**Solo to Singapore! Live From the Diamond- January 17, 2017**

[TracieABD]

Friday Night, January 13, 2017

 

Flying to Singapore

 

Hi Friends-

 

So if you are ever wondering how to get to the other side of the world without having to take out a loan or robbing a bank- I would suggest Singapore Airlines (SQ) Premium Economy. Yes, it did cost more- about $600 more round trip- it is a nice go between from Economy to Business class- which rang in at a whopping 9,000 US (I am a person without points... What can I say?). What SQ PE offers is a wider seat, more pitch, more recline, the ability to pre-select your meals, preferred boarding, foot rest, leg rest, bigger screen. The biggest advantage/ disadvantage is the center armrests hold trays- therefore they are fixed- but on a positive note, they are wide, so everybody had an armrest without bumping elbows.

 

I preordered beef stew with mashed potatoes. I was served a decent version of German gulash (spätzle would have made it perfect). Lean cuts of beef, no fatty fat, and a decent portion size. There was also a pastrami pasta salad as an app, bread, and cheese and crackers (which I saved for later). It was served on linen with silver flatware. There is a glass (made of glass vs. a plastic cup). I ate about 1/3 of the food before I tapped out. I also watched The Secret Lives of Pets and Finding Dory.

 

I spent some time trying to sleep. The seats are comfortable as can be expected- but I just don't sleep well on planes. I finally corked off for about an hour- and then it happened... The crying baby. More like the screaming baby. It is not her fault or the parent's fault. It is a long flight and there is just not a lot to do. Her parents do have the "bassinet seat". If you have never seen this contraption- it is amazing. This seat is in the bulkhead- and there are two horizontal holes in the wall. They bolt a bassinet right into the wall- and if the parents are very, very lucky- the baby actually sleeps in it. Which is exactly what happened to this baby--- as soon as the lights came on she fell fast asleep.

 

We were served a snack that consisted of a ham croissant sandwich (with relish- that was a new one on me!) and some fruit. It was enough to get people up and moving. Soon after, we landed in lovely Frankfurt <can you hear me rolling my eyes>.

 

We were instructed to take all of our belongings and be ready to reboard in about an hour and 15 min. I was stoked- that gave me enough time to find and take a shower. I asked a nice German man where to find them. I stillIf you are in transit at FRA- I highly recommend finding the showers. For 6 euro, you get a nice little shower kit, a towel, and an hour to wash of your first long flight- in prep for your next long flight. Maybe I am just weird, but I was really happy to warm up and get cleaned up for the the next round. I even had time to grab a latte.

 

Once we reboarded, I discovered that I left my headphones on the first flight- and they cleaned and reset the plane. I am hoping that I can recapture them when I transit back through. I really liked those headphones... But if I had to lose one thing in my travels- that probably would be it- they certainly are the most replaceable.

 

The second flight was packed so there was no extra seat. That was fine as my seat mate was just the right amount of "keep to himself" with very little chat. He also did not get up every four minutes- so I did get a little sleep- until... You guessed it- Crying Baby!!- but wait! There's more! If you order now- you get...Two crying babies! I felt so sorry for one of the babies- as his parents both wore headphones and just seemed to tune him out. The crying eventually just became white noise- and I was able to go back to sleep. Poor things. 13 hours on a plane is a really long time when you are just too little to understand.

 

Getting out of the airport was a breeze. It always baffles me how lax Immigration and Customs is in some countries compared to the US. I like Singapore Customs-- you just pick whether or not you have something to declare and then go to that line.

 

I think I will cut this here- I don't have the equipment handy to upload the pictures, but I will do that soon.

 

More later!

 

Tracie-Lynn :):)

[TracieABD]

Happy that you survived the marathon flight. How exciting to be on the other side of the world; I'm squirming in my chair, I'm so thrilled for you. Have a fantastic time exploring Singapore! Do they have a Starbucks there . . . ?

 

Hey Annie!

You should have tagged along on this one... Oh well, maybe next time.

 

Yes, there is a S'bux at a mall right across the street from my hotel. Starbucks is taking over the world.

[Croptop]

I have made it to Singapore and am all checked in to the hotel. I have so much to blog, but I really want to get out and explore a bit. Just wanted you to know I am well and safe--

 

Glad to hear that you made it to Singapore. Can't wait to read all about your journey and your explorations.

[BLJBLJ]

Can't wait to follow along. Have a GREAT cruise. Brenda

[TracieABD]

Monday, January 16, 2017

 

3 am

 

Singapore

 

 

 

Good morning, friends-

 

First, let me get caught up with some pictures:

 

 

 

Here is a photo of the nifty little baby bassinette on the plane:

A few more pictures of the seats on Singapore Air Premium Economy:

 

And finally, this is the seat when fully reclined or deployed:

 

As is apparently evident, I am not a photographer- so bear with the picture quality... Heck- I am trying!

