Singapore & Johor Bahru, Malaysia September 27 - October 3, 2003

My Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX829 departed Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto just before midnight on September 25, destined for Hong Kong, with a one hour stop in Vancouver for cleaning, re-fueling and a crew change. The flight arrived about 30 minutes early the morning of September 27 at the beautiful Hong Kong International Airport, where I boarded Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX717 to Singapore's Changi Airport. The flight arrived at approximately 12:30PM...around 24-1/2 hours after leaving Toronto! Thankfully, due to the late night departure from Toronto (after a full day at work, no less), I was able to get approximately 8 hours of sleep during the flights.

An aunt whom I had not seen since I was 8 months old, was extremely kind to provide me with living accommodations for the whole time I was in Singapore, with my uncle and cousin. During my time in Singapore, I had spent most of my time with my aunt (who showed me around Singapore), and Julinda, a friend whom I had known for what has seemed like forever, but had never actually met face to face until this trip! So this vacation to Singapore was very special from a personal standpoint.

Upon arrival in Singapore, the first thing I noticed was the heat! It was hot! Located less than 100 miles from the equator and completely surrounded by water, Singapore is hot and humid pretty much all year round. During my time in Singapore, the daily temperature was always over 30ºC, with a humidity of what had to be 80-90%. Another was how much of a melting pot of cultures Singapore was. Most signs are in 4 languages, including English, so most foreigners would have no problem getting around. It was also evident that the S.A.R.S. outbreak in the early part of 2003 had completely decimated the tourism industry in Singapore. Nearly every attraction I saw and/or visited had completely new hours of operations posted, which were all shorter than usual, with some attractions practically empty. My aunt, uncle and I even had a very difficult time finding a Chinese restaurant that was open for late morning dim sum. Restaurants that normally opened at 10:00AM were closed until as late as 11:30AM. Even when we were able to find a restaurant that opened at 11:00AM, business was very slow even up until well after 12:00PM. In contrast, while also greatly affected by the S.A.R.S. outbreak, Hong Kong's tourism industry appeared to be on a faster road to recovery.

While most of my time was spent in Singapore, I did make a day trip into Johor Bahru, located on the Malaysia side of the Malaysia-Singapore border, north of the Strait of Johor. Accompanied by Julinda, we were shown around Johor Bahru by a couple of her friends, Melanie and Kevin. The day trip occurred on September 28, my first full day since getting off the plane in Singapore, and I was thrust into trying Malay cuisine and exotic fruit that I had never seen or heard of in North America, and I have to say that my stomach agreed with it. It was unfortunate that, due to the jetlag, I didn't have as bug an appetite I usually do when I travel (then again, I've never travelled over 24 hours to reach my destination before in my life), or I would have definitely liked to have tried more food.

The rest of the time spent in Singapore involved much walking around visiting the ethnic areas , particularly Chinatown, visiting other attractions, and of course, the food. Getting around Singapore was extremely easy. With the use of a smart card, one could travel almost anywhere by bus or MTR train. If funds are running low on the card, it can be topped up at any MRT station. Some other western cities could definitely learn a thing or two from the public transit systems in Singapore and Hong Kong (which operates with an almost identical system), which are among the safest, cleanest and most efficient I have ever travelled on.

Unfortunately, during my stay in Singapore, the Compact Flash memory card in my digital camera malfunctioned on my last full day in Singapore. Much to my efforts upon my return home, I could not recover any of the 30+ pictures I had taken in the 5 full days I spent in Singapore and Johor Bahru. Luckily, I had brought extra Compact Flash memory cards to use for the remainder of my trip, however all the pictures I had taken up to October 2 were lost.

So with no pictures to post of the time spent in Singapore and Malaysia, I give you links to some of the places I saw and visited, and hopefully this will give some idea of what Singapore has to offer.

Night Safari - Located at the Singapore Zoological Gardens, this unique section of the zoo only opens in the evening and showcases animals viewed in a nocturnal setting.

Merlion Park - The Merlion is the icon of Singapore.

Raffles' Landing Site - The landing site of Sir Stamford Raffles, the "founder" of Singapore.

Haw Par Villa - A park with many many colourful statues that tell stories of Chinese legends, mythology and superstition.

Sri Mariamman Temple -  The oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, known for its highly detailed and ornate tower.

Sentosa - Known as Singapore's Island Resort, located on an island south of Singapore, reachable by bridge or cable car. An island getaway, it also contains many attractions for those staying on the island or just visiting. The areas I saw and visited include: Underwater World, Dolphin Lagoon, The Merlion & Merlion Walk, and The Beach.
 

For more information on Singapore: Visit Singapore.

For more information on Malaysia, visit: Tourism Malaysia.
 

next: Hong Kong & Macau
(where I do have photos!)

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