[NA] School me on Singapore/S. Malaysia travel

CJones

CJones

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Here's another international travel thread for you folks...

Looks like I will be travelling to southern Malasyia in a few weeks for work. First trip to that area (actually, first international trip at all - other than Canada). Will be doing some work (assuming the address on the project paperwork is accurate) near the port on the Pulai River.

Looks like best best for flying in is to fly into Singapore and travel over to Malaysia from there. Looking at hotels, the hotels on the Malaysia side are ridiculously cheap (there is a golf resort for $74/night ?!). Even the Hilton branded hotels in the middle of Johor are cheaper than normal. What am I missing when I see those prices? Or is the best bet to stay in Singapore and drive across every day?

Is it standard to rent a car and drive yourself there like in the US or Uber everywhere or ??? If driving myself, anybody have experience crossing the border with a rental car (especially if the point above is to stay in Singapore and drive across daily).

Thanks for any tips for this redneck with a passport!
 
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I've had two work trips to Singapore; enjoyed both! But I've no experience driving there. Grab is the Uber-equivalent in Singapore, and it works very well. A quick search showed Grab also operates in Malaysia, but I didn't look into cross-border trips with them. I had the impression that crossing the Second Link bridge into Malaysia might introduce enough delay to be annoying if done on a daily basis. Singapore is pretty serious about border security. I only crossed the bridge once, on a bus for a weekend side trip to Kuala Lumpur. That was great, but otherwise I've no experience in Malaysia. If your work site is on the far side of the Pulai River, that will introduce further delay. And, as you noted, Malaysia is very much cheaper than Singapore. When I was there they were even noting gas gauge readings on cars leaving Singapore, and checking on return to prevent tankering gas back into Singapore.

If you do stay in Malaysia, find time to visit Singapore. Much (not all!) of the tourist stuff is across the island from where you would be working. Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay (stay for the nighttime lightshow), Chinatown, Little India, and the Muslim Quarter all deserve some time--wandering through the various temples is very cool. The Raffles Hotel is worth a look, though a Singapore Sling in their famous Long Bar (where it was invented) now runs about $25 USD. All of those are within walking distance of each other, though it is a lot of walking. The streets are safe; the subway also a good option. The street food is great and a less-expensive option for some of your meals. English is one of the four(!) official languages in Singapore, so you'll have to trouble in that respect. If you are there long enough, there are ferries to a couple of the closest Indonesian islands. I made a day trip to Batam.
 
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It'll be a cool trip. My $0.02

Yes, fly into Singapore.

I'd recommend staying in Singapore the first and last night and maybe an extra day if you can wrangle a day off. Singapore is an amazing city/country. Very busy and crowded. Food is incredible. Everything you could ever want is available albeit expensive.

I'd take a train or bus to JB then local taxi's around once there. I never have and wouldn't rent a car, right hand drive mixed with Asian city traffic is a bit much for me. YMMV. Taxi's are everywhere.

Although close, it travel times can vary from 1-3 hours depending on border traffic. Commuting might not be ideal

Malaysia is indeed much cheaper than Singapore and the US. That hotel price seems normal, but there may be add-on fees. A golf resort might be a bit out of the way though. When looking at distances assume about 15 mph or so for travel times. Traffic is really special.

Have fun.
 
Malaysia in itself isn't terribly pricey, but Singapore is STUPID expensive, food and drink in particular. Sure, spend a day there but no more. It's just your typical sterile, big city, although clean as big cities go. I spent four days there - three too many. On the plus side, English is widely spoken all over Malaysia.

Oh, and Singapore Airlines' economy class is as good as some airlines' business class.
 
One thing to know

CHILI CRAB

I would get on a plane to go there just to eat Chili Crab. :D

Malaysia Airline flies to most of the other major hubs. Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul. All are also nice to stop off for a while to enjoy.

FYI SIngapore has a Universal park. Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong have Disney Parks. Osaka has a Universal. Hong Kong also has Ocean Park.

I love that part of the world. Great food, nice people, just overall a good place to go. Only downside is hot and humid.
 
Echo the above, I enjoy Singapore as it is a unique city and a phenomenal mix of cultures.

As this is your first round the world trip, do not discount the effect of jet lag. It will take one to two days of properly managing your sleep and daytime schedule to get on local time. How you travel will also have a big effect on this, if you get business class you should be able to carefully plan your sleep to try and wake up close to a normal local time - if you are in economy... best of luck. I also try to tire myself out the day before travel to aid sleeping when you need. Same rules apply on the way home to try and get back to normal.

I would not drive in Singapore, taxis are everywhere and fairly reasonable.
 
