for my brother here.

We stopped at a café for coffee and water. At 11 AM, we decided it was time for Bugis Street. We got there and half of the shops were still closed, and the ones that were open didn’t offer anything that we needed, that were funky and/or cheap.

We were pretty disappointed with the shopping. I know now that this area doesn’t get cranking until 4 in the afternoon. Next time I’ll ask the more than friendly clerks at the Hotel 1929 before I go out shopping. Another café, another hot coffee for me and iced coffee for Barbara.

We had checked with the hotel desk about how long it would take to get to the airport in Johor Bahru. For a 5 PM flight, best leave Singapore by 12 or 1 PM, he said. We decided to go ahead and begin our new adventure at 11:30, figuring we couldn’t find anything else we wanted to do in Singapore for 30 minutes. We caught a cab back to the hotel, got our bags, then headed for the Queen Street Bus Station, where you can get long-distance taxis (S$40) to take you across the causeway to Johor and the Bus Station there. You can also take a bus that is much cheaper, but with the taxis you don’t have to unload and reload your luggage at immigration and I thought we would enjoy the less-stressful option.

[Singapore taxis are almost all Toyota Crowns. They remind me of Checker Taxis in the way they are high-roofed, bench-seated, and comfortable carrying large amounts of luggage. Singapore is one of those compact cities that you don’t break the bank by taking taxis everywhere.]

Either we got lucky with the causeway or immigration, or the expected rush of school holiday-makers had yet to materialize, but we zipped across the causeway, stepped out of the car to get fingerprinted by Singapore immigration, and were in Johor in an hour. Another cab, this one from the bus station to Sultan Ismaili, or “Senai” Aiprort
[Note that AirAsia, the low cost carrier, never calls it this on their website, instead calling it Johor Bahru, but none of the locals ever refer to it by anything other than Senai.]

We had lunch there, and watched a 747 from Singapore Airlines do touch-and-gos .It’s an impressive airport, with a pretty modern fountain outside.

Also, there is a large fountain/waterfall in the men’s room for the urinal. I didn’t take any pictures of this, but fortunately there’s a video on Youtube.

And there is a water feature in the ladies room as well.
AirAsia flies from JB to everywhere, and it’s a lot cheaper than flying Malaysia or Singapore Air out of Singapore. AirAsia is the Southwest Airlines of Southeast Asia. I think our tickets were US$120 for both of us from JB to Kuching, and $125 from Kuching to KL. From Singapore to Kuching, it was $220 each on Malaysia. AirAsia is strict about its luggage weight charges. I think we got hit with RM75 ($25) at JB, and RM180 ($56) coming back from Kuching, but even then it was much cheaper for us to fly them. The flight from JB to Kuching was full, but I had paid extra for Express Boarding so we could be sure to sit together. Downside is the time to get across the Causeway.

Our flight to Kuching was uneventful. When arriving in Sarawak from Peninsular Malaysia, you have to clear immigration again, but it is usually only a formality. Our bags came out quickly. At Kuching Airport, you buy a coupon inside and give it to the taxi drivers, rather than haggling with them for the price. Traffic was a bugger, but we finally got into the city and to our accommodations.

Singghasana Lodge was not what we expected. We had to walk up one floor (with our bags). I knew we had to take off our shoes, but Barbara didn’t and hated that after the travel. Our room was on an alley that motorcycles kept running through. And the room was dusty smelling and the air conditioning was struggling to keep up. On the other hand, it was cheap at less than US$40 a night. But it was more hostel than hotel.

Our bed, note bamboo mat and concrete floor below.
Curtain covers window looking out on alley.

Toilet/shower combination

We went out to get some dinner, and stopped at this place on the corner showing American movies on a big screen. Strike 1, they didn’t serve beer! Strike 2, the waiter was hovering over us which didn’t help Barbara’s mood. We ate there anyway, then headed across the street where I could get a beer.

We decided to tough it out for one night, then look at things in the morning. I checked a couple of places online and by phone, including the Harbour View Hotel, the Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Hilton. (Thank goodness for our cellphones and our Digi SIM card.) Xanax and beer made sleep possible, and the next day we moved on.

Singapore - Day 5 - Museum, Orchids, and Night Safari

(By Jim. Warning, lots of pictures.)

We took breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, as it was included with the room. They did a good job with breakfast there, typical western style fare with eggs, potatoes, sausages (with German mustard), and bacon. Coffee was out of an instant grind and brew machine. However, we weren't there to eat at a hotel, so we headed out to check out the Asian Civilisations Museum. We spent two and a half hours going through it, and it is the quality of a Smithsonian.

Edged weapons of southeast Asia

Bronze Age Drum

Buddhist Artifacts

Enormous footprint of the Buddha

Barbara having fun with the hats in the childrens area

Hindu costumes (I think)

Southeast Asian masks and helmets for theater

Jim has horns

Display of jewelry

This jewelry case shows where they were worn with a light-up display

A cannon with a dragon's mouth

Arch to one of the Hindu exhibits

We then had lunch on the terrace of the Museum, overlooking the river through the city, then took a walk.

Singapore Supreme Court

Singapore Parliament House

As we were walking around outside, near the Parliament House, we saw the Singapore Airlines Hop on Hop off trolley come by. It stopped at a stop light, and after a short debate we decided to hop on and see the city. We had wanted to do one of these, and this was just too convenient. Not to mention, I think this is the better value of the two in Singapore.

We went by the Singapore Botanic Gardens, another thing we were wanting to do (to see the orchid garden) so we hopped off. We walked up from the entrance to the Ginger garden to start out.

Various members of the ginger family

Then we went into the National Orchid Garden, which had more orchids than I've ever seen before. Too many orchids! Orchid overload. They even have a garden of orchid hybrids developed at the Orchid Garden which they have named after visiting dignitaries, including the former Irish taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Rare mountain orchid, only one that is really blue

Jade Vine from the Philippines

On the way back, I cut through the rainforest walk. You know it's humid when the rope handrail has mushrooms growing on it.

Pavilion at the Botanical Gardens

After we had worn ourselves out walking around the gardens, we headed back to the pavilion at the front of the gardens to wait for our bus. We enjoyed the ride, but after all of the walking we were tired and didn't want to get off anywhere else. Unfortunately, the closest bus stop to our hotel was about a mile away. On the bright side, though, this stop was a Lau Pa Sat food center so we stopped for a beer and more snacks at a hawker center. Then a long walk to the room, and collapse in room.

Big pork buns, little shrimp dumplings

But we couldn't leave well enough alone and wallow in de agony of de feet, so after a couple of hours of relaxing and stretching out, we took a taxi (S$35 to there, S$25 back because of lower tolls at night) to the Night Safari. At the restaurant there, food mediocre (Jim's lamb burger) to awful (Barbara's Mrs. Pauls superannuated fish and chips).
Night Safari had a cool show with Southeast Asian traditional blowgun displays, then a stage show with nocturnal animals.

Blowdarts and balloons

Pole dancing?

Think you're a tough guy? Here, hold this snake.

Recycling otters

Good evening, ocelot (actually a cervil)

After the stage show, we were then led to a tram that took us through the park. None of the pictures I took there turned out. It was just too dark out. Some of the animals, like flying foxes, were true nocturnal animals, but others like elephants and giraffes, were more daytime animals that they trained to be night feeders, or just had a sleep disorder. Our time there ended around 10:30, and we took a taxi back to the hotel. I went out to get us some snacks at the 7-11 nearby, and then we crashed.

Tomorrow we leave Singapore, head back to Johor Bahru and fly out to Kuching on the island of Borneo and perhaps our favorite part of the entire trip.