Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt


Wednesday 28th of June

12.06 I just got off the bus and joined forces with Christer. We are sitting on the train to Arlanda. We will soon leave the train station in Sundsvall.

14.12 We just rolled out from the station in Gävle. Around us we can see a Swedish landscape filled with trees. I wonder when we will see this again.

15.15 We have once again reached Arlanda. Time to move over the most important things into the hand carried luggage. When this is done we plan to check in the luggage. There is something special with airports!

16.29 We looked at a monitor and saw that travellers with the plane to Helsinki were supposed to check in at the counters 71-88 so we went there. As we got there we got an offer of checking in with a machine. This didn't work. Soon it turned out that the plane had the correct destination, but it wasn’t the plane that we had tickets for. Our plane leaves from terminal 2. We left terminal 5 behind us and found our way to terminal 2. Here we are now and we are checked in all the way to Singapore. Now the big question is this. Will our backpacks make it there as well? From terminal 2 the Finnair plane leaves at 17.30. From terminal 5 a SAS plane leave for Helsinki at the same time. Our destination is according to the boarding card "Hel".

17.22 Recently we sat down at seats 21 E, F. Soon we will roll out from gate 64. This airline differs from others we travelled with. They have a row 13.

FINLAND

19.30 We just disembarked the plane from Stockholm, the watches are set one hour forward to adapt to Finnish time. We hear Russian spoken from the loudspeakers. What is this? I thought we were at Vantaa, Helsinki’s international airport. We are about to take off from here to Singapore at 23.35.

20.05 Oh yes, this journey sure had a great start, plenty of closed restaurants and dining places. On top of this, the start is delayed to 01.00 (1 AM)

21.45 We got ourselves a little to eat, ham baguette, juice, coffee and cookie. Now we just have to kill some more time.

23.00 Once again a new take off time, the latest is 00.20. I guess I will go and freshen myself up before I embark.

23.49 We just sat down by gate 31. People are doing their best to get inside and enter an even smaller room. We remain here, no rush to enter to the final waiting hall. I hope we will get away in time.


Thursday 29th of June

00.35 We just sat down on seats 52 A, B. There are some room for the legs but I predict it will get rough. Ahead of us is 7885 km and 9 hours and 29 minutes of flying time.

01.30 We just had something to eat and drink. Time to set the watches for Singapore time, that is five hours forward.

CHANGE OF TIME

11.14 A little sleep is also sleep. We are 11 277 metres above sea level. But we are not above the sea more likely somewhere over the rainbow, no just kidding, Pakistan. There are 4 hours and 13 minutes left to Bangkok, we will have a short stop there. It was to Bangkok that is was 9 hours flying time. I wonder how much time it is left to Singapore? It is almost all silent in the cabin.

16.01 We just landed in Bangkok. Most of the passengers have left the airplane. We who intend to travel on remain seated as the plane is cleaned and refuelled. They served breakfast just before we landed.

Singapore

16.35 It seems that they are preparing to take off again. Ahead of us are 1446 kilometres and almost 2 hours flying. It feels great to get up in the air again. I want to get to Singapore and out of the plane.

17.45 More food has been served, dinner this time. They served us a delicious dish with chicken. Below us clouds and below them ocean.

SINGAPORE

18.42 After a long day’s journey into start it is now time to really start to travel. We will leave the cabin, show our passports, bring the backpacks and meet my e-mail friend Shu Ming. She will be our guide here in Singapore. She lives outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia but she travelled down here to meet us.

Travelling with the MRT from Changi Airport.

19.38 Everything went smoothly and here we are the three of us on the train towards the city. The train is LONG. Train and train by the way, it is actually the MRT, Singapore’s metro.

20.49 We just checked in at Penang Hotel. Here we stay for 25 Singapore dollars per night and person. That is around $ 17. Next we will go out for some food. As we came out of the metro we met the tropical air for the first time, it sure is damp. I hope we adapt to it soon. In the sky the moon looked like a golden, smiling mouth.

