East Asia : Singapore & Thailand

Spectacular Singapore

Understand:

Time Difference: 2.5 Hours

Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)

Best Time to Visit: Great to visit through the year but July is the best when Great Singapore Sale and Singapore Food Festival takes place.

Peak Season: February to April and July to October.

I take a red eye flight from Mumbai, India which reaches Singapore at 07:30 in the morning.  9W11

After resting for few hours taking a nap at the Changi Airport and clearing the immigration area; I am out to the Public Area of the Changi Airport.

I take the Metro from MTR Changi Airport to MTR City Hall; a 27 minute travel time; one way fare SGD 2.00.

My first stop is Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay; it is between the Singapore Flyer and the Merlion Park.

Esplanade

From here, I move across the Street to the Fountain of Wealth located in Suntec City Mall known as the largest fountain in the World.

Next I move via MTR Promenade to Singapore Flyer which is a giant ferris wheel it consists of 28 air conditioned capsules capable to hold 28 passengers at one time.

Singapore Flyer 

Then I move towards St Andrews cathedral located in MTR City Hall in Singapore's Central Business District.

From there I head towards the tourist icon of Singapore, the Merlion Park a popular tourist attraction.

Merlion Park 

The Raffles statue where Sir Stamford Raffles landed and a statue is erected there in his honour; not much popular among the tourist.

I head to MTR Raffles Palace and head towards MTR Marina Bay which cost SGD 1.10 one way and takes about two minutes.

Here I walk towards Marina Bay Sands which houses a resort, casino, mall, museum, theatres and seven celebrity chief restaurants.

Next Stop Gardens by the Bay which is promoted as Singapore's outdoor recreation space and a national icon.

It has got few themes; namely, Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Super Trees and Horiculture Themed Gradens.

Gardens by the Bay

     

Next up is Little India where I have some meals before heading back to the Airport as it is the only place in Singapore where you get the Indian Food.

The Cost of travel from MTR Marina Bay to MTR Little India one way is SGD 1.40 and takes about 12 minutes.

After having some veg Indian food; I head back to the Airport as I have to reach the Airport by 7 PM local time to catch the flight; the trip by Metro is 35 minutes long and cost is SGD 2.20.

A few more places to visit in Singapore:

Sentosa Island:  An Idylic Resort Island with beaches and lots of sea sports.

You can walk on the butterfly park trail, dine and shop at Vivo City, take a ride on Skyline Luge Sentosa or the Wave House Sentosa.

Universal Studios: Located at Sentosa Getaway; nice place to spend a whole day with family; cost is:

Adult (Age 13 - 59) : USD 74 (one day pass) USD 118 (second day pass)

        

Child (Age 4 - 12) : USD 54 (one day pass) USD 88 (second day pass)

Senior (Age 60 and above) : USD 36 (one day pass) USD 58 (second day pass)

Night Safari: A wildlife night park which has over 1000 animals from 115 species

Jurong Bird Park: Houses over 380 bird species; places to visit Bird Discovery Centre, African Wetlands, African Waterfall Aviary, Pitter Pellets, the King of the Skies show and the Aviary Hospital which lets you see the life cycle of birds and also the birth of penguins.

The Thai Tourist

 Day One:

I boarded Jet Airways flight from Mumbai which arrived at Bangkok at 07:40.

Took the visa on arrival through express route which costs 1200 baht compared to 1000 baht which is the cost in normal mode.

Then proceed to claim the baggage and then proceed to Hua Lamphong; to reach there we took Airport Line from Suvarnabhumi Airport and got down at Makkasan and then walked a little to the MRT Phetchaburi to Hua Lamphong MRT.

I stayed at S K House, which is right opposite to the Hua Lamphong Railway Station. The Hotel is fine for its cost at 1100 Baht per night with only facility being wi fi and no other add ons; but its location is ideal if you intend to travel by train in Thailand.

Spend the evening exploring the Chinatown (Yarowat Road) and Little India (Phahurat Road); you get a lot of Chinese and Indian food at the respective locations. .

Both places are shoppers and foodies paradise and a must see place are India Emporium and Mega Plaza; the two malls in close vicinity to each other.

Over to Day Two:

I catch the first train y from Hua Lamphong to Surat Thani; Special Express Train No. 43 which departs at 08:05 from Hua Lamphong and reaches Surat Thani at 16:45; the fare is 608 Baht for Second Class A/c Chair and the journey is very slow and frustrating as train stops even at those stations which are not on the official time table.

The train does serves some thai non veg meal and tea / coffee which is manageable for its cost.

But the view of the country side Thailand is worth capturing for the shutter bugs.

The train reaches Surat Thani Station at 05:30 pm late by 45 minutes.

At the station there are lots of touts who would fool the newbie traveller; my advice avoid them and take a songthew to the city centre where I spent my evening at Grand Thara Hotel which costs 550 Baht for one night and includes free internet, wi fi and breakfast.

A very good hotel for its price and centrally located as well.

