The bus ride took about four hours and the bus stopped two times at the border. First in Malaysia's side and then in Singapore's. After border formalities we went to the exit and looked for our bus. It took us some time to go through the border since there were plenty of people and the bus left almost immediately after we had hopped on. There were still some people missing but the bus driver didn't seem to care so it's strongly recommended to take good care of your ticket, because you can just hop on to the next available bus. Also take care that you don't leave anything on the bus while crossing the border.
The final stop was at Golden Mile Complex, where we walked about five minutes to Nicoll Highway MRT Station. There we withdrew some money from an ATM and took the metro to Chinatown. Singapore is an expensive place and we're on a budget so we had booked our stay in a capsule hostel. I've stayed in few capsule places but what was neat about this one (Chic Capsule Otel) was that they provided smart TVs in every capsule with YouTube and other apps. Much appreciated. We left our luggage in the hostel and made our way to Gardens by the Bay near Marina Bay Sands. We strolled around in the beautiful surroundings and found a place for Sini to enjoy her Fazer Blue chocolate which she had guarded for all our trip. It was Finland's 100th independence day so the moment was on point. After taking our time enjoying the garden we continued our walk but couldn't prepare for what was waiting for us next..
 |
| Happy Birthday Finland! |
We were really surprised to see a 100th independence day of Finland celebration event there in the middle of Singapore. As we stood outside the doors taking some pictures, a lady came out and asked if we were Finnish. We said yes and after chatting a while she handed over gift bags to us which was a wonderful surprise. With the gift bags in our hands we went back to the hostel. I drank my blueberry lemonade found in the bag and we went to bed soon after. As I mentioned there were those smart TVs so it was time for YouTube and some Jomez Pro disc golf before getting sleep.
 |
| Gift bags |
 |
| Disc golf time! |
Unpleasant wake-up
Waking up in the small hours guns pointed at you and police telling you to get to the lobby with your passport is not an ideal way to spend your night. Well beggars can't be choosers I guess so we went downstairs and waited with other guests for a while until the police said we can go back to sleep and apologized for the trouble. Later we found out that there was somebody with a knive in the other room they were looking for. He had robbed or stabbed someone in the street or so we heard. What a nice first ever hostel experience for Sini. :p
We survived the rest of the night without interruptions and made our way to the Maxwell Food Centre before noon the next day. Singaporeans love their food and the place was packed. There are over a 100 stalls serving various delicious dishes so there is no shortage of choices. If you google Maxwell Food Centre one thing you come across certainly is Tian Tian Chicken Rice. They're very famous and the lines for the stall are exceptionally long. Anthony Bourdain has praised their chicken rice and Tian Tian has been mentioned in the Michelin Guide under Bib Gourmand (excellent price-quality ratio) two years in a row. Sini got to the end of the line for the chicken rice and I went to get something more.. unusual. I found a stall that served cheap Kuay Chap. Pig organs, intestines, all that good stuff with some flat white rice noodles.
 |
| Suspicious piece of organ |
After the meal we crossed the road and visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. It has a free entrance and some interesting architecture so it's definitely worth a visit if you happen to be nearby. After the temple we took a metro to Little India and did some shopping in Mustafa Centre. There's all kind of stuff imaginable and the shopping complex is open 24 hours. 2 meter long usb extension cables were something like 5 euros a piece so we bought two of those. I'm using one right as I write this, very convenient when power outlets are sparse in the hotel rooms. It was raining outside so we didn't stay around Little India after getting out from the shopping center but instead went back to the hostel.
I've had an itch for a good barbecue after visiting Best Beef in Bangkok. There was a Korean BBQ buffet restaurant within a walking distance from our accommodation and we were hungry later that night so that seemed like a good idea. The price wasn't too bad but the food was just mediocre. I had 5 plates regardless :D
We had to change our hostel next day because the one we stayed in was fully booked. We made our way to the new place located in Kampong Glam area and left our stuff there. Then we wandered in the area looking around for breakfast and later took the MRT to Marina Bay and walked there for a while. We also went to Marina Bay Sands and bought the tickets for the Skypark, then stayed on the observation deck through the sunset enjoying the views. We took a ride back to our hoods and went to a cat cafe we'd seen earlier. They seem to be quite popular in Asia so it was nice to visit one especially because the employees seemed to really care for the animals. It was getting a little late so after the cat cafe we had bitterballen and dinner across the road in a Dutch place.
 |
| View from Marina Bay Sands |
 |
| Meomi Cat Cafe |
Changi Airport was a place of joy. Sini found Finnish chocolate and there were free foot massage chairs which felt heavenly after so much walking previous few days. I read afterwards that there are also couple of full body massage chairs in terminal 3, so maybe next time.. Although the airport was good, we had a flight to catch and few hours later we found ourselves in the bustling city of Jakarta in Indonesia. There were plenty of people trying to offer us a taxi ride from the airport but we ignored them and got to the Blue Bird taxi line. It is the most reputable taxi company in Jakarta and they always use meter. Doing some research before arriving to a new place can save you a pretty penny. And taxi scams are one of the more popular ones.
 |
| Sooo good |
We were greeted by a cheerful "Yello!" when we got to our hotel (Yello Harmoni Jakarta). The neighborhood was a little sketchy but the hotel itself was really nice with overly friendly staff. It was also raining almost all the time so we spent most of our three days in Jakarta in the hotel. We had the mandatory Hard Rock Cafe stop so I could expand my collection and we visited some shopping malls also. There was a free computer corner in our hotel so I made good use of it and updated the blog. It still took a surprisingly long time just for a one post even using a computer. The last night we got to admire a violent thunderstorm (myself in front of the window and Sini from the bed under the blanket) as our room was high up. We just hoped the weather would get better the next day when we had our flight to Yogyakarta..
- Matias
 |
| Storm approaching |
Our route so far
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti