A visit to Singapore, Malaysia and a Quickie in the Philippines!

[Alanslegal]

There is currently a whole series of wonderful Trip Reports on AFF so I had to get back into the swing of things and join in the fun @ some creative writing. It has been a few months, maybe six, since my last Trip Report – the Buck’s Week – but now I am back, hopefully better, getting my fingers dirty and typing up this very late TR – yes it's very late but better than never!

As I reflect upon my recent travels and put those thoughts & experiences into this TR, all I can think of is ….. I want to travel more!!

Sadly I do not travel that often – it’s all subjective I know – but that is how I feel. Work will not send me to visit clients in a Boeing or an Airbus, they’re cheap and send me via the fleet of Holden or Toyotas that we have. Plus I need to complete a damn driving logbook which I dislike, I’d rather be completing ba97.com or myflightmemory.com. So as you can see, all my flying is purely for leisure and my pleasure.

It’s all about the planning, the booking, and then the long wait. Waiting for that day where it is time to make my way to the airport, the day where weeks of planning and anticipation come into action. Where that action now become the experience, the memories, and the trying of new & exciting things.

This trip of mine is going to be a relatively straight forward one. The main theme is to visit Singapore and attend the inaugural Singapore Formula 1 motor race, before a side trip into Malaysia and a quickie* in the Philippines. *no pun intended.

A brief summary of my flights can be easily read as: SYD – SIN – KUL – MNL – HKG – BKK – SYD. The carriers to be flown include QF, JL, MH, CX and BA.

My places of rest & sleep will be at the following spots:-

@ Singapore, Singapore = my sister’s condo

@ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia = Westin Hotel KL, Hotel Imperial KL and Le Meridien KL

@ Manila, Philippines = Dusit Thani Hotel Makati City.

There are lots of things which I am trying out for the first time, like flying BA in Club World, the idea of a mattress run, the notion of a mileage run & my very first First class experience in CX’s First Class suites.

On a final note, this will be a sensible holiday unlike my previous (& no longer posted) Buck’s Week in Asia TR where lots of nightly activities could not be remembered due to excessive alcohol consumption. So *sadly* do not expect much hanky-panky from this report.

 

[Keith009]

Grrrr... I now have one more reason to procrastinate on my assignments. :evil::mrgreen:

@ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia = Westin Hotel KL, Hotel Imperial KL and Le Meridien KL

Nice city for a mattress run. Hotels in KUL are still comparatively cheap despite the AUD taking a dive in recent weeks.

 

[Alanslegal]

The Journey Begins...

SYD T1 TERMINAL, CHECK-IN and QP

SYD – SIN
QF 31
Economy – Seat 68A

This first leg of my travels is really the return flight segment of an ex-SIN ticket which I purchased last Christmas / NYE. The ticket was purchased when they had their SG$688++ special and when the AUD very good compared to the SGD then, it made the return flight approx. AUD$850 all up.

It’s T-3hrs and my mate and I were dropped off at SYD T1 and were faced with at least 40 passengers lined up in Q at the QF check-in. I wasn’t planning to spend at least 30 minutes in Q so we went around to the empty QP/J counters and tried our luck! Why? I don’t know if I’m still actually a QP member. As a QP member in the inaugural AFF corporate scheme, the 12 months was up, and I decided not to renew on their 31st of July deadline. I was expecting all of the QP benefits to vanish by now, this 25th of September, and thus not appropriate to use the empty QP/J lines to check-in – not to mention a visit to the QP.

Surprise Surprise! my QP status is still active almost two months after non-payment, we were checked-in and now on our way to the QP. Something for nothing I’d say! It saved me from using a couple of my QP complimentary passes which I can now use in a few weeks time when I fly JQ to HNL.

The SYD INT QP was quite empty when we arrived, it was mid-afternoon and we literally could choose any seat. The standard cold and warm food selection was there, as well as an OK range of complimentary drinks. The main thing was to unwind for a couple of hours before the 9 hours ‘right at the back of economy’ flight.

The QP SYD International:-

The cold food on display:-

I recall boarding was on time, if not a bit earlier, but we left the QP after a couple of announcements and arrived just in the nick of time given QF31 was parked at some distant gate, really away from everything!

QF31 747-400:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Qf 31 Syd-Sin

QF31 was flying to Singapore and then onwards to London. The plane was completely full – so I guess despite all the hoo-ha and media hype re: QF’s recent spate of incidents, QF still is flying full planes – well it was in this case.