A useful tip if you need basic supplies like water, milk, fruits, vegetables, etc. rush to Seven Eleven, Family Mart and Tesco Lotus Express Shops nearest to you.

Day Three:

I take the bus from Surat Thani Bus Station which is located at Kasset 1 Road to Phuket.

The Songthew will take you there for 20 Baht and the bus ticket cost 200 Baht and takes about six hours to reach Phuket Bus Terminal; private mini bus can reach faster in four hours for 450 to 600 Baht.

I had booked the hotel on-line as the same is more cheap than booking the same over the counter which can be an expensive proposal.

The Hotel is located at Patong Beach some 35 - 40 mins drive from Phuket Bus Terminal and the Tuk Tuk ride costs around 450 Baht.

I reach hotel rather late in the evening so I just check in and have Indian food for dinner at Pappadams Indian Restaurant near Benzaan Market and retire to my hotel for the night.

The Hotel costs around 1100 Baht for one night if booked on-line compared to 2500 Baht if booked over the counter.

  

Day Four:

I had booked for one day tour to Phi Phi Island which starts at 09:00 in the morning and lasts till 04:30 in the evening.

The Tour starts with a departure from the Challong Pier to the Maya Beach where the movie "The Beach" was shot; just a 20 mins halt to explore the island which is too little time to explore the island.

We then depart to Phi Phi Don Island which is the largest Island enroute we visit Monkey Beach and the Viking Cave.

The Phi Phi Don Island has lots in terms of food and stay options and an hour stay at the island leaves little time to explore the Island but this is the place where they stop for lunch which is covered in tour cost and the food is delight for sea food lover.

Time to depart from Island and we stop in the middle of the sea for snorkelling for 30 minutes we are provided with snorkelling equipments free of cost but you have to pay 1000 Baht if the equipments are broken or lost.

You can rent flippers for 100 Baht to protect against the bites of sea urchin and other sea animals; I recommend you rent it for your own safety if going for snorkelling.

Next stop the final one for the day is Khai Nak Island which is a small private island where yo need to pay for everything including using the toilet and also sitting on the island.

They stop here for half an hour with literally nothing to see its too much of time its something worth giving a miss.

We depart for pier at 4 pm and reach there in 30 mins.

Upon arrival at the pier you can buy a photo frame for yourself for 150 Baht as a sweet memory for your visit to the Island which is absolute worth for its price.

The distance from pier to patong Beach is 40 mins depending on traffic it can be even more.

I walk to the Patong Beach in the evening to see the sun set and retire for the day to my hotel room.

Day Five:

Today its time for City Tour which takes about five hours and covers the following places:

Kata View Point: Form here; you can view the Kata Noi, Kata Yoi and Karon Beach; it is also known as the Three Beaches Hill; a great photography spot.

Big Buddha: A statue atop a hill some 2500 ft above sea level bit similar to the Buddha on the Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

Challong Temple: The Best Wat Temple on Phuket Island revered by the people of Thailand.

Phuket Botanic Garden: Located in Muang District covering various species of exotic plants divided into 12 sections worth visiting for its natural beauty.

A few more visits include the cashew nut factory and the honey factory where you can buy a high quality of cashew and honey for a decent price.

Dinner at Indian Restaurant and the end of the day.

 Day Six:

Take the afternoon flight from Phuket to Bangkok which is an hour and 10 mins ride compared to 14 hours ride if taken through bus and train combination.

The Cost of the Flight is around 5200 Baht while the road transport cost around 650-800 Baht but takes a lot of time.

There are mini van from Phuket to Phuket Airport cost 170 Baht or a private taxi that costs 600 Baht.

You can save on flights if you take early morning or late night flights; the cheapest is Orient Thai which costs 1500 Baht but it departs from Phuket at 23:00 Hours and reaches Bangkok at 00:20 Hours which means you will have to spend the night at the Dong Muang Airport.

After reaching the Dong Muang Airport at 18:40; I took the 17:30 Hours flight from Phuket; I take the exit number 6 and take the A1 Bus to Mochit MTR which cots 40 Baht; from Mochit; I take train to Phaya Thai MTR which costs 40 Baht and from there walk to Ratchaparop MTR and stay at the Baiyoke Hotel which is 5 mins walk from the MTR.

After Checking into the Hotel; I head out for dinner and then walk along the Indra Night Market.

Day Seven:

The Last Day of the Journey devoted completely to shopping at Indra Sqaure; a three storey shopping mall where you get everything you need to shop.

Bargaining there can get you really great deal.

Tips for a trip to Thailand:

1.  Beware of scams as a first timer lots of people will try to con you; recommend you do a bit of research before touching down

2. Language an issue even a simple English sentence needs to be broken into parts for you to convey your message to them, however those relating to travel industry are quite good at English. No harm in learning a bit of thai to make your journey more comfortable.

3.  Bargain (Haggle) as much as you can as its a norm over there and it can help you bag a good deal.