For our inaugural trip out of the country I ran a poll with my family to choose between Bangkok, Jakarta, Brunei or Singapore. Majority of the kids picked Bangkok but little that they know that for Singapore, we'll be going to the Universal Studio Singapore (USS). Being the cool and kind parent that we are, we decided to buy plane tickets for Bangkok in December and visit Singapore/USS as well in July.
As I said, it was our first trip out of the country. My and wife and I may have visited southern Thailand near our hometown border when we were little but that didn't really count. I took us 6 hours and a thousand ringgit to apply for our passports at UTC Mini Keramat a few months ago but it's a price we need to pay for an opportunity to travel the world (eceh).
As always, we didn't pay for any tour guides or travel agents for our trip. We planned the itinerary down to every detail. Unfortunately for us, the ringgit to Singapore dollar exchange rate were at their all time low so we really need to plan a shoestring
budget for our visit. That's why we spend over a hundred ringgit buying Brahim's briyani packs for the trip. Sounds a lot but bear in mind, food in Singapore is going to be much much more expensive.
We booked our hotels and bought USS tickets beforehand and ordered our Singapore eSIMs on Shopee. Then I fill up the SG arrival card form on their website which you can do two days before entry. Apart from that, remember that your passport must have six months or more validity before you can use them.
Our journey started on a Thursday afternoon after the kids came back from school. Sure we can leave earlier but we didn't want the kids to miss a lot of school. Skipping them on Friday is bad enough. From KL, we stopped by Malacca meaning to have Asam Pedas Pak Man but unlucky for us, the restaurant was closed for the whole week. Malay restaurant owners and their propensity to close shop for weeks on end I tell you. In the end we had lunch at some random restaurant next door which cost about the same as Pak Man's.
We booked an AirBNB at Setia Sky 88 condo in JB. Not bad for RM170 for the entire unit. Next morning we had breakfast at Anjung Selera Larkin and then parked our car at a friend's apartment near Jalan Abdul Samad. From there we took Grab to JB Sentral. From JB Sentral we just walked to the Customs ,Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex next door. There were some crowd queuing to enter Singapore but it went pretty smoothly thanks to the autogate where we can simply scan our passports and go through. Sadly it also means there's no more stamping our passports like the old days. How else am I going to show people where I've been?
From the CIQ, we took a bus to Singapore immigration. The bus stand is just below the complex and we paid around 4 ringgit each. On the Singapore side, the entry is slightly longer because they were more thorough with the inspection and also scanned all our luggages and belongings. I forgot that I put a pen knife somewhere in our toiletries bag so poor Adam had to undergo a minor interrogation before being given entry into Singapore (note to self: remove any knives or sharp objects from luggage before travelling).
From the SG immigration, we took another bus to Kranji MRT station. This bus only accepts cash (with no change) or curiously enough, Visa cards only. Linda and I used our Visa cards but we had to pay extra for the kids because no changes. Also, we can only buy EZlink cards which is our Touch n' Go equivalent at MRT stations and not at that bus stand. At Kranji, we finally bought our EZlink cards for $10 each (with $5 value) and reloaded some more for our travels. Because it was already late, we decided to skip Merlion park first and head straight to Sultan Mosque instead. We arrived at the Bugis MRT station with just enough time to join the Friday prayers at the mosque. Linda and the rest crossed the street to eat at Zam Zam restaurant. Linda told us the restaurant owners were less than pleased to see her spend too much time at the tables eating only roti canai and fried noodles. They were too eager to vacate the table for other customers to use.
So instead of having lunch there, we walked a bit to kampung Glam nearby and had lunch at Kampung Glam Cafe instead. A plate of fried chicken and rice with iced tea cost around $23 for the five of us which is relatively cheap compared to Zam Zam. Of course if your convert the currency, it will be around 79 ringgit which is a lot but everything IS much more expensive in Singapore, there's no getting over that. One thing I noticed, most shops don't accept cards or QR payment and only cash. At least we are ahead of them in that department. Afterwards we took a bus to Lorong Geylang 23 where we'll be staying. The Geylang lorongs are infamous for their red light activities but we didn't see anything in broad daylight and also it the iBis budget Singapore Ruby hotel is the cheapest hotel we could find there with the least scary reviews. Even then I had to pay over 1550 ringgit for two tiny rooms for two days. Could have we booked a cheaper hotel in Johor Bahru instead and commute there? Of course but we wanted to save time and energy during our holiday so we decided to pay more for a two days stay at the same hotel instead. At least we can leave our belongings there and travel light to our destinations.
