Date: 25th September 2010
Since our flight was at 11:35pm (24/09/2010), we decided to leave directly from office and being a Friday evening, we had plans to leave earlier than usual. We checked the timings for the Vaayu Vajra airport shuttle buses & planned on taking bus number 8 or 8A in front of our offices on Sarjapur Road.
After just missing BIAL 8, we got BIAL 8A at around 5:35pm and made our way to Devanahalli. The ticket cost Rs. 180 (per person) and the journey took 2 hours. Once we reached Bangalore International Airport, it began to drizzle. We made our way in and then sat waiting for the Tiger Airways terminal to open.
Once the terminal did open, we were kind of surprised to see our boarding passes to be ones from Air India! Puzzled whether we were on the right flight or not, we did joke about how cheap an airline Tiger Airways was that they used leftover Air India boarding passes. 🙂
Since we were early, we had plenty of time to kill at the airport. We checked out the duty free, had a snack from the expensive options at BIAL and then tried going online using the free wi-fi… which didn’t work. Thankfully, I had my TATA Indicom Photon thumb drive and so I went online to do some more research on places we planned on seeing in Singapore, where to eat and what not.
It was also raining heavily outside but our flight wasn’t delayed by much nor was it cancelled, which was good news. By 11:35pm, we were in our seats. Now, we knew Tiger Airways was a budget carrier and wasn’t expecting much.
And it wasn’t much.
Seats were quite old and looked untidy, some push-back buttons wouldn’t work but hey… we reminded ourselves that we only paid around Rs. 4,500 ($100/€74) for this one way direct flight to Singapore. So we smiled to ourselves and sat back.
We were also quite hungry by this time and waited for the (paid) meals to be served. Though they had a menu with a few notable hot meal options, by the time the air hostesses arrived at our row we were only left with 2 options. In vegetarian – chana (chick peas) curry and rice and in non-veg – beef stew and bun. Since we were quite famished, we asked for both.
We avoided eating a complete meal at the Kingfisher Lounge at the airport because of how expensive it is but after having shelled out Rs. 500+ for the above food, it made better sense to eat from the airport itself before boarding the flight.
Anyway, our flight would land in 2 hours time and we thought about grabbing a bite at Changi Airport.
Yeah, about that.
When we landed, we did land at ‘Changi,’ but just like being told you would arrive at the pearly gates of heaven — and then take a swift left turn into hell, we actually disembarked at the budget terminal of Changi Airport. Okay it wasn’t hell or anything but it wasn’t much to write about either.
Basically a big warehouse turned airport terminal, the budget terminal at Changi had just about enough counters to cater to us “cheap” travellers. I was disappointed I couldn’t see one of the best airports in Asia but once again: Rs. 4,500… direct… we reached Singapore, safe and on-time.
We made our way out of the budget terminal and headed for the free shuttle bus to the main terminal to avail the MRT into the city.
We boarded the bus and got down at Terminal 2…
… which obviously didn’t look like a warehouse.
We bought our MRT cards which cost SGD12 (Rs. 400/US$9) — SGD5 for the card and the remaining is credit — which is SGD7 (if you are that bad at math).
We knew we had to switch trains at Tanah Merah station which is an interchange (we studied the MRT map during our research).
We got down at Victoria station and walked straight towards the Bugis station (our hostel was in between the two). After asking a few passersby for directions, we walked past a blue mosque (which was a given landmark) and arrived at Jalan Kubor (‘jalan’ means ‘road’).
We were staying at ABC Backpackers Hostel, a conveniently located and affordable hostel serving the essentials as far as we were concerned – great location, breakfast, internet, clean beds and clean bathrooms.
How much did it cost us? We booked in May, and for the F1 weekend it cost us Rs. 5200 ($116/€84). That’s for 3 people in a private room for 3 days and 2 nights in the heart of the city (pretty much) — around Rs. 1700 ($38/€27) per person for 2 nights at ABC Hostel.
We couldn’t check in to our room as it wasn’t available yet. So we kept our bags on the shelf rack, freshened up, had breakfast and then stepped out so as not to waste any time.
We first thought of heading to Sim Lim Square and then Little India, so after getting some directions, made our way down Victoria Street.
We took a right and stepped in to a convenience store to try and take a local SIM.
After getting our prepaid SIMs, we tried finding Sim Lim Square — Singapore’s famous electronics mall.
We did find it but given it was still 10am, most shops were yet to open. So we made our way to Little India instead.