Regarding jet lag, travel to the west is NBFD. It's just like staying up extra late and I'm usually good to go in a day or two. It's coming back that is the m*#&%#$r, since you are wide awake when you should be going to sleep. It takes me about a week to recover from jet lag after returning from Asia.

The routine for the past 15 years has been to arrive at SFO around seven-ish in the evening, check in, and get hammered in the Cathay Pacific business class lounge until the flight is ready for departure around midnight, board, pass out, wake up, have breakfast in the plane, have more breakfast at the lounge in Hong Kong, a third breakfast on the flight to Saigon, and it's around 10:00 a.m. when I get there.

And I do the reverse on the way back, except it's more dinners and less breakfasts, and by the time I arrive at SFO for the drive home late night, I'm wide awake. Until about 6:00 a.m. in the morning. And it's like that for the next two weeks.

Day drinking helps out a lot.
 
A few things I do:

1) I read about this, but it works, as soon as you board the plane, set your watch to the time at your destination. That gets your mind thinking about local time.

2) I use a sleep aid on really long flights, where I can get 7+ hours of sleep after the meal and before the arrival wake up.

3) Once I arrive, I stay up to a reasonable time (LOCAL time) to go to bed. No nap, no going to bed in the daytime locally. I will use a sleep aid for a couple of days to go to sleep at the proper time and stay asleep for a reasonable sleep.
 
Long Bar, at Raffles... Take a credit card.
Singapore is a walkable city/state if you're staying near the Quays. (pronounced KEYS).
Malaysia........ Kuala Lumpur or Penang? Basically two of the most well known cities.
Taxis, don't cost too much, walkability not so much.
Lifestyle will be "different".
And yes you can chew gum in Singapore without being switched.
You just can't buy it, sell it, and please don't spit it on the street.
Have a great visit.
Regards,
Randy
 
I actually like the concept of people being caned for spitting gum on the sidewalk. Then again, would I like to live there? Well I don't.
 
If I could choose, and all I did for my company was the sourcing part, rather than be the CEO, I'd probably live in Singapore full time. Short hop to anywhere in Asia and the cleanest city you will ever visit. People are friendly and it's a melting pot

I like law and order, so I love the cities. Sure, things are expensive, but once you figure out how the locals make it, you can live there cheaply.

Eat at the Hawker centers and local coffee shops and you can eat a feast for $5.

Alcohol is heavily taxed, so expect to spend $8-10 for a beer when out

across the bridge, everything is cheaper, and a bit dirtier. Malays are wonderful people and enjoy talking with westerners.

Do not try to commute. Stay in Johor.

Fly into Singapore and fly Singapore airlines. When going home, plan to spend an extra couple of hours exploring the shopping mall at the airport and sites there. It really is truly dramatic.

Btw, expect it to rain every day. It's sub tropical like Florida. Will rain in the afternoon and then sun comes out again.
 
RSFTucson said:
Long Bar, at Raffles... Take a credit card.
Singapore is a walkable city/state if you're staying near the Quays. (pronounced KEYS).
Malaysia........ Kuala Lumpur or Penang? Basically two of the most well known cities.
Taxis, don't cost too much, walkability not so much.
Lifestyle will be "different".
And yes you can chew gum in Singapore without being switched.
You just can't buy it, sell it, and please don't spit it on the street.
Have a great visit.
Regards,
Randy
Click to expand...

The last time I had a Singapore Sling at The Long Bar was many years ago (early 80's). In 2019, I went back to Singapore. I had to get a map and study it real hard just to find Raffle's. Even the Government House was hard to find.

Finally, I went to the Marina Bay Sands and sat in the Ce La Vi', overlooking the amazing Singapore skyline. It seems the entire island has become completely covered in skyscrapers, providing perfect camouflage for all the old haunts I used to hang out at back in the day.

And after all that, disappointingly, the Long Bar at Raffle's was closed for renovations
 
cowtowner said:
If I could choose, and all I did for my company was the sourcing part, rather than be the CEO, I'd probably live in Singapore full time. Short hop to anywhere in Asia and the cleanest city you will ever visit. People are friendly and it's a melting pot

I like law and order, so I love the cities. Sure, things are expensive, but once you figure out how the locals make it, you can live there cheaply.

Eat at the Hawker centers and local coffee shops and you can eat a feast for $5.

Alcohol is heavily taxed, so expect to spend $8-10 for a beer when out

across the bridge, everything is cheaper, and a bit dirtier. Malays are wonderful people and enjoy talking with westerners.

Do not try to commute. Stay in Johor.

Fly into Singapore and fly Singapore airlines. When going home, plan to spend an extra couple of hours exploring the shopping mall at the airport and sites there. It really is truly dramatic.

Btw, expect it to rain every day. It's sub tropical like Florida. Will rain in the afternoon and then sun comes out again.
Click to expand...