Penang Hotel, Singapore.

22.38 First we went shopping and they plumbed my little backpack before I was allowed into the store. Christer and I bought something to drink and Shu Ming bought morovio, snacks from India. It has an interesting taste. I tried to give some of my snacks to a stone lion. I guess he wasn’t hungry. We are hungry, so now it is time to order some food.

23.18 We are home again. Christer and I chose satay with peanut sauce and rice. The rice was boiled into a small package and our food was really delicious. Shu Ming had something with white radish and spicy spring rolls. There is a strange sound here, it almost sounds like someone snoring. The sound originates from our bathroom. A lot has happened today and I suspect this is just the beginning.

Peter and Shu Ming eating spicy spring rolls in Lavender Food Square.


Friday 30th of June

08.34 It is the first morning on solid ground on this trip. The air conditioner has done a great job. Today the town await us. What do we expect of it? Clean, order, heat, moist?

The street "Jalan Besar", Singapore.

10.29 The three of us have after leaving the hotel via the bus station walked along our home street Jalan Besar and reached a place, just close to the city centre. Here we can eat. Now the beverages landed on the table. Talk about tasty freshly squeezed juice. We are in a part of the town called ”Little India”

12.00 It is time again for the most classic of them all, the bench break. We have seen tall buildings and bought postcards and I bought a souvenir. Now we rest by the river before we head on.

High buildings in central Singapore.

Moslems outside a mosque in multicultural Singapore.

Sri Mariamman, hindu temple.

14.04 We have been walking around in Chinatown and seen several stores selling many things. Dried lizards, different kinds of mushrooms, shark fins and much other stuff. We also saw a Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman. Now it is time for lunch. We are enjoying meat and rice. Christer and I consider the lunch cheap. Shu Ming who compares with the prices in Malaysia thinks it is expensive. You are the judge: rice, meat and 33 cl Coca Cola for around $ 3. Now we will write some postcards before we walk to new sights. We are sitting in a “food court", one of many here in the town. A food court is an open area filled with tables and chairs. There you eat food ordered from countless of small "kiosks" the different kinds of food is being prepared. Sodas and juices are bought in a special counter or by persons walking around.

Shu Ming och Peter heading to Chinatown.

Peter ending his lunch with some notes in the travel journal.

16.06 We just sat down to fill up with fluids. Beverages purchased at ”Cheers”, a little store in the corner of Stamford-/ Hill Street. They have an interesting amount of flavours, among them juice of fruits like guava and lychee. Delicious! The store also sells the Swedish pastilles Läkerol.

17.30 We stopped again, this time at Starbucks on Orchard Road. Here it is cool and nice. What brought us here was a man that offered free ice coffee out in the street. This free sample made me wish for more and we went in here for more and hotter coffee. Orchard Road is the main shopping street in Singapore, lots of people and stores. We also have been at the tourist office for some brochures.

Orchard Road

18.24 We are now in the metro. At the station there were long walls of glass with doors. The doors didn't open until the train had stopped. We are on our way to Raffles. The metro cards are plastic and have the size of a credit card. They are refundable. I guess this is to make people hand them back. I think it is a smart idea.

18.50 We are now at the Merlion Park. The town’s famous lion statue is being renovated or as it says on the walls surrounding it, ”Excuse me while I take a shower”. We also looked at a building that is supposed to look like a durian fruit.

Christer and Peter at Merlion Park.

Raffles Hotel

19.34 We just Raffles Hotel behind us. A little to fancy for our taste and wallet. Now we are resting on a bench in a mall. Soon we will return back home. Raffles is one of the most famous hotels in the world. It is the birthplace of the drink Singapore Sling.

21.40 We just finished a tasty dinner in the vicinity of our hotel. We had, rice and three small dishes, black pepper chicken with curry leaves, mixed vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, Chinese black mushroom, broccoli, baby corn and Siam tofu a la Thai). To this we drank 64 cl Tiger beer, 33 cl Coca Cola and ice tea with milk. Total cost 32.50 Singapore dollar or $ 23.