 

More in a bit!

Tracie-Lynn

Edited January 15, 2017 by TracieABD

[waltd]

Tracie thank you for the additional photos of the airline seats. Just curious after how many hours of flying how comfortable were the seat cushions? Basically was your bum sore like I've experienced on some of the local carrier seats. :)

Joe

[chamima]

Tracie

Our youngest daughter spent her junior year in Singapore.

It was a fantastic, extremely modern city.

Make sure you try the Chinese food in the markets there.

 

Can't wait to hear and see more! :D

[TracieABD]

More from Sunday, January 15th

 

Singapore-

 

 

 

Once I had luggage, my Explorer Pass (if you fly SQ- this is the best deal ever!)-

I need to get some Singapore dollars- as I heard that cabs do not take credit cards. Ummmm... In truth, that should be amended- some cabs may not take credit card, but all of them at the airport sure did. Anyway- I need the cash- so no worries. I had just gotten a card that attaches a US investment account- and that worked like a charm. I wonder if there will be fees when I get home- but there were no fees to draw cash from the machine.

 

 

 

I grabbed a taxi who took me directly to the One Farrer Hotel and Spa.

It is currently rated 10th out of 308 hotels in the city. From the street, it looks like it is part of a hospital parking garage (which it is), but once you enter the drive way- the whole view changes:

 

 

I was able to check in and got a room, which was actually ready at 8:00 am . I am in a Skyline room- which is the equivalent of the Club Floor in other hotels. It was a paid upgrade, but worth it as it covers 5 meals during the day (full cooked to order breakfast, lunch, tea time, "light" dinner, and a dessert/coffee/ cordials hour). I dropped my bag in my room- which is pretty small- but nicely furnished- and went to get my eat on in the lounge.

 

 

 

They made me a lovely egg white and veggie omelette. I also had lime juice- which I am sure is loaded with sugar- but wow! That stuff is great! Tart and sweet and really, really yummy...

 

 

 

I decided to shower and hit the ground running- except it took a call to the front desk to get maintenance to get the water hot. Also, the room was really cold- 16 degrees C (61 F). I am sorry, but that is just cold. I let the front desk know that I could not get the room warmer, and they said they would fix it.

 

 

 

I set off to find the MRT (subway) which is right across the street from the hotel. I wanted to buy a tourist pass- which is S$16 for two days with a S$10 card deposit. Only, my station's ticket window was closed- so I went to Chinatown to get on. If you opt to do this, you will need to have some type of foreign ID. I did not have my passport, but the ticket agent seemed happy with my NC drivers license. (She did turn down the Aussies in front of me though- as they did not have any ID).

This gives me two days of unlimited MRT (subway) and SMRT (buses) rides for two days!

 

 

 

I headed back to Doby Ghaut to go to the National Museum of Singapore- one of my favorites. I paid admission (as it was not covered with my Explorer Card) and then it hit me- with the full force of a category 4 hurricane- I was tired. I had slept possibly 4 hours in the past 32, and I was exhausted. I tried to thoughtfully tour the exhibits, but could not muster the concentration necessary to attend to the verbiage. So I wandered until I found the Glass Rotunda. I entered the area, behind blackout curtains- and there is was- a pitch black dome with the animated history of Singapore's forests, trees, and vegetation--all set to very soothing music. And as I wound my way down to the ground floor of this huge exhibit- I found the stress just disappearing. On the ground floor- you can lay on these huge body pillows and just stare up at the dome and watch the flowers, and the rain, and meteor showers falling. I am quite certain that my description is not doing any justice- but it was exactly what I needed- exactly when I needed it. I stayed for a long while and just sort of collected myself.

 

 

 

More in a minute-

 

Tracie-Lynn

Edited January 15, 2017 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

So, I decided to tackle Little India next- in the middle of the day- in the middle of really hot temperatures- with a high humidity index- and did I mention there is a festival? It is the Festival of Milk (nope- not kidding), so the streets were decorated and there was a-- well--- festive atmosphere:

 

 

 

There were many vendors selling these flower garlands.Many women wore them in their hair.

 

 

 

I started to get hungry- so I began to forage for food. I wanted South Indian veg. The first place I tried was so crowed, so I tried another- and found a seat- and some uthappam:

 

 

 

 

I ordered the one with onions and a bottle of water. The meal came to S$5 (About 3.50 US) and it was delicious. But the carbs and the heat and the humidity and the exhaustion were winning the day, so I decided to return to the hotel for a minute to rest.