We stopped by the famous Mustafa Centre shopping complex (which is open 24 hours) to see what they had on offer. Mustafa sells just about everything, from electronics to clothing and also houses a supermarket and a pharmacy. But we did find quite a lot of fake goods — mostly shoes — being sold at exorbitantly high prices. The Nikes were all wrapped in plastic and sorted based on size, and one look at them gave away their faux pas. Appalling how this “famous” store was getting away with fooling their customers.
After half-an-hour or so, and after checking from basement to the top floors, we left without buying anything.
And with that, Little India was done.
I wasn’t very happy with the photos I took. Granted the skies were grey but I never really had a chance to wait and click, it was all hurried. A lot of times I had to play catch-up as my friends would be ahead of me.
But we had to move on. Ramesh had to go pick up his F1 pass and we still had things to buy.
So we headed to the Farrer Park MRT station which is one of the two MRT stations that connect Little India.
We got down at City Hall MRT, and walked to Raffles City Complex.
The ticket collection point was the Swissotel The Stamford hotel which is attached to the mall.
Ramesh bought the Premier Walkabout ticket which cost him around Rs. 10,000. The ‘ticket’ is actually three badges (one for each day) and comes in a nice framed box, just so you can remind yourself how expensive it is to witness a Formula 1 event live.
After collecting the ticket, we stepped out.
We checked out the official merchandise store, which had apparel from all the major racing teams — all of which was very, very expensive. Like Rs. 3000-plus for a Ferrari t-shirt and such.
We also noticed Funan IT Mall, the other major electronics shopping destination, right ahead of us. So we went there next.
Unlike Sim Lim Square, Funan is newer and lot more posh. That is not to say everything is a lot more expensive here, look around and you’re sure to find a lot good deals.
We had noted down a few good stores in Funan IT Mall, so we first went to TK Photo. I was in the market for a good tripod, an intervelometer and Ramesh wanted to pick up a Kata camera bag. Ramesh found what he wanted but I was spoilt by choice and realized I needed to do a bit more research before I could decide which model to go in for.
After TK Photo, we checked out a few more stores before heading up to the food court for lunch.
When we were done with our lunch, ‘the vegetarian’ had to go down to Subway to have his. This gave me some time to check out some more shops on the higher floors.
The first thing that caught my eye was a window full of Totoro plush toys!
The store had many more inside.
I spoke to the owner who told me he has his sources in Japan for the goods and makes the pilgrimage to nerd-heaven quite often.
If you love anime and video games, you’ll find a lot of stores catering to your geekdom on the top most floors of Funan IT mall.
I then went down to John 3:16 Photo Supplies, a photography store I heard was one of the best in Singapore. It was quite busy and the guy running the place seemed like a really cool guy to talk to. He had a lot of the things I was planning on buying. But, my friends call and said they were done.
So I left, disappointed I couldn’t spend more time there. Actually, I was disappointed I could spend lot more time in Funan which seemed a lot better than Sim Lim Square.
Yes, Funan DigitalLife mall is a newer compared to Sim Lim Square but don’t assume it’s more expensive. It’s also managed by Capital Land, the Singapore-based real estate major that owns pretty much all the biggest malls in Singapore and other venues like Clarke Quay. So you’re not going to find a whole lot of grey market dealers like you would in Sim Lim Square.
After I caught up with my friends, we made our way back. We had yet to check in to our rooms.
Once we got back to ABC Hostel, we checked in to our private room which was cosy and clean enough for us to crash and trash with our luggage.
While we rested, Ramesh got ready to begin his F1 experience. Me & Loi didn’t have a lot of day left so we made our way out again.
This time, I suggested we just walk and check out our surroundings.
We took a left off the main road after we asked a traffic policeman how to get to the marina, and walked across the bridge just to see where it would take us.
Ultimately we hit a dead end… and the whole section was blocked off for F1 events. So we walked back.
After walking by some impressive office buildings (which we were later asked not to photograph by the security personnel) we headed towards Suntec City.
We basically got into Suntec City to get to the City Hall MRT station but since we were there, we had to check it out.
Though not new, Suntec City is a major real estate venture comprising of one of Singapore’s biggest malls (even today), several high-rise office towers and a huge convention and exhibition centre.
We walked out of Suntec City by this point still in search of the MRT station.
Realizing we were nowhere near the MRT, we headed back into Suntec City Mall.
We sat down for evening tea at this awesome-looking food court.
Once we did find City Hall MRT, we got down at Clarke Quay station to head to Singapore river where we planned to take the river cruise by boat.
After a bit of walking and asking around, we reached Singapore river.
