Singapore Adventures---Fall 2005

I used 60,000 Delta Air to fly from Seattle with an 8-day stopover in Singapore and then on to Bangkok, Thailand.  During this trip from October 11 to December 9, 2005, I visited Singapore, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

I arrived in Singapore at about 1AM on October 13th and arrived at my Hotel 81, Geylang around 2:30AM for a short sleep before exploring Singapore.  They have an excellent public transportation system which I used extensively.  I first went to Chinatown and took the walking tour there starting at the MRT Station. Along this route, I saw several foods and goods markets, Pagoda Street with its elaborate Hindu temple and art stores.   

The Chinatown Heritage Centre gave me a quick overview of the area's history and the leaders that transformed Singapore into the powerhouse it is today.

Nearby was the Masjid Jame, a Muslim mosque and then along the South Bridge Road to Smith Street that now offers food stalls. The Lai Chun Yuen opera house was now surrounded by shophouses and tea shops.

Following a few of these walking tours, I booked a Singapore Sightseeing tour which would give me 3 different bus tours of Singapore of various parts of Singapore.  We stopped at some of the places I had already toured plus we ended up on Sentosa Island---kind of a Disneyland type of environment with lots of beaches.  There were the Fort Siloso tour and an aquarium that featured a dolphin show.  At dark, we saw a water laser show with cartoon characters dancing across the darkness.





After Sentosa Island, we continued our tour through Little India, Chinatown, and stopped at Bugis Village--one of the largest flea markets in the world.  We ended our tour near Orchard Road where I caught the MRT back to my hotel area where I came across the Deepavali celebration--Hindu Festival of Lights.



The following day, I took a Singapore River tour during a downpour.  More rain limited the rest of my tour where I limited it to running from one sheltered shop to another in Chinatown.

I had to try out a Singapore Sling while in Singapore.

I ended my Singapore adventures by taking the subway to the airport and a flight to Bangkok.

Trip Cost

The total Singapore trip cost was $309 for a daily cost of $62. The travel and tour costs were $82, lodging costs were $145 for a daily average of $29 per night, and the food cost was $82 or $14 per day.