Day 7 - Changi Airport, Tuesday, Dec 30 2008

I arrived in Singapore around 11:30pm (Monday night). My flight back to Korea was Tuesday morning at 09:15. I figured I'd go straight to the airport instead of booking into a hotel for just a few hours. I asked the bus driver what was the easiest way to get to Changi airport and where I could get a taxi from.

He did something incredible for me. He took me (in the bus) after all the passengers got off straight to the airport. I couldn't believe it! He said he wanted to make sure I got there safely - especially since I was alone. By the time I got to the airport, it was midnight.


After checking in, I floated around like a zombie in the airport. Sat for a while at Burger King and then went to the 'spa'. Around 01:30 I had this aqua massage treatment... you lie in this tube-like machine face down. You are fully clothed. Above the plastic sheet that covers your body, water shoots out on your body from the shoulders to toes giving you a massage. You remain dry.

It wasn't amazing - I still prefer old fashion massaging! But a good experience nonetheless.

Movies!

FIFA Store

This free Gadget Charger is simply awesome. You choose which gadget you have...and if the locker is free, you open the little door, connect your gadget to the charger inside, close the door, lock it... and do your own thing till you are ready to collect it again!

This was on the plane (Singapore Airlines)
You can charge any gadget if it's got a USB

I arrived in Korea at 16:15... by the time I got my luggage, bought a bus ticket... waited for the bus etc... then get a cab, I only arrived at my apartment around 7pm.

Day 6 - Killing time, Monday, Dec 29 2008

I checked out of my hotel at 12pm. I still had 4.5 hours to spare till I had to leave for Singapore. I wandered around my area and browsed through the shopping mall just up the road from my hotel. I chilled out at a Starbucks ...people watching, reading, thinking. A very kind guy agreed to charge my iPod on his laptop for me!

In the shopping mall

Before I knew it, it was time to head back to Singapore. It was a long, but pleasant-ish ride.

Day 5 - Aloha, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

So I got into a cab having no idea where I was going. I told the driver that I wanted to go to a hip and happening place ...maybe a lounge or bar. He said he'd take me somewhere, wait till I go inside and check it out... and if I didn't like it, he'd take me somehwere else.

He pulled up in front of this bar called ALOHA. I remember passing it in a cab the previous night. It looked really awesome from the outside. When I asked for a table for ONE, they looked somewhat confused. They asked if I was going to have a meal or just a drink and when I said just a drink, they put me at the bar.

It was a bit quiet when I arrived. The barmen were asking me why I was alone. Like others I'd met, they seemed surprised that I was traveling solo.

My Love Bite Cocktail ;)

The barmen kept coming to see if I was ok and having a good time. See the guy in the background of my Love Bite Cocktail? He gave me stirrers that were glow in the dark! Pretty neat... There was some live music ~ it was pretty good, but the heat really turned up when the DJ started playing hip hop tunes.

There was a man that stood outside the restrooms.

You have to leave the restroom (toilet) and come outside to wash your hands...
and that man hands you a paper towel to dry your hands with!

Bars / Nightclubs in KL close at 3am. I was really enjoying the music and the vibe, but decided to leave around 01:30am. 3 of the guys who worked there walked me out and got a cab for me back to my hotel! It was such full day - random meeting of people, seeing beautiful sites...and topping it off with a cocktail and hip hop~ I was so happy ^^*

....and all this done, entirely on my own!

Day 5 - KL at night, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

After dinner, the three of us wandered around. After about 15 mins, Karin & Keith went back to their hotel and I continued wandering around by myself. How awesome do the twin towers look at night?!

The KL Tower lit up

There are name brands everywhere!

There are people lined up outside massage places...

every second person I passed said, "Hello lady ~ massage?"

Public toilet

Like the previous day, I was approached by another man "from Paris" "doing business in Malaysia" and wanted my email address! Thank goodness I don't fall for those lines. It started raining again and I knew it was time to get a cab...

Day 5 - Italian Restaurant, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

When I was waiting for the bus, another couple was also waiting to get on. I recognized them from earlier on in the day. We started talking about random things while waiting for the bus. A good 20 minutes passed till the bus arrived. They were from Australia - Karin & Keith.

While we were on the bus, the rain came down pretty hard. I think we drove around for nearly two hours on the bus...making random conversation and just not wanting to be out in the rain. Keith mentioned that he saw a good Italian restaurant at one of the stops. We decided to have dinner together. So we did ~ and I had a good evening with them.

Bruschetta (mmmmmm)

Day 5 - China Town, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

After the KL Tower, I rode around on the bus for about 30 minutes and then got off at China Town. I needed to buy another bag for the gifts I bought to take back to Korea. Every second stall was selling bags, or watches. One particular store that I went into... the guy who worked there didn't believe that I was traveling alone. He said that people (women?) only really travel alone if it's for business.

I think I confused many people during this trip. Mainly because - I'm Indian, but from South Africa (!!!), but now living in South Korea (!!!) and I'm traveling by myself. Anyways, around 3:30pm it started to rain so I headed back to the bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive.

