Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia Part 1

This is going to be a 3 part blog. We visited three countries on this vacation. Malaysia and Indonesia will be written on a future blog. Sounds like a lot but it was really not a complicated vacation. Singapore is very small. Malaysia is just right over the bridge to the north and Indonesia is a quick boat ride to the south.

Let’s start off with Singapore. Singapore, or Lion City, is made up of 63 islands. The main island is, to me, like a mini USA. I will explain. The majority of Singapore is made up of 3 nationalities, the Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian, but don’t worry, you don’t have to speak any of those languages to get by here. English is the national business language of the country so you won’t have any problem asking for a taxi or asking for a bathroom. Singapore is also a very rich country and it shows in the prices of merchandise. Sure, you can find good deals just like you can find good deals in the United States but if don’t expect to make your money last here if you go on a shopping spree like in other Asian countries.

When we arrived we looked for a taxi to take us to our hotel. The taxi driver was….different. He was from India and didn’t smile. Most Asian countries I have been to, the taxi drivers “light up” when they see an American. This guy didn’t care. Why should he? He gets paid big bucks here. Other places the taxi driver makes most of his/her money on tips. I asked the driver “Do you use the meter?”

EXPLANATION:  Many third world countries do not like to use the meter. They like to keep it turned off and charge you more than what the meter would show. It’s always good to use meter taxis. Just because it says meter taxi on the cab, doesn’t mean they use it so always ask.

The cab driver looked at me and said “Of course I use the meter! This is Singapore, best cab drivers in the world. This is not China!”. He was upset that I asked him. I saw this was not going to go well, I didn’t want to get angry within the first 30 minutes of our vacation so I walked off and got into another taxi.  The streets were like driving on glass and palm trees lined the roads. It looked expensive. I’m sure if I rolled down the window I could smell money.

The hotel was beautiful and expensive compared to other places I have been, but it was worth it because we did not want to find out if Singapore had a “Bronx” area and we certainly didn’t want to have a hotel in one of those areas.

The first night we did what we always do, which is really nothing. Relaxing because I know the rest of the vacation is going to be like a mini workout, walking and walking. We did however; take a short walk around the area just to see what was around the hotel, which wasn’t much, other than other hotels and business offices.

Usually on vacation we just kind of wing it but this time we decided to go with a guided tour so the next day was an early wake up call. I say early but it was really 8 AM. When you’re on vacation, 8 AM is too early. The tour company sent a bus to pick us up at the hotel and took us to the tour office. We had to wait for other buses to arrive with the other guests. My wife and I met up with another couple, a man from the United States who works for Pampers, I’m guessing he was a big shot, not sure and didn’t ask. We hit it off pretty well so us four hung out for the rest of the trip exchanging numbers at the end of the day, but of course we never kept in contact.

The tour took off at 9 AM with a drive around the island showing different statues and buildings. The best part by far was the Merlion statue. It’s the most famous statue of Singapore and is well worth it to see it. The Merlion has a body of a fish and a head of a lion. We all “oohh’d” and “aahh’d” for a while and then it was off to Chinatown. We stayed in Chinatown for a couple hours which was really not enough time. Chinatown was great. This is probably the one and only spot in Singapore where you can get some cheap bring home presents. The food was great and the people there were very friendly. I was laughed at by a few Chinese because I couldn’t eat with chopsticks but it was all in good fun. I’m sure I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. I really recommend Chinatown to anyone visiting Singapore.

Sometime after Noon we all loaded back up on the tour bus and drove to the next destination which was a cable car area. We were going to go to a smaller island off of the main island named Sentosa Island. Here you have a choice; either take the bridge on the tour bus or take the more scenic route and ride the cable cars across to the other island. We chose the cable cars of course. Hey, I live dangerously sometimes. The cable car sits 6 people and is enclosed by glass so we shared a car with the couple we had met at the tour office. At its highest point, you will be 300 feet above sea level and it takes about 12 minutes to travel from one island to the next.

Sentosa Island has beautiful beaches, five star hotels, golf courses, light and water shows, an underwater sea world, and Universal Studios park. One thing worth mentioning is “Songs of the Sea”. I highly recommend you seeing this show. Songs of the Sea is a show given on the beach right after dark and is fun for all ages.

Bottom line is make sure you visit Singapore, but bring your wallet with you.