Some more photos from the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit);
see also my MRT notes related post for details.
SG: more MRT photos
Tag: transportation
SG: Pulau Ubin details/photos
Pulau Ubin is an island (why yes, “pulau” is Malaysian for island) located in the northeast corner of Singapore, sandwiched between Changi Village (after which the SIN airport is named) and not far from Malaysia. The island used to be home to granite quarries
Getting there takes about 90 minutes, so plan more than half a day for this excursion:
- MRT to Tanah Merah (EW4) station
- Bus #2 to Changi Village (30 min)
- Bumboat to the island (10 min; S$2.50/US$2 each way, no schedule, only leaves once 12 people have queued up – unless you want to pay the full S$30/US$24 amount by yourself or with the others waiting)
The bumboat lands at a little kampong (village; the last one in Singapore), where there is an informative display by the clean wahsrooms, and there are literally hundreds of bicycles for rent; also a few seafood restaurants
Rent a mountain bicycle (S$10/US$8 per day) and head for the eastern tip of the island to Chek Jawa Wetlands Nature Reserve (3.5km), where there is a coastal boardwalk and a mangrove boardwalk (the latter with lookout tower)
- In the mangrove, look for mudskippers which can “breathe” air
- Near the park entrance, look for wild pigs – I saw a lot of piglets too!
- On the north side of the island, you can see a long metal fence in the water just offshore, presumably to keep Malaysians from meandering over (Malaysian mainland is quite close, just under 1km!)
- Enjoy a seafood lunch in the village (near the dock) before queuing for a bumboat back
- On your return to Changi Village, you get to go through a metal detector at the ferry terminal!?
Tip: time your visit for low tide as both the mangrove and coastal walks are more interesting (the water level changes 2.5m/7ft between low and high tide!)
Tip: try out the bicycle including seat height, gear shifting, and make sure it has a lock as you can’t take it into the nature reserve!
Tip: there are a few hills – both up and down 
Tip: the rest of the island wasn’t that exciting, though biking along the mostly shaded road through jungle is relaxing.
Unfortunately it was exactly high tide when I went so I saw fewer sea critters than expected.
Definitely worth going though!
SG: on the road (er, air) again!
After a painful 4:30 alarm clock (and only 3.5 hours sleep), I awoke to pouring rain. The taxi ride was quick with no traffic (about 20 minutes and only S$23/US$19 from Little India).
My taxi driver spoke the local pigeon English – I could only understand a third of what he said. I had read about this language mix, but it’s the first time I really encountered it.
The rain was done by the time we arrived at the airport.
A 3-flight, 28 hour itin today. and only the last and smallest leg upgraded.
I’ll be trying to post more photos and stories during the trip… physically it’s pretty much over, but much left to catch up on the blog.
The Singapore Airlines *A Gold lounge is nice. I’m pretty sure it’s nicer than the nearby contract lounge that UA tries to send you to.
Penang: misc notes
Tip: this website has a useful text description, plus google maps, of all the bus routes on the island. I wish I had seen that before someone sent me to wait on the wrong street for a bus!
Misc notes:
- Penang is both an island and a chunk on the mainland (most people don’t know about the latter)
- The core of Georgetown is a World Heritage Site
- Penang is multi-cultural, with a noticeable South Indian and Chinese population, and you see churches, Buddhist temples, Chinese temples and of course mosques.
- At Penang airport, there is no separation of arriving and departing passengers in the gate area, presumably because it’s a smaller airport (undergoing some renovation and/or expansion)
- Staff at the inn/hostel were all local and smiling and friendly/polite (yes, noticeably so, compared to my previous hotels/hostels on this trip)
- Taxis have meters but never use them (the one I took even had an ironic sign on the door that says “insist on using the meter”). Besides the fixed fares at airport, you bargain the fare when you get in. Still, they’re pretty cheap compared to big cities.
- There are lots of scooters and motorcycles, and they all wear helmets (and jackets on backwards, so that their arms are still covered). They also drive on sidewalks (when there are some)
- I saw a number of cards with “McDon@ld’s drive thru VIP” stickers in the windshield. Now that’s scary.
