i have been traveling to singapore many times. i Love singapore i Love their environment i Love their food i Love their architecture , as a tourist i was been treated so well...
Some peoples says traveling is an expensive thing but it WASn't for me.. cause i'm a Smart traveller.. not 100% backpacker ;D. My last time visit singapore in February 2012 i spent 3 days in there with total budget just 1.500.000 IDR or 210 SGD . 1 SGD = 7300 IDR. that budget is cover all of my cost, including accomodation, visit tourist place, food and city transportation. but excluding airticket and shopping.
1st Day
I took for the morning flight and landed in singapore at 10 AM. after that i refil my EZLink with 20SGD for 3 Days. (i'll explain later). than i go direct to hostel in qlarke quay area. when i arrive in the hostel it wasn't my check in time yet, so i just left the bags than i continue my trip to another place.
The first place that i visit is singapore zoo. ya, i've been singapore for many times but honestly this my first time to visit singapore zoo. i visit jurong bird park already but that was so boring, but my boss always mention if the zoo is a interest place to visit. First comment is 'FAR' !!!
singapore is a small country and they have a good transportation so your don't need a long time to go around. but i think to visit the zoo is the longest trip in that city. from the city is almost 1.30 hrs more to catch that place. it's so WOW !!!.. fortunately the transportation is so well condition and very simpe so i didnt feel bored.
Finally i arrive to that place.. not much bigger than safari Zoo in Indonesia. but that place is more catcy... and looks so natural .. the designer was so COOL!!! all are manmade even for the forest tree.. that's the point, in Singapore everything is POSSIBLE..
i made the wrong schedule. i thought i just need a many hours to explore the singapore zoo. the fact is i spent one full day in there. oh ya.. before go to the zoo i vising Boon lay (Jurong mall) to take a lunch, so i just came to the zoo at 1 PM, that mean i just have half day to explore. it wasn't enought.. trust me.. and i have arrive in hotel before 8 to get the bed so i left the zoo in 6 PM..
After Check in and clean up our body we just take a rest and waiting for our turn to take a shower. ya, i told you before is i booked a hostel room. but this a boutique hostel, the name is Five stones hostel
. for the location,room standart,cleaness,staff,foods i give 95 from 100 .. highly recommend it !!
.
As a hostel standart we get a share dormitory room with 12 peoples mix people, shared bathroom (will be seperated betwen woman n gent) and they have a internet corner beside the lounge (for entertaiment) and food spot. the interst thing that i prefer to stay in hostel and hotel are the budget,experience,meet the people from another country who will be able to be your travel friend, so if you travel alone you should stay in hostel so if you lucky you will got a friend to company you during your trip. i always pick the lower bed to sleep cause i am a big woman hahahhaa... but fortunately the people who always sleep in my upper Bed is handsome guy.. ;D...
Back to the trip.. after that all i go to chinatown to looking for the souvenir and maybe for the dinner. why i said maybe?? because it's hard to find halal food in that place you will see and smell pork anywhere hahahha... from my hostel it's not to far to go to chinatown just need take a bus infront of lobby of my hostel. ya my hostel place in front of bus stop and near from qlark quay station jus 10 mins my walk. so good location !! ok once more.. highly recomment it !! :)...
When i arrive in chinatown my woman instinct is 'BLOW UP' hahaha... ya the place is a shopping paradise. but i have to held my desire if i'm looking to may wallet hahahaha... so i just buy a some souvenir's for my work mate and then go straight until the end of the street hahahaa.. and as i thought i didn't get any halal food in there.. not far from my hostel is there any food corner but that's a different line between that place and chinatown. we are so tired and we decide to buy some food in anywhere . and we got 7/11 so. we buy some food in there.. and i also buy some noodle, that will be cooked in the midnight if we get hungry
after that we sleep so well... in the comfort purple room ;D
2nd Days
We are the group traveller of 4 womans and 1 man. in the 2nd days we have a different plan. 1st group wants to go to Universal Studio and the 2nd group wants to visit another place. i'm join in the 2nd. cause i've been visited that for 2 Times. ok that the schedule is we have bring the 1st group to their plan first. Universal studio in the sentosa island. sentosa is a famous island in singapore. Some people says if the island was built by sand from indonesia. many indonesia islands was missing ( i don't know why :D).. case closed..
