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Day Four
It has been another one of them days! Singapore has been a rollercoaster ride, going back and forth, forgetting things, getting lost etc. Today was no different although it worked out quite well for a change. At first we thought the day was going to go well. Whilst at the bus stop waiting to go the city we realised that we had forgotten our swim gear and beach towel. Our plan was to go to Santosa, Singapore's man made island and beach resort. Fortunately we didn't miss our bus!
As we arrived in the city we located our Funvee bus stop, which we had purchased the day before, and proceeded to wait. Whilst we waited we helped a few people out with directions and offered some of our discount vouchers from our tourist booklets. After around 45 minutes our bus still had not arrived so we decided to venture to the previous bus stop on the Funvee route. Bus as you can imagine the inevitable happened and Murphy's Law intervened....... the bus drove past! So from here we walked on to Little India for a bit of breakfast. We decided it would be safer to use a bus stop we had used the previous day with Funvee. As the bus was approaching we started to wave it down. It wasn't slowing and sailed right passed in the next lane. Obviously fuming by now we sat and waited for the next one. When this one arrived it pulled up about 30m before the bus stop. We saw someone board the bus and started sprinting for it. A woman holding a clip board standing close to the bus shouted to us "Go back to the bus stop, it's not what you think". So upon our advice we did. Well, you can imagine what happened next. Yes! It did! The bus sailed passed us for a second timeand this time we were out in the road waving our arms at the driver. After all this trouble we decided to go back to the first bus stop where we were successful!
The bus driver advised us that if we were going to Santosa we would have to wait one hour at the Singapore Flyer whilst they had their lunch. To avoid a full scale blow up Roisin and I laughed it up. The Singapore Flyer is an enormous tourist wheel from which you can view the whole city. It is pretty expensive and wasn't on my list of things to do as we are working towards a budget but if money is not a problem I would recommend having a go. We had a look around a noticed that this was also the site for Singapore's Formula One track. For those who are unfamiliar with F1 Singapore has the only night racing track for F1 in the world and it the next race in Singapore will be this September.
As the day went on we realised that Singapore has a habit of building the largest, longest, tallest etc something or other in the world. Marina Bay Sands is set to be 'Asia's most spectacular entertainment destination'. From shopping to dining and a state of the art casino. Vistors can also enjoy the breathtaking sights that Sands Sky Park has to offer. This hosts the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world standing 200m above the ground.
Finally on route to Santosa we found out there is now a Universal Studios here. Unfortunately this is not 100% up and running yet so it is not worth buying a ticket until it is complete. This hosts the worlds longest roller coaster at about 2km and is set to have the largest whale enclosure in the world!
Santosa has several beaches to choose from. We were recommened to visit one at the other end of the island as it is a more young and lively atmosphere. Although when we got there some areas are still under constuction. Despite this Roisin and I had quite a peaceful swim. We met a lovely nudist from Singapore called Tommy who restored some of my views on Singaporean manners, although we did not realise he was a nudist until he exited the water some 200m away.
Once back at the hotel we organised our next destination: Kuala Lumpur. To conclude I would like to offer some tips on bus etiquette in Singapore as this is probably what Roisin and I had to learn quickly!
1. If you are staying outside the city or plan to travel around the city and are staying for 3 or more days we recommend purchasing an electronic bus pass for $15, ask your first bus driver about this or at the Singapore Visitor's centre.
2. It may seem obvious but make sure your quick to board and get out of the way swiftly. Singaporean's do not like to be left waiting and will most probably push past you.
3. Again, probably another obvious one but we suggest that you move to the back of the bus to allow others to board.
4. When you get off do not go to the front of the bus. you must get off at the rear doors again to allow others to board.
5. Just a piece of advice. You will probably get stared at and it wont be a welcoming feeling but don't let this phase you. I believe this is what is called a culture clash as described by my other very knowledgable sister, Mairead!
Speak soon!
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