The entire flight was as standard and as routine as any other long haul flight in economy. In action speak, it is board the plane at last minute, store bags in locker, fasten seat belt, watch relatively old’ish Qantas cabin crew show the safety demonstration whilst plane taxis towards the runway, crew sits down, engine thrust to max, plane lifts off the ground, climbs, turns, climbs, engine thrust drops, reaches safe flying level, seat belt signs ding off, *click* *click* *click* as seat belts all come off, ask my mate in seat 68B and fellow stranger in seat 68C to move as I’m going to the toilet, Q up near toilet, visit toilet, flush toilet, toilet waste products secretly drop back to earth, back into seat 68A, seat belt back on, wait & wait, see food service coming, cabin crew serving either chicken or lamb, chose one, eat quick, ice cream is now being handed out, then tea or coffee selection, drink one, look at IFE for a bit, then try to catch some sleep sitting near upright, since I have slept on a train in Sydney upright I sure should be able to sleep on a plane, turns out I can’t sleep, watch more IFE which eventually ends being tuned to the flight map for the remaining 5hours, its been a long flight so far and I’m now hoping the plane will land soon, plane apparently is still flying over mainland Australia so not yet at destination, cruising at probably FL410 or thereabouts, smooth flight for a long time, wait & wait for hours, supper service appears, choose something to eat, then another attempt at sleep, but cannot sleep, I then question why I cannot sleep because I have slept upright many times in my mate’s car, then pilot announces our descent soon, the weather, the time, to donate generously to UNICEF, fill arrivals card, plane is being readied for landing, the plane starts to descend, a turn to the left, then a turn to the right, a few bumps as it passes through low level clouds, landing gear drops and a thump is heard, plane lines up with runway, 100ft off the ground, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50 and back wheels touches the hard stuff, then the front wheel and the reverse thrusters are powered up, and some metal slats on the wings lift up. Bingo, and that is what flying is all about.

Here’s our meals served in economy:-

Our arrival into Singapore was on time IIRC

 

[Alanslegal]

A computer problem?

Usually Singapore immigration is super slick but as we were about two passengers from the counter, their whole computer network crashes and cannot process anyone for 40minutes!! We are stuck in Q as the Singaporeans run around like headless chicken trying to work something out. Eventually someone from IT solves their issues and we are processed through where we collect our bags which have already been taken off the carousel and neatly parked on the floor.

I meet my sister who awaits us at the arrivals exit where I explain for our lateness and offer to pay for her parking. She declines as she has an electronic tag installed plus she highlights that it only costs three (3) cents per minute, payable by the minute, compared with Sydney Airport where it is an excessive charge of $7 once you past the boom gates. Another thing Sydney should learn from its Asian neighbours.

A quick 15 minutes drive and we are at her condo – where it’s a quick unpack, shower and change into my shorts & top ready for sleep. After all, its now past midnight Singapore time!

TBC....

 

[Alanslegal]

Singapore!

I’m going to keep this short but Singapore is really too sterile for my liking. It is too clean, everything appears organised and everybody seems way too nice. If it wasn’t for the many hawker centres where I could test and try the various food dishes plus my sister living there I probably wouldn’t visit Singapore bi-annually.

There are interesting concentrations of mini-cultures within Singapore itself, including some of the places I visited, such as Little India. It happened to be Deepavali celebrations:-

Chicken Tikla & Tandoori for lunch:-

 

[Alanslegal]

And then onto Chinatown - which is a quick train ride away!

And some other foods I tried, like the Fried Carrot Cake and Kaya Toast with Kopi (coffee):-

 

[Alanslegal]

First ever Singapore Formula 1

Singapore is the host of the first ever Formula 1 motor race to be held under lights. The build up to this grand prix was intense and the marketing of the race deemed it to be the best ever. The question now was could this beat Monte Carlo, home of the Monaco Grand Prix as the ultimate racing venue? The traditionalist said impossible! and I must agree.

For seating, I reserved seating in the Marina Bay Grandstand. On one side we had views of the Singapore Flyer, to our front we overlooked Marina Bay and towards the intense construction site of Singapore's future casino. And to our right, uninterupted city skyline views.

The F1 tickets were delievered in a box, with three passes for our reserved seating. Each pass had a specific dates printed on them and thus could only be used on those days.

Some of the pre-race events, such as the Porsche Cup and then Aston Martin Cup:-

 

[Alanslegal]

View from the Grandstands

And the view from our grandstand:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Singapore F1 - The First Night Race

Being a night race the whole atmosphere was different but most definitely in a good way. The summery weather, the gentle breeze, the glowing sunset, and the city skyline as the backdrop - there was not much more we could ask for.