Day 5 - KL Tower, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

...and then I went to the KL Tower. I was starving and it was so hot. The tower is used for communication purposes and has an antenna that is 421m high, making it the fifth tallest tower in the world. There is a revolving restaurant at the top... but you have to pay a few to get there! Apparently, the tower is also used as an Islamic observatory to look for the crescent moon that marks the beginning of the Muslim month of Ramadan.

Day 5 - A riverbank somwehere, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

Around 11:30am I was starving, so I got off at this stop ~
just a riverbank with some food stalls.

The beauty was breathtaking... this is one of my favourite photos...
the blues and greens of the sky & trees. It was lovely ~

Day 5 - Hop on Hop Off City, Sunday, Dec 28 2008

On Sunday morning, I went on the Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour bus. They drive around, stopping at various attractions. You can get off at the stop, and do your thing for however long you want to. There's a bus that passes each stop every 20 minutes. So as long as you are standing near the bus stop... you just hop on, and hop off again whenever and where ever you want.

At first, I just sat on the bus - taking photos of buildings etc....
Here are the Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest twin building and office building in the world!
Tower 2 was built by South Korean Construction companies (GO Korea!)

This was pretty cool... there's something about camels.
They always seem to be depicted with an attitude, right?!

Day 4 - Arriving in KL, Saturday, Dec 27 2008

After my night out on Friday, I only got back to my hotel at 3am. When I arrived, I asked reception for a wake-up call. I told the receptionist that I needed to be up early for the bus to Kuala Lumpur (KL). She said I looked really tired, so she said she'd give me TWO wake up calls :-)

I checked out by 8am and went to another hotel (Concorde) where the bus to KL was leaving from. It was about a 5 hour drive... After a few hours, we stopped at this rest stop for snacks etc....

All you see on the road from Singapore to KL are palm trees!

So the bus dropped us off at Hotel Istana. Note: I arrived in KL with no return ticket back to Singapore, no Ringgits (Malay currency)... and no accommodation! But I wasn't phased....

I thought I'd get a room at Istana, but they were fully booked. I got a cab, and asked the driver (Roy) to first take me to a money changer. Needed to convert my Singapore Dollars to Ringgits. Then I needed to make a call to book a ticket back to Singapore. Roy let me use his cellphone.

After changing my currency, Roy took me to another hotel (Grand International) to collect my ticket back to Singapore for Monday afternoon. I was VERY lucky to get this ticket, because it was back to school week-end and it was nearly fully booked. But I had to get back to Singapore on Monday for flight back to Korea on Tuesday morning!

So after I got my currency changed and my ticket back to Singapore, I had to find a place to sleep. Roy took me to three different hotels... and went inside with me to see if they had a room. Everyone was fully booked! He then took me to an inn, told me to wait in the car while he went in to check for me. They had a room!~ It was hot... I was tired...and it was beginning to rain, so I settled for it. It was quite central. After checking in and going up to my room...I was not impressed. The room smelled and looked like a cheap motel that you see in the movies.

However, the manager kindly charged my iPod touch for me, and ... I was getting free wi-fi in the lobby! This was the room:

As tired as I was, I didn't want to sleep on that bed. I went wondering around the area... taking photos and just walking around. This is a typical road sign in KL. Roads are called "Jalan" (Jln) and is said before the actual name.

I don't care much for malls - I think... you see one mall, you've seen 'em all. But I went to Suria Mall in the City Centre (right next to the twin towers). There were name brands EVERYWHERE.

And there were people EVERYWHERE! I was approached by a man who said he was from Paris, but doing business in Malaysia. He wanted to talk to me, but I pretended like I was in a hurry. I saw him again in a few minutes and he then asked for my email address, to which I obviously replied - "No!" I've noticed there are a few men like these....

The typical story is: They're originally from Angola, but grew up in Paris and they travel the world doing business. And they want to talk to ladies... and exchange email addresses for 'friendship'. Luckily, I don't fall for this ^^

By 7:30pm I was really tired, so I went to a Dunkin Donuts and hung out there ~ just people watching. An hour later, I needed sleep but couldn't stand the thought of going back to the Inn. It just creeped me out. In fact, even looking at the pics now... it gives me the creeps.

Around 8:30pm, I left Suria Mall and waited for a cab. That's when I met Muru, a cab driver originally from Chennai. I told him that I wanted to find a new hotel. When I told him where I was staying, he said that I look like a very nice girl from a nice family and that the Inn was NOT the place for me. He said he'd take me to a few hotels till I found one that I liked. He took me to Radius International and even came inside with me! I was in luck... they had a room. I checked in, Muru took me back to the Inn where I checked out (still had to pay for the night) and movd in to Radius Intl.


That night, I spoke to my mum on the phone... ordered room service and thought I'd watch some TV. When I looked at the TV guide - there was some documentary that was going to play called something like "Hotel Mysteries". As old as I am, I'm a big baby... and I was not in the mood for anything remotely scary. So... I turned off the lights, put on my music and went to sleep! ~