Hi Jim
Loved the photos and now wish we had a bit more time in Singapore as I doubt we will be able to do everything. My priority would be the Gardens by the Bay, Zoo by day and night and I would also love to visit the Jurong Bird Park. Not sure how we will fit everything in as one day will be taken by the tour of Singapore. I would love to go on the river as well. Will just have to see what is possible and how much we can fit in the time we have. See you soon.
Jaya
Hello Dave and Jaya,
Glad you liked the pictures - Singapore is a photographer's paradise - and I am hoping that Borneo will be, too.
FWIW my provisional schedule, weather permitting, is:
Day 1 (evening arrival) - if I still have enough energy after the travelling, and if we are not too late, I plan to take the MRT to Marina Bay Sands, perhaps go up to the Sky Park to admire the (night) view, then into Gardens by the Bay to stroll through the illuminated Supertree Grove - there is an inexpensive open air restaurant at the far end where I'll probably eat. Otherwise, head up to Clarke Quay.
Day 2 - this will presumably be the day of the guided tour, which I'll probably skip. although it depends on the itinerary, which I'm sure will include Raffles just for Bob 🙂. There are plenty of places which I haven't yet seen, eg the MacRitchie Reservoir, the Wetland Reserve and the Southern Ridges - or perhaps a I'll make a return visit to the Jurong Bird Park.
Day 3 - definitely the Zoo, River Safari and the Night Safari! A full day there, evening meal at one of the restaurants outside the Night Safari before it opens.
Day 4 - departure day: I think one can check in early at Changi with Singapore airlines, so I am thinking of getting a taxi to the airport and depositing my luggage, then taking the MRT to the Botanical Gardens to see the orchids etc. If time permits, I should like to see the interior of the Sultan Mosque in Little India, which was closed for renovation when I was there last October (you will see this on the guided tour, so you can tell me if it has reopened:-), and perhaps have a ride on the Singapore Flyer if visibility is good. I would envisage returning to Changi in time to join their organised evening tour, as this sounds quite enjoyable. Shopaholics could of course spend the day in Orchard Road, and some of the other shopping centres such as the one below Marina Bay Sands.
One could visit both the Zoo and the Bird Park in one day - as I recall, there is an express bus connection around midday - but this would of course cut down the amount of time spent in the Zoo. I did see a notice that the Bird Park was moving to the same location as the Zoo & Safaris (which are already next to one another on the edge of one of the large reservoirs), but I don't know when this is or was supposed to take place.
All this presupposes that we shall have some dry days in Singapore. I chose October last year as this is in the inter-monsoon period - and it proved to be dry throughout, although the weather forecast showed rain storms every day . . . I think April/May and (I hope) at least the beginning of June is also in such a period, so we may be lucky.
BTW, I took two guide books with me to Singapore: the DK "Top 10 Singapore" and the Michelin "Singapore", as these both have well-described walking routes (the former more up-to-date, the latter more detailed) - there are, of course the usual DK , Insight and other guides, I think packaged with Malaysia, including Borneo.
The only guide devoted just to Borneo which I have found so far is the one in the Bradt travel guide series, which includes some information on what to take. A somewhat larger chapter on this topic is to be found in the Rough Guide to First-Time Asia. Has anyone found anything better?
Finally, I found it convenient to travel round using the MRT (equivalent to the London Underground, but more modern, and air-conditioned), using an MRT card (just like an Oyster card) purchased at a booth in the airport and topped up at any MRT station - but then, I was a Londoner, so this mode of transport came naturally to me.
Jim