22.07 We are back in room 403. Now I really will enjoy a shower. I feel worn out but what the hell we walked around for over 12 hours. Now we really need to recharge the batteries, both our own but also the ones in Christer’s digital camera. A long day will soon come to an end.

23.20 We are watching, well more likely listening to soccer, quarterfinal Argentina-Germany from the World Cup. The reception on the TV is poor, hardly any picture so all we can do is listen to the game. Speaking of listening. We tried to find the game on Christer’s travel radio. In the news they said that Israel had captured eight Palestine ministries they soon changed it to ministers. Shu Ming thinks that Christer and I differ from the average European. She consider them being like the cocoa that refuse to leave the coconut. What does she mean with this? Well we dare to try the local food and doesn’t always look for the European standard everywhere we go.


Saturday 1st of July

08.51 I can’t say that I am ready to rise and shine. I am although awake and ready to prepare for another day away. What might happen today? I guess we will have breakfast and purchase a bus ticket. After that, well we see about that.

10.00 We just bought a bus ticket to Kuantan in Malaysia. We got a lot of help from Shu Ming. It is great that she master the language.

10.37 We are back beneath the ground. It is time to go with the metro to an area where Shu Ming’s cousin lives. On the MRT it is cool and quiet. It is hot today so a little coolness is just fine. On our way to the station we passed a Sikh temple.

Compass Heights.

11.02 Time for today’s first but probably not last bench break by the pool near the houses at Compass Heights. This is an amazing area. Wonderful houses with fully equipped apartments, pool in the middle and different forms of recreation. The people living here have their own guard and own entrance from the metro.

12.03 We just bought some bread and kiwi juice. Now we are sitting on a double-decked bus to Harbour Front. Sitting in the front row on the upper deck gives us a perfect view. I feel a little sleepy. I wonder if it is due to the heat? The radio tells us that Italy bet Ukraine 3-0 in soccer world championship, a game we couldn’t watch due to the fact that the game started at 3 am our time.

UFO:s in Singapore.... or?

14.10 Time for us to get a little to eat. We are sitting by a table at the complex at Harbour Front in southern Singapore. We have since we are sitting by a diners table bought coffee and Cola. From outside of here the ferry to Indonesia leaves, but that destination has to wait for us. We neither have visa nor time.

Rules for entering the MRT (metro)

Christer and Peter eating durian-pancakes.

Durian

15.16 We just got back to the bus station by Harbour Front. We just tested pancakes filled with mashed durian fruit. It has a peculiar, hard to place scent/odour and has a strange taste with a hard to place after taste. Now we are heading for new places. Durian is an Asian fruit with an extreme scent/odour that can be noticed far away. Some love it, others hate it.

Waiting for bus 188.

Haw Par Villa

15.59 We stopped on a bench in Haw Par Villa, a park with colourful statues from Chinese mythology. The park was founded 1937 by one of the brothers behind the Tiger balsam, Aw Boon Haw.

17.34 Wonderful views, statues, fishponds and others. A little to drink was ever so welcome. Now we will travel on to the next stop, the botanical garden.

Christer and Peter among statues at Haw Par Villa.

Monkey business

18.11 We changed bus at Jurong East. We are travelling on towards the botanical garden. Not much air conditioning here. The country might be small but you can spend hours sitting on the buses here.

19.32 Time for picnic under a palm tree in Singapore’s botanical garden. Time for pastries and recently bought sodas. A mighty garden/park filled with different trees and plants. We watched the swan lake before darkness fell in a haste.

The swan lake in the botanic gardens.

20.21 Really tasty local pastries. Flavours of coconut milk and others. We began our ride back home. The TV on the bus is showing an episode of "Singapore Idol". We did our best to explain to Shu Ming how the Swedish school system works. How can a pupil be allowed to start the ninth year without all finishing all courses in the eight she wondered. Well, that’s a good question!

In Singapore you can watch TV on the bus.

