Singapore Sling, into Malaysia

Arrived in Singapore, got some pamphlets and maps from the tourist information at the airport and caught a taxi to my hotel.

The hotel was really nice, a double bed (well actually two beds pushed together, but Im not complaining) free internet usage (and if you had wireless you could use your own laptop) and a swimming pool. Unfortunately for me, I mucked around too long writing emails, reading the pamphlets etc, and then I wasn't allowed to have a swim. After a shower and dinner, I decided I should make the most of being there (versus having an early night because I was quite tired) so I got a taxi to town. It was a Tuesday night, so it was pretty quiet. However I did have a Singapore Sling - a famous cocktail. It was not too bad, but a little too lolly-tasting.

The next day I got up and investigated, and made plans to go to Malaysia. It started to rain, so I decided I may as well leave sooner rather than later. So I did. At the bus depot there was a guy exchanging money. I was a little wary of him for a start because he wasn't very offical, but apparently his rate was about right, so I changed some money.


On the bus I talked with a couple of people, one was a French woman, who lives in Singapore, and was showing her parents around (I think her mother was Singaporian or Malaysian though) and then with a Belgian woman who is living in Malaysia.

So anyway the trip was kind of interesting, we stopped once for food and then got to Malacca (or Melaka, depending on how you want to spell it). At Malacca there was a guy advertising his guest house. I was wary of him too for a while, but he ended up being quite helpful and not pushy, and had lived in Canberra for a while, so I ended up going to his guest house which was quite cheap. When I got off the bus to the guest house, I met some girls with funny accents. So I asked them where they were from, and they were Kiwis! so we walked together to where the guest houses were. They were going to stay in another, but it was full, so we ended up staying in the same one. So after showers and stuff, we went out together to get some food. The awesome thing was, was they had real Kiwi appetites, hungry, meat-eating chicks. So I was suitably impressed. Anyway, we played pool, I got thrashed, and then one of them needed to sleep, so she went back to the hostel. So me and the other girl (an accountant, at the same stage as me) had more of a look around, the last place we went to the owner wanted to challenge us to a game of Connect 4, if I won she would buy both of us a drink, but if she won, I had to buy another drink. Being out of practice, I lost. But after that me the kiwi girl played and I think I won most games after that.

The next day we looked around Malacca, which was quite historical - it is where many Portuguese, Dutch, British, Chinese and Indian immiggrants came to. There were several museums and ruins worth checking out. So after a tuktuk ride back to our hostel to pick up our bags (again I was wary, but the guys were really friendly, and not dodgy, and had English that was more than seller english) we walked, and then caught the bus back to the bus station. From there we got a bus to Kuala Lumpar (KL).

The girls had been to KL before, so we went to the hostel where they had stayed before. The hostel was in KL's chinatown. Again, we went and had some dinner, and then went to play pool. I was feeling tired, so I called it an early night.

The next day, me and one of the girls went to the Petronas towers. We had to get there early and queue for a long time, but you did that to get the free tickets. Actually on the train on the way there we met a Filipino couple who were doing the same thing. So we ended up spending a lot of time with them, in the line, and then later when we came back to go up the towers.

With the towers they take you to the Skybridge which joins the two towers. Its OK, considering its free, but I would have liked to go to the top.

So after that we all parted ways. I went and took some more outside photos of the towers, and then found an information centre so I could plan what else I could see in KL before leaving. I decided to go to the science speed museum in the towers, and then saw Little India on my way back to the hostel.

I got back to the hostel, picked up my bag, and then jumped on a bus back to Singapore. Lo and behold, the Filipino couple that I had met earlier were on the same bus. So on the few stops we had on the way back to Singapore we had a few yarns about the day.

Funny thing was, when we got to the customs back in Singapore, we took slightly longer, because of the line. Anyway, our bus took off without us, which was strange. Surprisingly I wasn't so annoyed. Luckily I had taken my bag with me (because you have to). Anyway, there was a city bus heading back to the city so we jumped on that (me, the Filipino couple, and another couple.)

I ended up staying in a cheap (yet good) backpackers near the life. I was quite happy, it had a double bed, ensuite, 2 complimentary bottles of water, and internet (although the internet was quite bad). That night I had a bit of a look at the nightlife, but was uninspired.

The next day, I checked out Singapore's little India, caught the bus that takes you around Singapore, went to the Singapore Motor Show (co-incidentally it was on while I was there, I just happened to discover it). That night I went to the night safari at the Zoo, and then got dropped back off in town. I went to a popular American restaurant for dinner, and then caught a taxi to the airport via my first hotel to pick up my luggage.

At the airport I spent about 3 hours rearranging my luggage, getting rid of excess junk, and transferring the heavy stuff into a big shopping bag (thats how you get around weight restrictions kids). Then following that I went through customs into the departure lounge for about three hours. However I quickly spent that time, after writing a few emails, eating, and having a well-deserved shower. So I hadn't had sleep by the time I hopped on the plane, but I slept through most of two movies, and then was sweet.