SINGAPORE - DAY1

Having heard so much about the Marina Bay Sands, we decided to visit the place to see for ourselves what it has to offer. 

It's a first for me to travel on MRT of Singapore. The station was almost empty from Tampines.

It was not crowded as it was the not peak.

Marina Bay Sands, the most spectacular hotel in Singapore, dominates the skyline. I was told that it has 2560 rooms and suites, a fleet of celebrity chef restaurants, shopping areas, a museum, two large theatres, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink and the world's largest luxury Casino with over 500 gaming tables and 1,600 slot machines.

We paid S$20 each to get to the Observation deck of the Sands "Skypark". The lift took about 40 seconds or so to reach the 56th floor. The view up there was just superb despite some haze.   

 A photo to remember this Skypark.

  

 The newly commissioned "Gardens By the Bay". 

The Port of Singapore in the back ground.

A stroll in the Sands' shopping areas - enjoying the air-con and some window shopping of branded goods. 

The Casino was huge and crowed. My wife made a little fortune playing the 1cent slot machine.   

Just outside the building, there was this bill board displaying " Pledge Ourselves as One United People"  

I like this one better - "Regardless Of Race, Language or Religion" reminding me of Borneo, my home.  

It was a good outing. and we ended up in the food court before getting back to Tampines. This was one of my favourite, a bowl of Singapore super beef noodles soup. 

SUNSET FLIGHT

Last week, we flew to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur in the evening just before sunset. The view was fantastic from my window seat.  

Lining up for take-off with Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine park partly visible in the back ground.

The city view - as soon as the aircraft was airborne.

 Cruising into the sunset.

A beautiful sunset with the spectacular view of the clouds and their shadows   

As usual, the dinner onboard Malaysia Airlines was disappointing.

While waiting for our connecting flight to Singapore, we visited the KLIA Jungle Boardwalk. It was just a man made jungle - the set up was quite boring except for this water fall.  

There is a large collection of aircraft models on display near the aerotrain station in the main terminal.  

We arrived in Singapore just before midnight. It was a long walk to the CIQ area. I was amused to see  a senior Immigration officer acted like a robot directing us to queue by just raising his hands and not saying a single word. He looked serious and unfriendly. Perhaps, he was a retired armed forces personnel. The immigration officer screening my passport, likewise never smiled or responded when I greeted him with a "good evening". Maybe, these people have been on duty too long under a lot of pressure. The courtesy is definitely lacking !!!              

THE NABALU MARKET

On the way to Mt.Kinabalu park and Poring Hot Spring, a brief stop at Nabalu is recommended. It is located about 90 minutes drive from Kota kinabalu.   

Visitors can find a rich variety of local products, like fruits, vegetables, snacks and handicrafts in this small market place and enjoy the spectacular view of the Mt.Kinabalu on a clear day.       

It was our lucky day, the magnificent Mt.Kinabalu was cleared of cloud on our arrival. 

The 15-Meter Nabalu tower provides a bird eye view of Mt.Kinabalu and it's surroundings.

 Local handicrafts.

One of the fruit stalls

Pineapples in season.

Farmers selling their products along the walkway.  

"toilet break" - 20 cents per entry 

Nabalu has many unique offers to souvenir hunters in handicrafts like tribal arts, bead crafts and etc.     

Many will spend about 15-20 minutes at Nabalu before proceeding to Mt. Kinabalu Park which is approx., 30 minutes away.

    



CANOPY WALK CHALLENGE - PORING HOT SPRING

This "canopy walk" is a must for visitor who ever sets foot in Poring Hot Spring. It will take about 30 minutes or so to reach the canopy walkway right in the jungle of Poring Hot Spring via an uphill jungle trail.

 Visitors have to register at the "canopy office" before proceeding to the walk way..

The uphill trail starts from here..

One has to be physically fit to conquer the rough jungle trail.

It's a wonderful experience to get to know the the wonders of the rain forest - thick undergrowth, huge trees and beautiful wild jungle flowers.

 The entrance to the canopy walkway.   

The are a total of 5 canopy bridges with a total length of 175 meters attached to the Menggaris trees.

 

I made it to the top again after a lapse of 12 years. It was a wonderful feeling up there despite the sweat and the aches. It was sensational of walking among giant Menggaris trees.

It can be scary for those who are afraid of heights as the canopy walkway is about 41-43 meters above the forest floor, slightly higher than a 8-floor building. A monkey may not even survive the fall.

It could be  stressful for some taking this tour.

My friends were safely on the ground before me.

The exit of the walk way.

It's all the way down hill form here.

Parts of the steep trail.

A wild jungle fruit tree.

It took us about one and a half hours to complete the "canopy walk tour."  We posed for a picture at the Poring Hot Spring signage to remember this occasion.