23.50 We finished the day in yet another "food court" and then shopped at the store Carrefour, a supermarket filled with the scent of durian. Now it is time to pack the last belongings and begin to prepare for some sleep. We just got a crash course in Malay by Shu Ming. Tomorrow awaits a LONG northbound bus trip into the next country on the trip.


Sunday 2nd of July

07.38 A gentle sound can be heard from our air conditioner. We just had breakfast and are about to arrange with the last things before our departure.

08.53 We just placed our backpacks in the trunk under the bus, said bye to Shu Ming and sat down on the bus to Kuantan. New goals and a new country on the way.

09.09 We just began to roll up north. Behind us we leave the city of Singapore. A city that I thought would be extremely clean and filled with tall office buildings. Now I know it isn’t so. There are trash, though little. Here are tall buildings but also green areas and charming, colourful houses. I had a new experience.

09.32 Stop by the border, out off the bus, inside to show the passport, out to find the bus, get aboard and travel on the bridge to Malaysia.

MALAYSIA

10.00 On the road again. Another immigration card has been filled in and handed over. Another stamp in the passport. Another security control passed. The man there thought that Christer looked like the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo. It took a while to understand why he laughed and kept talking about Ronaldo.

10.20 Other passengers just boarded. We are standing completely still at the bus station in Johor Bahru. Now we started again.

11.40 We are climbing a hill. Plenty of leafy trees on both side of the road. OK it seems that there will be another stop. I wonder where we are?

12.21 I have now no idea where the stop took place. What I do know is that some ate food and others like myself went strolling. Now we are on the move again. Moving although sitting still. In the bus there isn’t a place to fill.

13.31 We just saw a river that mouthed into the South China Sea, it might have been Endau? The bus host waved at us as the bus stopped in Mersing wanting us to get off the bus. He is used to the fact that all pale skinned travellers get off there to take the boat to the island of Tioman. As he realised that our destination was Kuantan the bus began to roll again.

15.15 Since last time I slept a little, not bad at all. We have gone closer to today’s destination but I don’t know how much closer.

16.46 We entered the bus station Makmur, took our belongings and started to walk towards the city centre. Just as we had begun to walk we were greeted welcome to town by an older Indian man. We crossed streets and soon found an ATM. After we had withdrawn money we took aim on Classic Hotel and here we stay at room 339. The price for the room is 75 ringgit that is around $10 each. I think it is reasonable. Now we have to think about what to do and then perhaps do it. What ever that is that have to be done it will be done in Kuantan, capital of the state of Pahang.

18.16 It just began to rain a lot. The rain is pouring down. We wait getting out for dinner. Perhaps I will take a shower or wash some clothes while it’s raining.

View from our hotel in Kuantan.

20.20 After a big stroll around the block there we saw the town’s mosque we ended up at Restauran Chilli. Now we will have chicken and rice. Christer’s chicken is with curry and mine is sweet and sour.

21.17 Heavenly delicious sweet and sour sauce, lots of fried pieces of chicken and tasty rice. Just enough curry, mixed vegetables and boiled chicken. After dinner I ordered coffee. It was sweetened with something thick (honey/syrup?). The total cost was 15.10 ringgit, or in other words around $2 for both of us. Finally we bought sodas and candy. We are back in the room, this is vacation for sure.

Peter eating sweet & sour pork in Kuantan.

22.47. On the TV that we found in a cupboard there is a soap opera. The calm is settling in our room. Soon it will be time to say Selamat Tidur, good night. Tomorrow no alarm signal will awake us. After we woke up we will eat breakfast, walk around on the town, check out and go by bus to Cherating where we have booked a room. It remains to find out if we will find our way there.


You can see 2 photos from June 28 in this photoalbum.
You can see 5 photos from June 29 in this photoalbum.
You can see 37 photos from June 30 in this photoalbum.
You can see 31 photos from July 1 in this photoalbum.
You can see 4 photos from July 2 in this photoalbum.


CONTINUE


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