In hindsight, we should have come to the hotel first, drop our heavy luggages and then proceed with our travels. Lugging around a packed 24 litre bag was less than ideal. After checking in and refreshing ourselves, we walked a bit to Geylang road to board the bus there. The best thing about Singapore is, their streets are mostly walkable unlike Malaysia. Add that with their excellent and reliable public transport, you don't really need to own a car to travel anywhere. Our bus took us straight to Fullerton road which is next to Merlion park where we can see the Merlion statue. Your visit to Singapore won't be complete if you don't come there at least once for the obligatory pictures. From Merlion we just walked along the waterfront boulevard to Marina Bay Sands and the iconic floating Apple Store there.
From Marina Bay Sands, I actually wanted to go to Mustafa centre but the family outvoted me to visit Gardens by the bay instead. Lucky they're just next door to the mall so we could just walk over there. Visiting in the evening gives you the chance to enjoy the light and music show around the Supertree grove at 7:00 PM and 8:45 PM. This month's theme was musical and it was a sight (and sound) to behold. You just have to visit Gardens by the bay at night.
Our second day in Singapore was spent pretty much inside Universal Studios. But first we had breakfast at Geylang Serai Market and Food centre which an acquaintance tipped that they serve inexpensive food which was true enough. Nasi lemak with fried chicken at $4 and friend rice at $6 are relatively cheap la. From there we took the bus to VivoCity and then the monorail to Sentosa Island/USS. Being a weekend, there were unsurprisingly a large crowd before the entrance to USS. We queued for half an hour or so and after a little pushing and shoving (by others, not me), got ourselves in. Contrary to popular belief, they don't really check your bags for outside food or drinks. With crowd that big, it was simply not feasible.
While Asif, Linda and I queued for the kiddy rides, the rest of the kids made their own way around the park to queue for their preferred rides. The tagline for USS should be "60 minutes wait for 5 minutes ride" because that's the recurring theme during our visit. Yes the attractions are aplenty and some of them were quite exciting and fun but I didn't get the chance to enjoy much of the good ones due to my parental duties (I'm looking at you Asif). The only fun ride I managed to try is the Cylon later in the evening. When I was younger, I could take this ride headlong without any problems. Now, the extreme roller coaster ride gives me headache and a backache and I had to close my eyes most of the time. That's the universe telling me I am old.
The elder kids however, enjoyed themselves thoroughly with as many rides as they managed to queue for. Honestly, I don't think I want to queue for an hour on average for each ride. We had dinner at Goldilocks restaurant in the theme park. For $17 for each meal, it cost us over RM270 for lunch that day. Daylight robbery, that's what it was, nothing less. We didn't leave the park until it closes at 6:00 PM and Asif crying because we don't buy him any of the enticing toys. Sorry kid, we burst our budget buying lunch earlier so maybe next time. After USS, everybody was tired and while I wanted to go to Mustafa centre next, the pain of paying $90 for lunch still lingers and we really don't have the mood or budget to do any more shopping. Ultimately, we just took a bus back to our hotel and enjoy our packed Brahim's briyanis. They're a lifesaver, literally.
On the last day we had Changi airport's Jewel on our agenda. We checked out of our hotel and took the MRT to the airport. From terminal 3, we walked all the way to Jewel when you can actually take the SkyTrain there (nobody told us). Jewel was impressive of course, a giant manmade waterfall right inside a shopping mall. On the rooftop, we saw a playground area where we thought Asif could enjoy himself. True to theme, the playground is $8 per head per entry so that's about it. After Changi, we took the train straight to Kranji MRT and then the bus to Woodlands. And that concludes our Singapore tour of 2023.
All in all, our first trip to Singapore would be much more enjoyable if not for the terrible exchange rate. While we can blame Mahathir and 60 odd years of BN mismanagement for that, the fact remains, visiting Singapore, especially USS is not for the masses, especially middle class people or lower with not much disposable income. Sure we could probably skip USS and do some more shopping but this trip is not just for us adults but more for the kids. I don't know when we will be visiting the island state again so might as well go to USS while we're at it. Those tickets are sure damn expensive but the memories are priceless.