Are credit cards widely accepted or is cash the king there? (Thinking about the 'can eat a feast for $5' type places)
 
Was
CJones said:
Are credit cards widely accepted or is cash the king there? (Thinking about the 'can eat a feast for $5' type places)
Click to expand...

At the hawker centers and coffee shops its cash only. Everywhere else does accept cards. Try to get a tap credit card before you go, they look at you like you are from another planet with a chip card.
 
Credit cards are accepted all over Asia. At least now. First time I went to Japan, in 2000, there were 6 ATMs in all of Tokyo Metro area. And if you tried to buy something expensive with a cerdit card, they had to Telex the US company for approval. The Japan system was not tied into ANY international system. MUCH better now.

People buy small things on credit cards, like even under $1.
 
RSFTucson said:
Long Bar, at Raffles... Take a credit card.
Singapore is a walkable city/state if you're staying near the Quays. (pronounced KEYS).
Click to expand...

OH yes. First time there, I had to go and have a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar. As I was sipping my drink, and eating those TINY peanuts, I did the conversion and found my drink was something like $28.

It was the experience though. :D
 
To get the best exchange rates, the rule used to be "buy on credit card for non-food "shopping" and western style sit-down restaurants/bars. But, carry cash for buying food at hawkers". Raffle's used to be the best place to exchange USD for SD.
 
The first time I went to China the only places that took credit cards were western hotels

Now, nobody takes cash. Even the street vendors want you to pay with Wechat or Alipay
 
CJones said:
Are credit cards widely accepted or is cash the king there? (Thinking about the 'can eat a feast for $5' type places)
Click to expand...

Tack a zero on there and you have a small meal.
 
+1 for the Black Pepper Crab. Had this several times. Favorite was at East Coast Seafood which was east towards the airport. Also had drunken prawns there. Swear I cans still hear them screaming.

Of all the various things to do the Night Zoo was pretty cool.

Hawker stalls have some fantastic food, just don't look at how the clean the dishes.

If you can get down to Orchard street it is neat to walk around. Easy to get to with the MRT or whatever they call the subway these days.

Speaking of the MRT, one day I just rode it all the way around. What you might find interesting is the above ground portions. 100's and 100's and 100's of 10+story tall apartment buildings once you get away from the fancy downtown. Gives you a different view of the island/Country.

Singapore Sling is a "I did it" thing.

Really enjoyed hanging out at the Boat Quay in the financial district.

Sentosa didn't do much for me but you should probably head down that way to see everything. If you are planning to swim anywhere in the ocean in Singapore - forget it. I remember Sentosa had this little swimming beach and the oil boom was like 20 feet from shore LOL.

I surely wouldn't drive there. Between the scooters, heavy traffic and rules why bother.

Can't hurt to have a small umbrella with you. After the first week of a 1 month work trip I bought one for the rains that will occur. Used it across 3 more trips after that. Wear something light and cool, you're gonna sweat.

For some reason I enjoyed reading their newspaper - if they still even publish it.

If I every bring my family through there will be (3) days maximum. And I would want to go up on that cool cruise ship like hotel thing for the view.

One one trip we tool the ferry to Tiomen Island. Wow was that cool. And prices really, really drop in Malaysian. Back then it was like the US dollar was worth 2x the Singapore dollar. And it seemed like the Singapore dollar was like 4x the Ringgit (sp?).

Have fun!!!!
 
There is an airport cafe at Seletar Airpott in North Singapore

might check it out and give us a PIREP. Probably going back in November



Go to 11:30 in the video

this guy also has a lot of videos on his main channel on different things to see and do in Singapore

Ghib Ojisan
 
Finally got the go-ahead for this trip.

Looks like we'll be staying in MY out near LegoLand. Lame. Probably a good spot for locals who want a taste of typical American tourist fare, but probably not much for me getting a feel for the local area. I am tacking on a few days at the end of the trip to explore Singapore. I also have a ~11hr layover in Seoul on the way home, so I may try to take a train into the city there just to say I did it.
 
cowtowner said:
There is an airport cafe at Seletar Airpott in North Singapore

might check it out and give us a PIREP. Probably going back in November



Go to 11:30 in the video

this guy also has a lot of videos on his main channel on different things to see and do in Singapore

Ghib Ojisan
Click to expand...

That was a fun video to watch, now I want to visit! There’s even a tortoise museum for @steingar
 
BrianP said:
That was a fun video to watch, now I want to visit! There’s even a tortoise museum for @steingar
Click to expand...
A tortoise museum to me suggests taxidermic specimens, morbid at best. He who is Steingar prefers a Zoo with a good collection of tortoises, which there happens to be in his one-horse town.

That part of the world is well known for its diversity of chelonians, though most are threatened or endangered.
 
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