- 7-11 seems to be staffed exclusively by Muslim women wearing western clothes with a head scarf (and the store may or may not sell alcohol)
- A number of bus drivers were small Muslim women
- Some buses have free wi-fi, and they are testing smart transit cards on a few lines
- Passed a “World Red Swastika Society – Penang Branch” building on way to airport from Penang Hill, a Taoist religious charity organization, similar to Red Cross and Red Crescent, founded in China in 1922
- Saw buildings (factories) for AMD, Western Digital, Bosch and Blaupunkt near the airport
SG: MRT notes
Some MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) notes:
- Not to be confused with MTR in Hong Kong
- Mostly everything a modern subway should be: goes everywhere, clean, air conditioned, wide concourses
- Definitely buy an “ez link” transit smart card (there’s a S$5/US$4 non-refundable deposit), but after Macau, trust me, you really don’t want to futz with change and figuring out fares
- Goes to Changi Airport (but not if you have a late arrival or a super early departure)
- I like the way stations are named and numbered (and colour-coded) by the line designation, e.g. NE7 Little India is the 6th station on the purple NE (northeast) line.
- mobile phones work in stations and trains
- Does have washrooms in unpaid area of stations (unlike Hong Kong which is shameful), but they are very dirty
- Full glass walls on the edge of the tracks; it occurred to me that besides the obvious safety benefits (can’t jump or be pushed by crowds onto the track), it makes air conditioning of the station platform area more efficient.
- There is a local area map in the station, both in the main concourse and, what I find noteworthy, in the middle of the platform as well (this lets you head in the right direction off the platform, which would have have been more useful in Hong Kong since the platforms are twice as long and the exits more spread out)
- Trains less frequent than Hong Kong – about every 5 minutes
- The floor markings by the train doors have a really wide “let them off” marking, i.e. you Q on the side (Q = queue), unlike Hong Kong where the exit lane is about 1/3 the width of the doors (too narrow!)
- Some lines indicate on which side the doors will open, some don’t
General related notes:
- Cars drive on left side of the road (former British colony), just like in Hong Kong and Macau
- Escalators in the MRT stations usually follow the same pattern, i.e. keep to the left, and you stand on the left on the escalator (in Hong Kong this was totally random)
Penang: arrived
Immigration was quick and easy (no forms again) at Penang (although they used a fingerprint scanner on my two index fingers), used an ATM (though the network symbols like Plus were hidden on the side of the machine), and waited for the bus into Georgetown (the airport is in the southeast corner of the island). Snother bus driver said it would take another 30 minutes, so I organized two more tourists and we split a taxi into town for RM45/US$15 total (I was willing to pay it all myself, but I figured I’d see if they were interested. Good conversation in the 35 minute taxi ride (bus is 40-60 minutes).
We were all going to the same backpacker street, which was convenient.
My hostel here is nicer than in Singapore, about 2/3 the price, but better on several fronts (only 3 people in the room, power points at each bed, wifi that works in the room, lockable room)
Off to dinner…
ok, finally booked a flight to (and bed in) Penang, Malaysia
Leaving Wed afternoon, returning Fri early evening. It’s only an 85 minute flight.
About US$160 round trip on Jetstar Asia (with basic seat selections, but no checked baggage – both of these cost extra). Also includes the S$18/US$14 booking fee that didn’t appear until the final confirmation screen. It could have been cheaper if I had booked a few weeks ago (e.g. I saw a one-way flight to KL for $2 + tax on one day).
And as a bonus, it looks like I can do a day boat trip to an Indonesian island from Singapore, which would make it 5 countries this trip
Got my upgrade hkg-sin
Woohoo! But what’s up with taking away water bottles at the gate (without warning)? Ridiculous since that was “handled” at the main security.
Fyi, contrary to what I’ve heard, the Thai lounge was only marginally nicer than the United lounge.
I don’t land until 0:30 sigh.
Weather outlook is hotter than HK: 27-32 C and 40% chance of thunderstorms most days this next week.
If it’s Sunday, this must be Macau…
But heading on to Singapore after a whirlwind 26 hours in Macau.
Baccarat and Sic Bo (3 dice) seem to be the game of choice. But nobody is drinking!
Not many poker rooms.
And now I have a whole new meaning for mall walking.
The World Heritage old town sights are interesting and the Macanese food is good.
At 4:00 I awoke briefly to pouring rain and hoped it would continue so I could relax instead of sightseeing. But alas it waspartly sunny today.
Right now I’m sitting as the lone passenger in the upper deck “super” class (only about two dozen folks in steerage – ha! How do you like that Titanic reference?) on my way direct to HKG airport (no HK customs involved) and am now back into HK cell coverage – I missed it in Macau!
HK: baibai! On ferry to Macau
Ferry terminal was much like the airport, without the annoying security measures. Checked my bag. Went through exit immigration; Macau immigration is on arrival.
Turbo jet is fast and smooth, gliding through the harbour like… oh, never mind.
Just got served an airline style meal. Wasn’t expecting that – just had a snack in the mall before entering the restricted zone.
Still very gray weather which doesn’t make for good photos en route.