A Day Trip to Singapore

I visited Singapore many times. This time, my visit is a day trip with a few friends. We took a chartered bus from Johor Bahru. After clearing the immigration, we moved straight to the town centre. With us, is a tourist guide from Singapore. I was told  it is wrong to tour the city without a qualified tourist guide. With that, I made sure we don't break their rule....

Singapore is a clean and with lots of greens. Once you enter Singapore (from Johor Bahru, Malaysia), you can feel that Singapore is really  modern, cool and clean. The transportation is efficient. You can take a MRT, LRT (trains), bus or taxi. All towns are connected with MRT.  I must admit that this is one of world's tropical cities that you must visit.

We toured the city and made a few stops while in Singapore. First, at the Urban Renewal Authority at Maxwell Road, right in the town centre. The centre champions the goodness of urban planning. Many physical models of Singapore are displayed and you can buy planning report of Singapore here. Visiting this centre, you need to budget at least one hour or more  if you want to learn Singapore's planning. We enjoy this visit. That took half a day of our time.

  


  



  

For the next half day, it is time for praying and lunch. For Muslims, you can pray at Masjid Jamik at Mosque Road  nearby.  We performed our prayer at this mosque. Then took our lunch in Geylang. A double storey terrace shop houses Hajjah Maimunah's restaurant. It offers a good food to our liking....

  

The restaurant occupies a terrace double storey shop.

  

After lunch, some of us wish to visit Mustaffa Centre, the so called 'cheap' emporium at  Syed Alwi Road, off Serangoon Road. This emporium is popular among tourists especially from India. The show case Singapore's shopping precinct is really at Orchard Road, 2 km south.

Next visit is the Merlion Park at Fullerton Road near the Nicoll Highway. Strolling around the area brings freshness and happy mood when you see the Esplanade bridge is full of color. The Merlion statue gushes out a strong jet of sea water for the visitors to feel and enjoy. A few tall buildings were seen nearby with  roof top swimming pool....

  

Merlion Park... a must visit.

  

  

  

Late evening we stopped at Masjid Sultan at Arab Street for prayer and had dinner at the adjacent shop. Beriani rice and Murtabak Singapore and syrup were the menu of the day... We ended our trip after dinner passing the town centre and moved back to JB via Tuas, the second crossing on the nort-west before reaching JB at 11.00pm.

Those those who wish to visit Singapore from JB, you have other alternative transport. Take a bus from JB and stop at Queen St. in Singapore. Then walk to to MRT station nearby, there...you are on your own to explore Singapore. You need a good map and a compass or GPS... Happy travelling....