Ok then before they visit USS we decide to explore that island together in the morning. it gonna be the first time for my some friend to visit it. sentosa is very small island and we just need 1 hour to exploring that island. so in the mid day we finish that island tour and we seperated in pront of USS statue ;D. oh ya before goind to sentosa we transit in Vivo mall and we take for lunch there.. in my favorite food 'Bakso singapore' hehehe.. maybe we just need 10SDG for that meal. if you buy in USS the meal is more expensive. "Budget Traveller minded"
So the 2nd group do their trip. we have no plan yet hahaha. the first plan is i want to visit IKEA.. but my friend won't. ok.. that we just take a random bus.. i think the 2nd group is need more time to take a rest. so.. we just go around by bus. and you know what we sleep on the bus until the bus stop in the last terminal.. the last terminal in Jurong area hahahaha,,,
after that we going to Orchard road and look around. no much thing that i can do in orchard cause have no money so i just buy my fav snack in old chuang kee and continue the trip to marina bay sands. this my first time also to catch marina bay but i am litle bit disapointed. cause the marina mall wasn't look as i tought before. yap that was a luxurious mall but ... ya you better to visit so u can feel it ;D... the indoor canal wasn't work. i think they want to copy venetian in macau but .. i'm speechless lah.. not a singapore style. But the outdoor environment is good. i was in there at 3 o'clock so very hot and sunny.
The marina bay sand location is opposite of the merlion. the building look like a yacht. marina in the same location with singapore art museum and helix bridge. i prefer to visit that in the night, cause the light will make the place is more fantastic. and they have a free fountain show at 8-9 PM. after take a photos we continue journey to marina barrage not to far from marina bay.
the goverment of singapore has a plan to make a new icon between the iconic merlion that they was have. they plan a marina is their a new icon and also marina barrage and the garden by bay. on the map thet made a triangle form between marina bay, garden bay the bay, and marina barrage. the 2 icons is already finished, but the garden bay the bay is wasn't finished yet. i heard they will be finished in the end of June 2012. so as a landscape architect i think i should come back to visit that place.
The time is almost 7 pm. but in singapore sun is still exist. but i have to pick up my friend in the USS. i worried they will be lost. honestly this the first time to them to visit singapore and they can't speak english hahhaa..
Oh ya i have a hillarious story about my friend. the one of my friend is a man the name is
Ahmad Sofyan. ya the muslim name, we all are muslim but our name is just like an ordinary one. when i arrived in changi airport we have to go to immigration corner. i'm in the first people of the line queue . and ian (Ahmad sofyan) in the last one. after all my friend was approve by the immigration, we are waitting for Ian. and know whatt.. they looks have a problem so the officer bring hime to another place. i still remember how he was look... hahahahahahahaha... he just can speak 'YES and NO"... hahahhahaa...
so we still waitting cause i can't go in we just be able to wait.. i think it has bee a 30 mins he was in interrogation i cant imagine what will he tell to the officer. fortunately the old woman know is ian's friend was wait him in the outside of the immigration gate. and she came to us and ask us about some questions. and we think that was funny he almost banned to come to Singapore because his name is look like TERRORIST hahahhaa.... i can't forget that moment..
ok back to the line ;D.. we make an appoitment to meet in front of USS gate. cause i want to watch the water crane dance show. that's a free show a same as in marina bay sands. the show is so fab !!!! wah wah.. the singapore goverment have alot of money. i know that was a new projet from water decore and the price is sooooo.... the show was a highlt recommended to watch !! so visit singapore soon before they change their mind to give us the freee show hahhaa...
After watch that show we come bact to the vivo mall, i buy a giant sandwich in subway. that not just for me. i'll share with Novi, my travel mate. and than we should go back to the hostel. cause it's our last night and we should packing our belonging. but our bag is alredy full before we going to MUSTAFA CENTER ... it's so D*MN !!!
3rd Days (Last day)
We already in singapore in 3 days but we haven't see the Merlion yet. that wasn't important for me but it was important for my friends. so after take a delicious breakfast in the hostel we check out , but we be able to left our bags in there until we going to the airport.
The 1st place in the Last day is Merlion. we going around and take alot of pictures. and i remember with the singapore ice cream sandwich so we just walk to the Union Bank and buy some delicious ice cream sandwich and sit beside the river. then we going to the orchard road to take some lunch in Lucky Plaza ( my fav place ;D). Lucky plaza is a medium mall in orchard area they have a good food court, i love the korean small resto. i can't remmember the name but easy to find. just go to groundfloor and you'll find that food court that i mean. they have a lot of food store u can choose everything you want , and the price is more cheaper than in ION.
After that we continue the journey to The Mustafa Center.
Mustafa center is super duper complete store you can find everything that you need, and they open for 24 hrs. i'm just looking for chocolate, Snack and some fragrance. the price is cheaper than another places. than we come back to the hostel nad wait until 5PM before we leaving to airport. during our waiting time we still be able tou use the hostel facilitis except the room.. so we be able to take a shower before we come back to our country...