The race was happening in the distance and one could hear the deafening sound of the engines. They were so loud (and so good) that I had to call up my friend back in India to give him the experience! (video coming soon)
We walked towards the bridge where lots of people were trying to catch a glimpse of the cars zipping past.
We got to the other side to get to the ticket counter for the River Cruise.
It’s only after getting on this boat did I realize how much there was to Clarke Quay. I know the photos may not show much (video coming later) but the number of restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs are just too many to mention. It’s no wonder Clarke Quay area is the night hotspot in Singapore.
The boat then took a turn and made its way back towards the marina.
I had the look of sheer disappointment at this point. Not that the building was ugly or anything. Just 2 nights ago, my favourite trance outfit Above & Beyond performed here, more specifically at the Avalon club — on top of those three towers — and I missed it because I only heard about it that prior weekend. I seriously considered preponing my flight to arrive in Singapore earlier just to see them at such an awesome venue! But the pains of cancelling and re-scheduling a flight at such short notice, that too with Tiger Airways’ non-existent customer support in India made me drop it. It wasn’t just Above & Beyond. Flo Rida, Steve Aoki, The Chemical Brothers, with many more and the ticket for one night was just Rs. 3k.
Sigh 🙁
Anyway, back to the photos…
There are three pick-up points (& ticket counters) for the river cruise along Singapore river and you can take mine and Loi’s word for it — taking the cruise at night is a must-do when in Singapore!
Back on land, it was time to head to Chinatown for dinner.
Chinatown wasn’t far from Clarke Quay.
We straightaway headed to the ‘food street’ as we were hungry and thirsty!
Scores of hawkers & restaurants on either side, we finally sat down and first, ordered some chilled beers.
We placed our orders from multiple vendors.
It was around 11pm by the time we were done. We could have explored more of Chinatown but we were tired as hell, so we decided to head back ‘home’.
We took the MRT from Chinatown and got back to Kampong Glam.
Once back in the room and a quick hot shower later, I hit the sack. Recalling how much we covered on just our first day, it was a good, albeit a very tiring start to our trip.
I wasn’t thoroughly pleased with all the photos I took today. A lot of them came out blurry which made me want to pick up a good tripod all the more a bigger priority.
Regardless, this was day 1. 155 images (used out of 360 taken), slightly over 3000 words and more than a week to finish. Trying to complete this was as tiring as the day itself.
Now only 9 more days and 3600 more photos to go through.
I’ll upload the videos later.
I’m too tired…
P.S: If anyone is interested in what Ramesh saw at the F1 track on day 1, check out this post.
Other posts in this series:
Singapore & Malaysia 2010: Planning and preparing for the trip
Singapore 2010: Day 2 – Orchard Road, mall-hopping… and already shopping
Singapore 2010: Day 3 – Singapore Zoo, Marina Bay Sands; leaving Singapore for Penang
Malaysia 2010: Day 4 — One day in Penang (Around Georgetown, Gurney Drive, Penang Hill)
Malaysia 2010: Day 5 — Langkawi (Ferry ride from Penang, Cable car & Sky Bridge)
Malaysia 2010: Day 6 — Langkawi (Island hopping tour, Pantai Tengah beach, Night market)
Malaysia 2010: Day 7 — Kuala Lumpur (Low Yat Plaza, Petronas Towers, Jalan Alor)
Malaysia 2010: Day 8 — Kuala Lumpur (Batu Caves, Petaling Street/China Town)
Malaysia 2010: Day 9 — Kuala Lumpur (KLCC Aquaria, Merdeka Square, KL Tower observation deck)
Malaysia 2010: Leaving Kuala Lumpur… and about going back
Loiyumba
20/10/2010Awesome! Lets go again 🙂
Gren
20/10/2010Great stuff Mithun. I went to Singapore (ugh, office work) back in ’07. All I saw was the hotel (Orchid Hotel)! yeah and Little India only coz my co-workers wanted to go there…big whoop…first we arrive from Big India and now this dump! quite filthy for Singapore standards…for Bombay standards, it was heaven!
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
October 20th, 2010 at 3:05 PM
Yeah, I didn’t find Little India ‘filthy’ or anything but then again, I didn’t see all of it.
You’d be surprised how many Indians load the airlines to Singapore and then consider visiting Little India as the highlight of their trip. There is so much more to Singapore.
Kevin Pinto
20/10/2010Awesome Stuff Mithun, Keep it Rolling … 🙂
SOMAK
20/10/2010this is an awesome travelogue – very well written loved the photos – great night shots
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
October 20th, 2010 at 5:32 PM
Thanks Somak.