There's a lot of things we can look up to Singapore about. The excellent public transportation, walkable streets, good public facilities, tourist attractions, high currency value, good education system and good job opportunities. That said, one thing I noticed is that Singapore is lacking customer-friendliness, especially at eateries and regular shops. One morning, the owner raised his voice at Warung Syuhadah because I asked about the nasi lemak price too many times. Can you blame me when the food are so expensive there? It's a cold, profit-driven world here, no room for empathy or hospitality. Sure they have skyscrapers and beautiful attractions but I'd still take our wide open spaces, lush jungles and greeneries any time. I can't picture myself living in the small confined space of this city state for long.
Despite our shortcomings, I still believe with the right administration and policies, we can be on par or even better than Singapore in 30 to 40 years time. Just don't start voting for PAS/PN again cause that's going to take us in the opposite direction.
As with any place you go to, there's surely going to be some ups and downs. Singapore is an expensive travel destination and you better be best prepared if you ever want to come visit. Would I recommend it? Sure if you can afford it. At least stick to the city centre and skip the monetary black hole that is the Universal Studios.
Here's some pro tips for your first visit to Singapore:
- Make sure your passport is valid for 6 months or more
- Fill up the SG arrival card form minimum two days before entry
- The Woodlands bus only accept cash or Visa credit/debit cards. Plan accordingly
- You can pay for the rest of Singapore buses/MRT rides with EZlink cards, Visa, Mastercard or cash (no change though)
- Children under 7 years old travel for free, don't even need to apply for the children concession card
- Download MyTransport SG app to plan for your journey, find bus stops/MRT stations and find out which bus/train to take
- Download SimplyGo app to check EZlink card balance and get the cost for bus/MRT rides
- Leave your luggage at the hotel first even if you cannot check in yet
- Most shops only accept cash or NETS card, not many accept credit/debit cards or QR pay like Alipay
- You can buy and reload EZlink cards at all MRT stations
- Order Singaporean SIM or eSIMs from Shopee. They're much cheaper than local telco roaming charges
- Maxis/Celcom users must disable voice mail and data roaming to avoid automatic roaming charges
- Order Wise debit card and reload Singapore account. You can use the Wise card to make free ATM withdrawals (debit/credit card withdrawal will incur charges)
- Try to visit USS on weekdays to avoid the weekend crowd
- Do not bring any knives or sharp objects in your luggage/backpack!
- If you're on a budget, bring a lot of Brahim's meal packs. You can simply reheat and enjoy the meal in your room
Suggested Singapore itinerary:
Day 1
Morning
Breakfast at Anjung Selera Larkin
Change money at Max Money B.Point or JB Sentral
Park at Kim Teng Car park: https://goo.gl/maps/FAVdrgg7R7ELLnst7
Grab to JB Sentral
Walk through Malaysian immigration
Take bus to Singapore immigration (pay with RM)
Walk through passport control, scan luggage
Take bus to Kranji MRT (pay with SGD or Visa only), buy EZLink cards (SGD10 with $5 value). reload around $15-$20
Kranji MRT --> to hotel to drop off luggage
*use MyTransport SG app to plan journey, find bus stop/MRT station, which bus/train to take
*use SimplyGo app to check EZlink card balance, get bus/MRT fees
Afternoon
Take bus or MRT to Bugis Street
Visit Bugis Street --> Sultan Mosque --> Arab Street
Lunch at Kampung Glam Cafe
Check in hotel
Evening
Take bus to Fullerton Road or MRT to Raffles Place
Walk to Merlion Park --> Marina Bay Sands --> Apple Store --> Gardens by the bay (light show at 7pm & 8:45pm)
Return to hotel
Day 2
Morning
Breakfast at Geylang Serai Market and Food centre
Take bus or MRT to VivoCity
Buy monorail tickets at Level 3
Take monorail to Universal Studio Singapore (open 11:00 AM). Can bring water and food in backpack
Lunch at USS is $15-$17 per person
Evening
Return to hotel or go to IKEA Alexandra
Day 3
Morning
Take bus or MRT to Mustafa centre
Afternoon
Take MRT to Changi Airport
Take SkyTrain to terminal 3 --> Jewel
Evening
Take train to MRT Kranji --> bus to Woodlands --> JB CIQ
Grab to car park
Optional:
National Museum (paid)
Singapore Botanic Garden (free)
Singapore Zoo (paid)
Singapore flyer (paid)
Natoional Gallery Singapore (paid)
Sim Lim Square (electronics)