 

 

 

When I entered my room- I was met with an Arctic blast of cold air- and quickly realized that, no, the air con had not been fixed. After several calls to the front desk, they sent a lovely concierge up who walked into the room and said, "whoa- it is freezing in here!". They moved me immediately and took that room off-line. The new room is perfect! Temperature that works on command- water that gets hot the first time you try it. (It is, however, a connecting room- and you all know how those creep me out- but I decided to just go with it...).

 

 

 

I thought that I would give the hotel onsen (Japanese baths) a try. It is complementary for hotel guests and located in the spa. It was lovely and relaxing. And it completely ruined me. By the time I was finished there- I was just done for the day.

 

 

 

What do they say about the "best laid plans of mice and men..."? My plan had been to go to the Gardens by the Sea, the Singapore Flyer, and the Clarke Quay area for Gyu. But nope. And I probably could have pushed through and done those things, but I would have never remembered it. I would have been checking items off of my itinerary with out actually being present enough to experience them.

 

 

 

Reality won the day. I had some channa (chick peas- Indian style) and a samosa in the lounge and went to bed... As a quick aside, I did see Bill B in the lounge, but could hardly form a complete sentence.

 

 

 

I was a sleep at 6:30. And I slept like the dead until 2:30 am, when I woke completely refreshed and ready to hit the ground running- except for there is not a lot to do- except catch up the blog.

 

 

 

Which is where I leave you! I will probably try to sleep for an hour or two more before heading to Sentosa and tea at Raffles. I will also attempt to replicate my last night's plans tonight. But who knows- we shall see...

 

 

 

Thanks for following along-

 

 

 

Anyone for a second cup of herbal tea?

 

 

 

Tracie-Lynn :):)

Edited January 15, 2017 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

Tracie thank you for the additional photos of the airline seats. Just curious after how many hours of flying how comfortable were the seat cushions? Basically was your bum sore like I've experienced on some of the local carrier seats. :)

 

Joe

 

 

 

Actually, It was really comfortable. I brought a small memory foam pillow to sit on, but did not need it. I did use for a bit of lumbar support to my back. But in truth, I was really ok- even though we were on that plane for 23 and half hours. I would totally upgrade again!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TracieABD]

Tracie

 

Our youngest daughter spent her junior year in Singapore.

 

It was a fantastic, extremely modern city.

 

Make sure you try the Chinese food in the markets there.

 

 

 

Can't wait to hear and see more! :D

 

 

 

Thank you- I agree- It is a great city! Lots to do. Lots to eat! Your daughter is very lucky she got to live there....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BLJBLJ]

I give you so much credit for doing this trip. I'm glad we can keep you company. Brenda

[waltd]

Actually, It was really comfortable. I brought a small memory foam pillow to sit on, but did not need it. I did use for a bit of lumbar support to my back. But in truth, I was really ok- even though we were on that plane for 23 and half hours. I would totally upgrade again!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much for the reply. Good to know for future reference. And BTW you are making me hungry with your pictures. LOL

[Colo Cruiser]

Glad you made it safely!

[cheznandy]

Tracie-Lynn, I am loving reading about your adventures:)

We love Singapore, and did the Sapphire Princess B2B a couple of years ago.

If you get to Gardens by the Bay, try and do it late afternoon, we walked through the Cloud dome, ate at Satays by the Bay and watched the Light Show just beautiful!! The MRT is great to get around.

Looking forward to more, have a great time:)

[greenie082756]

I am one of those that cheered you on to do this! It looks so far that you

are having a fantastic time!! I will admit I'm envious.

 

I want to thank you for taking the time to share on CC.

 

Have fun and be safe! I'll be watching along with everyone else :D

[Darspurs]

Tracie Lynn, thanks for this ongoing review of your trip. I am following it with interest as we are on the Diamond on 28th February and then having a couple of days in Singapore after.

 

Travelling from the UK the flight is approx 14 hours and we are used to 11 hour flights to LA or Vegas so not too bad, but we have never been to the far east before and wanted a change after always going in the other direction.

 

So a lot of clues from you for Singapore and about the ship will all be read with great interest although I think most of your stops are different to ours.

[Rina155]

Following, as I would love to do this trip someday! Thank you for doing this thread!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rdsqrl]

Great photos. The food looks and sounds yummy. Eagerly awaiting more on your adventures . . . !

[Colo Cruiser]

[emmak8]

TracieLyn, I love your pictures!! How did you manage all that luggage solo?

 

I'll be flying SIN in 2 weeks. I also upgraded. Your report is so helpful!

 

What about the SIN explorer pass? What did you find that you liked?

 

This is a trip of a lifetime.

[Austcruiser84]

Currently onboard the Diamond. We are making good time and will arrive into Singapore as scheduled.