DeeJay
21/10/2010Nostalgia! Remembered my trips to Singapore… Nice clicks. I need to take some tips from you on photography 🙂
Anoop Prakash
25/10/2010Good Stuff Bro! Keep it coming!
Jay
29/10/2010Amazing pictures. thanks for generously sharing your adventures with everybody.
It gives me an idea of what Singapore is like. Beatutiful city!
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 1st, 2010 at 2:05 PM
You’re welcome Jay.
And yes, Singapore is an awesome city!
Praveen
02/11/2010Aptly shot and lucidly narrated….a great work of finesse….Keep it up Mithun!!
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Thank you Praveen.
Soumya
02/03/2011Mithun ,, i really enjoyed reading ur experience.. but i want to ask one thing y did u go for tiger airways??
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
March 3rd, 2011 at 12:39 AM
Why Tiger Airways? Because we were looking for a one-way direct flight to Singapore as we would be returning from Malaysia at the end of our vacation. Tiger Airways offered a direct flight from Bangalore to Singapore for just Rs. 4500 per person. Yes, the plane wasn’t brand new and they wasn’t any in-flight entertainment… but who cares. We landed in Singapore early morning and landed safely. We wanted to save money and for a 4 1/2 hour flight, Rs. 4500 is extremely easy on our pockets.
Any other major airline like Singapore Airlines or Jet Airways would have charged Rs. 10k+ for a one way journey. Tiger Airways no longer has flights from Bangalore but now that its gone, we are missing it as the only option we now have is to fly the regular carriers. All of whom charge Rs. 17k onwards for a return journey.
Soumya
03/03/2011But they do have flights from chennai,, i found out yesterday only..
I must say u r a real traveler bcoz the way u hv described ur sojourn ,,, i really liked it.
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
March 4th, 2011 at 4:10 AM
Yes, they have two flights from Chennai to Singapore. Lots of Tamilians in Singapore, so that route remains.
And yes, I love travelling! 🙂
Aimee
31/03/2011Once again, great pics you’ve got here. This post reminds me of my latest Singapore trip.
Hope someday you can come over and visit the Philippines. Philippine Airlines now flies directly from Delhi to Manila.
Aimee
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 2:15 AM
Wow. Talk about timing! I’m coming to Philippines in mid-April! 🙂 I booked my flight via Malaysian Airlines as it is the most convenient flight for me from Bangalore. The Philippine Airlines costs way more and the timings aren’t convenient. Plus I need to fly to New Delhi.
I’m planning to visit Manila (duh), Angeles City -> Pampanga, Banaue, Sagada, Cebu (not much), Bohol, and Palawan. I REALLY want to go to Batanes but unfortunately the tickets are too expensive for me right now. Are you in Manila?
Aimee
02/04/2011Really? Awesome then! Send me a message, I can tour you around Manila (my email address is on your email field). Nothing fancy though, I’m living on a tight budget. 😉
I haven’t been to Batanes yet, I missed SEA Air’s latest sale. Bummer!
I’ll wait for your email. Thanks!
Vandak
10/04/2011Awesome pics and log thank you so much! We are an Ozy family of 4 in Singapore June 2011 for only 2 nights. I will definitely make sure we take the nightime river cruise. We have booked to stay IN the Marina Bay Sands hotel…the infinity pool seems an amazing treat for 2 teenage daughters…though am wondering if I might not prefer a lowrise retreat on Sentosa?
Best wishes for your Manila tour.
lovecoke
26/11/2011I am from Singapore, was looking for some MRT map when I came upon ur pics, u know I am surprised at the number of places u visited in just a day, Singapore might be small but u probably need to stay for 4 days or more 2 experience singapore, reason is there are a number of new attractions that come up recently. Yup I can imagine how tired u are after ur first day, I really wouldn’t go that far in a day LOL, sg might be small but its not that small for a city….Oh btw I have never been on that river cruise around singapore river even though I grow up here, might want to try that someday, Anyway take care n come back soon!
p.s oh sim lim square is actually a good place to buy gadgets BUT u need to verify and double check the prices before u decide on something, if u need to buy stuff go up to the 3-5 floor, the shop owners r more honest. also BEST DENKI in malls are pretty much a small choice too.
oh right dont take tiger airways in future that is one infamous airlines among singaporeans too.