DETAILS OF BUDGET :
1. accomodation 30 SGD / Night x 2N = 60 SGD = Rp. 438.000
2. Transportation and tour
EZ link = 10 SGD = Rp. 73.000
Tour (zoo and etc) = 50 SGD = Rp. 365.000
3. Food 15/day = 45 SGD = Rp. 328.500
___________________________+
= Rp. 1.204.500
TIPS :
1.
Stay in Hostel . alot of hostels that have a good facilities and sometime not much different with Hotel facilities. they have alot of type for a room . just check in
. and dont forget to rad for the reviews.
2.
Say no to Restaurant or cafe. singapore have alot of good hawkers food place (street food court) . you will get a delicious food with a good price. and buy the mineral water in WATSON.. cause the water is expensive in another store the price is around 1.5-2SGD. or bring a bottle that you can refil in some public water dispenser. ;D
3.
Say No to TAXI . use the public transportation. that is very simple and easy to use. for tourist they have a special card , the name is Tourist pass just 8 SGD for full day journey until midnight. the card have a deposite 10 SGD so total price for 1Day is 18SGD. but if you give back the card to the officer they will refund you 10SGD . but i prefer to use the EZ Link. it because i travel there often ;).. the price is 15SGD including 5SGD for saldo. and that will be active for 4years. i can refil the balance card in the mrt station. u can use this card for MRT and also for the bus.
so,, what you wait for?? , just go to singapore and start your traveling as a budget traveller... aca aca fighting !!!
okay i just have no much time to spend in KL, for me it's not my first trip but it will be the first time for my friend. so i think we should go to some place that can be reached in a short time and can be describe about KL. and i decide we should visit Petronas Tower In Surya KLCC.
We directly go to KL sentral from LCCT by AA bus we paid already for the ticket in online transaction, it's cheaper than you buy in the LCCT. from KL sentral we take a monorail ticket to go to KLCC. the train will be stop on the Surya KLCC. and then we take some lunch before we explore that mall.
After that we do some shopping in Surya. when we look on the shoe's store i'm a bit disappointed cause i'm not bring alot of ringgit hahaha.. but i still get a 3pcs of shoes with a small money. ya i have to say is malaysia its agood place to shopping. i just have 50RM and i got a lunch with 3pcs of Vinnci shoes. and than we going back to airport on evening to flight to phuket.
finally we arrive to phuket and i go straight to the exit door and take some minivan ticket to my hotel in patong beach . i recommend to use a share minivan from phuket airport to hotel. because it's cheaper that use a cab or premium cab. but u have to wait until the van is full of passanger, it's okay for wait to litle more to ger some a good price ;).. oh ya if you use a minivan, the van will be stop in a travel agent. so just go to the agent and said you already booked all the accomodation and tour in phuket. and just go back to sit on the van to countinue the journey. it takes 1 hour journey from airport to patong beach.
Patong beach is the most favorite beach in phuket. many of tourist attraction's there. the emerald beach water it's so wonderful. this place it's just like kuta and legian in Bali. if you just stay for a short time better to stay in this area. i arrive in the evening, so i just go walking to bangla (The Entertaiment street) and jungceylon mall and then go back to hotel to sleep.
On the 2nd day i booked a Phiphi island tour by Cruiser. tour by big
boat will take a longer time in the sea. so better to prepare some
medication if you get some seasick. the journey will be 2 hours on the
boat. but i recomend to take speedboat tour. the price is highest that
Cruiser but. the time journey will be shortest and you will be able
visit alot of beautiful small islands that can be visit if you use a big
boat. 
when i arrived at the phiphi so the agent offering us to to 2 kinds of tour. snorkeling and explore the phiphi island. and i choose snorkleling first. so i have to move to another boat to be tranfer to snorkeling spot. the place is soooooooo wonderful!!! so i'm so excited to jump in to the water.but unfortunately i have to snorkle by my self and with the another tourist. cause my friend cange her mind and refuse to do that. cause she heard the mentor said if alot of 'bulu babi' ( i don't know the english, but the animal is like a big black ball with spine in whole of body). so i have to do alone and my friend is go back to sit on the boat hahahaha... DAMN!!!
After that we tranfer back to Phiphi don to explore the island and take some Lunch that already prepared by the tour agent. Phiphi is not a big island , if you want you can rent some bicyle to round the islands. but i'm to tired after snorkle so i'm just play in the beautiful beach with white sand and take some delicious lunch. in the evening be transfer back to phuket .
in the last night i just take a look some suvenir's for my family and friend. in patongt the price is higher than in bangkok. because patong is central for tourist in phuket. some people said if you want to buy a cheaper you should go to phuket town. but i have no time. so i just buy some souvenir and also Nori snack in Familymart hehehe... i prepare one bag to fill with Nori snack hahahaha...
in the last day i just go to swim in the hotel and wait for the van that will take us to airport. and i should transit in LCCT first then continue my flight to Jakarta ....