 

The ship is in good condition and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore is very efficient - you'll be on the ship in no time at all tomorrow.

 

Have fun! I've enjoyed my 3 weeks cruising SE Asia.

[TracieABD]

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

 

Singapore

 

CRUISE DAY!!!

 

 

 

Good morning, Friends-

 

It is a bright and early 5 am in Singapore and guess what??? It is CRUISE DAY!!

 

Yay! Yay! Cruise Day!

 

 

 

The good news- I have lots of time and super fast internet, so I should be able to upload some pictures (thank you all for not judging my fabulous-NOT- photo skills... Believe it or not, this is as good as it gets for me. Heck, half the battle is remembering to take pictures).

 

The bad news- This super fast internet is about to disappear. So, probably no more photos for a while.

 

 

 

I will probably have to break this up into several entries, and will do my best to get as much done as I can this morning.

 

 

 

So let's start with yesterday_

 

I woke up at 2:30 (as you know) and really got organized. I tried to go back to sleep- but that just did not happen- so at 5 am I got dressed to go to the Mustafa Center. Which is like a crazy flea market/ grocery store/ Walmart/ fish store/ jeweler/ Best Buy... I could go on- it is a full city block large and about 5 stories- and there really is not a lot of rhyme or reason for how it is laid out- or maybe there is, but in spite of using my all of my brain power- I was loath to figure it out. I bought the item I was looking for and some German candy. I also looked for a case of sparkling water and that only took me an hour and 10 minutes- of wandering, reasoning, panicking..

 

After being consumed by the maze known as Mustafa- I headed the block back to the hotel for what-I-will-now-refer-to-as "first breakfast". If you are on the Club Floor- you can opt to have your breakfast in the downstairs buffet or in the Lounge upstairs. I decided to try the downstairs option. I love SE Asia breakfast- no cereal for me- I had dim sum, samosa, and an iced latte. I also had a bit of bread pudding (I love bread pudding for breakfast!). It was all fine- but not totally remarkable:

 

So I decided to head out to walk down the main drag in Little India. I stopped in a Hindu temple- and then I found the holy grail of all things delicious- Kamala Vilas is open at 7 am! That is my favorite veg Indian in all of the world!!! I decided then and there- I needed to have "second breakfast" which consisted of iddly set (lentil flour cakes with soup and coconut chutney) and Indian coffee. If you have not had Indian coffee- it is great- It comes in two containers and your are supposed to pour the coffee from one container to the other until it foams up. Only, I think I was a bit too ginger in my coffee mixing skills- as the waiter ended up doing it for me.

Edited January 16, 2017 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

I started to make my way to Sentosa Island. The locals just call it Sentosa. I caught the MRT to Harbour Front. I was there pretty early, so I wandered around the malls and walked the 1 KM walk across the bridge to the Sentosa, then turned around an went back- because I wanted to take the cable car.

 

 

You get the cable car at Tower 2 of the Harbour Front Center. The cost is S$ 33 for the best ride feature, but it was included in my Exporer Pass. First I rode up to Mount Faber- which is the highest point in Singapore- but Mount may be a bit of a misnomer- as Singapore is relatively flat- and this is not some towering mountain-- more like an itty bitty hill. But is was fun to ride the cable car.

 

 

As I was experiencing all that Mount Faber had to offer- I saw a sight that made my heart stop and my blood run cold- tourist buses-- dum-dum- dummmmmmmm.

 

I quickly finished up and took the cable car to Sentosa. I got there around 9:30, but nothing opens until 10 am- so I took another cable car to the beach area called Sileso Point. I really needed to put my feet in the water.

 

At 10 am I headed back to ride the Sky Luge- which are these seated road sleds. You use the handle bars to control your speed. You ride down a twisty path, then you get on a chair lift, go to the top and do it again! This was also included in the Explorer Pass- but would have cost S$ 25.

 

It was fun, but I struggled with the huge groups of tourists. I don't want to get into a huge discussion about other cultures- Cultural norms are what they are- but as an American- I am very spoiled by being granted an allotment of personal space. And my cultural norm is to queue up, and wait your turn. Not all cultures share these same conventions. I found myself becoming a bit miffed with the pushing and line cutting. And there is no saying anything- first, because we don't speak the same language- and second- there are way more of them than me- and third- this is how they do it; I am the lone person and I am not going to change years practice. However, I do not have much of a poker face- and I think they could tell. Which is my cue to move on and find a new thing to do. And that is exactly what I did.

 

I will stop here and post-

 

Thank you for waiting your turn!

 

Tracie-Lynn:):)

 

 

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[JF - retired RRT]

Did I miss this info from previous posts?

 

How much does the Explorer Pass cost? And where do you purchase it?