lovecoke
26/11/2011If u are coming back in future do google for “garden by the bay”, new attraction beside marina sands, i saw it in one of ur pics too, its under construction right now. Ok all the best and take care. ：）
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 10:54 PM
Thanks Noel (if that is your name :))… but guess what — I came back to Singapore just this past September! 😉
And this time I spent nearly a week AND I flew Singapore Airlines! 🙂 Unfortunately, it wasn’t mishap free as you will see in this teaser post: http://mithunonthe.net/2011/10/06/2011-singapore-gp-f1-concerts-gdtop-seungr-shakira-linkinpark-shaggy-charice-rick-astley-photos/#axzz1epgvFzd9 … and I still yearn to come back to perfect my Singapore experience. I wanted to come back in February 2012 for the SNSD (Girls Generation) concert but unfortunately for me, it got preponed to December 9th and 10th 2011 :-/ Oh well. I chose February hoping it wouldn’t rain as much that time. Who knows.
I still want to have a proper hawker center foodies experience.
lovecoke Reply:
November 29th, 2011 at 11:16 AM
Oh dear my friend, that looks really bad, I hope your injury have recovered, do be careful when u take pictures next time, it really sucks to fall ill when u are overseas. 🙂
Well we are now official in our rainy season and it has been raining for the last 1 month, when feb arrives and if u decide on feb, i think the weather should cleared up by then but no guarantee cos the weather has gone all hay wire recently. next time u are here, I would recommend u visit Pulau Ubin and the marina barrage in the city area. pulau ubin is one of our last rural areas with around 100+ villagers still living on the island. I am not sure if u have visa for Indonesia, u can also book a one day tour to Batam island or bintan, which is like 20km++ n 70+km from us.
u know what, if u and ur friends are shopholic we have like (the great singapore sale) which offers discount of up to 70% in May, if u love to shop, come in may or june then…anyway goggle is ur best friend la, do what u deem fits ur schedule.
btw this website might be useful to u, there is a TO and FROM function in the site, equipped with bus, taxi and train information, useful when u need to navigate around sg, ok 🙂
http://gothere.sg/maps
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 29th, 2011 at 12:04 PM
Thanks ____,
I did consider Pulau Ubin but unfortunately, due to the mishap, my plans changed. Anyway, next time. I did notice The Gardens so hopefully it should open by the time I visit next. I’m not a shopaholic so I don’t really care much for shopping festivals 🙂 I’m aware of gothere.sg, it’s a really good site. I shall e-mail you in case I have any questions about Singapore.
And I can’t believe you haven’t done the river cruise yet! Do it! 🙂
lovecoke
29/11/2011ai ya, having been a resident for donkey years, one is used to the surroundings and u hardly notice any difference *shy smile* river cruise or not.
U should google “old singapore river” image and see what it is like back then…the river is really smelly, yet thriving with life n bumboats, accompanied by the row of warehouses where the pubs and clubs used to sit in the 8os when i was a kid. it’s true that the city has transformed tremendous in these few years, sometimes too fast for some locals…. anyway the “garden by the bay” will opened in june, so it will not be ready if u come in feb.
btw goggle for “Pinnacle@Duxton – The Skybridge” too, it is the highest HDB flats in sg and u can go up to the top and take a look at the city, I think its five bucks per trip. they have a wonderful view of the city area, and a large part of sg’s southern region.
glad the website serves its purpose for u, OK take care bro. 🙂
lovecoke
29/11/2011http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD-0fQVcHf8&feature=related
Good for u to take panoramic shots with ur armed “cameras”, but the weather right now is exactly like what u see in the clip, so if u want 2 come earlier be prepare, or u can come later in the year then.
ok bro take care!
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 30th, 2011 at 1:04 PM
Wow, thanks! Will definitely go there the next time I’m in Singapore. You’re really helpful! Could you add me on FB or can I e-mail you at your mentioned ID? I’ve already exhausted most places in Singapore, so I definitely wouldn’t mind these kind of spots to see another side of Singapore tourists normally don’t go to.
lovecoke
30/11/2011Well I didn’t know u were here for more than 10 days until I looked through all ur postings, Yes u have already exhausted most places, haha, this is why I suggested going into indonesia or JB which is south of malaysia, the local travel agencies have like a one-day trip, u go off in the morning and come back to sg around night time, pretty safe. Sure u can email me at my hotmail account.
Prianka
26/08/2014Hey! I know it has been a few years, but any chance you remember the name of the store that sold those Japanese toys?
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
August 26th, 2014 at 12:48 PM
I forgot the name Priyanka, but there are more than one store dealing with anime figurines on the floor the food court is also located http://www.funan.com.sg/en/store-locator-list/?level=05