At 8pm the first F1 car jumps on track for its first happy lap. The whole grandstand erupts in applause - excited - under the screaming shriek of the V8 engines. I believe it was a Force India car that was first out, but I could be wrong hehe

I leave my seat in the grandstand, and go find a nice corner by the fence where I can take some close up photos of F1 cars in motion. I am a newbie, my first ever dSLR camera in action:-

Felippa Massa in his Ferrari:-

Lewis Hamilton, as cool as he is in his McLaren Mercedes:-

Australia's Mark Webber, he is good but not good enough:-

The whole race as a cliche was action packed. Australia's Mark Webber was the first F1 driver to crash in Singapore - he understeered into Turn 18 which corner our grandstand was in, luckily for him, this was in the first practice session.

During the race, Nelson Picquet Jnr crashes into the barriers directly in front of our grandstands and the crowd rushes down to the fence to see his destroyed multi-million dollar car. It is still smoking.

Then later on, during the safety car period, Massa enters the pits and takes off without realising the fuel pump is still attatched to his vehicle. It rips off about three metres of hosing!

Real Drama!

The race is won by Fernando Alonso, the dual world champion from Spain, but the race is a success. Great work Singapore, And I will look forward to returning in 2009.

 

[munitalP]

Awesome Al

can't wait for next instalment...

Mr!

 

[Hvr]

Wow, I'll be in SIN and MNL soon as well as BKK, HKG and REP. Will be reading your TR to see where you've been and what you see.

Will also do a TR of my own.

 

[Alanslegal]

Singapore Chilli Crab!!

I really didn't do much in the 4/5 days I was in Singapore apart from spending way too much time at the F1 circuit, from aftenoon through to close to midnight. No clubs, discos, or pubs were frequented during my stay in Singapore - my soft excuse was that I was physically drained after spending the whole day under the singaporean heat!

However one thing that I did not miss is eating the famous Singapore Chilli Crabs!! It is must for every visitor, returning visitor or a local, unless you have a shellfish allergy eg. QF009 [ mate].

We visited the East Coast Seafood Centre on my last night. It is a popular place where there are a number of restaurants along the waterfront serving seafood.

East Coast Seafood Centre:-

Here it is, the famous and delicious Singapore Chilli Crab. it is cooked in a mild to hot chilli sauce, with mantao (a chinese sweet bread) served on the side which is for dipping into the excess sauce.

Also less famous but by no means less tasty, is the younger relative of the Chilli Crab, the Singapore Pepper Crab. It is cooked in a pepper sauce - that's the best I could describe it. There is less sauce compared to the chilli version which means you can taste all the flavours of the crab meat. It is quite peppery, but thats expected.

We ate at the Jumbo branded restaurant. It is generally the more popular restaurant because of its location closer to the water IMO. However the food overall was very good, the service was a bit of a let down as the restaurant was at its peak capacity and the price, I do not know because as the guest to Singapore my host didn't let me go near the bill.

 

[Alanslegal]

Departing Singapore!

Leaving Singapore is always easy for me. After spending a few days in this City and I am content. I think any time longer and I will probably go nuts!!

I booked myself a one way ticket from SIN to KUL flying Japan Airlines, in their Executive Class aka business class. JAL offers a simple regional product for the very short 35minute flight but at least I'm in the pointy end, which is about time - I think everyone's aim is to be seated towards the points end!

I arrive at Changi Airport a whole two hours before the 7:50pm departure - I guess it is good practice and my creature habit to arrive super early just in case something unexpected causes a delay.

I arrive at the JAL check-ins and they are completely deserted, absolutely nobody except me checking in. I hand over my passport to the check-in agent for her to issue my boarding pass and tag my bags through to KL. She then starts making some small talk like You are Australian? Yes. You look like from Hong Kong. I smile. How was your trip in Singapore? Good I say. Where to next? she then asks. tell her to KUL. Then back to Australia is it Mr. Alanslegal? No, off to the Philippines. Before I tell her my whole itinerary, I reflect those similar questions back to her, like have you been there? No. Do you want to go there? I ask. She smiles and says Yes, one day. I receive my boarding pass and end with I'm sure you will get to go there one day.

I take my boarding pass and make my way to the Singapore SATS Lounge. It is adjacent to the Qantas Club lounge which is up the escalators on the left.

There is three lounge dragons awaiting at the entrance and I quickly show my boarding pass and am granted entry. There are loads of empty tables and chairs, there is a hot & cold food buffet, a drinks fridge, complimentary massage lounge chairs, a Sony Playstation area and much more. A very relaxing place to be prior to any flight.

Overall, this lounge is nicer than the adjacent Qantas Club lounge.

 

[Alanslegal]

Jl 721 Sin - Kul

SIN - KUL
JL 721
Executive Class - Seat 3C

I rush for the plane at the very last minute having overstayed my welcome at the SATS Lounge. Little did I realise was the little Boeing 767-300 was parked at the further possible gate from where the cosy Lounge is. It is seriously a good 10 minute stroll to the gate. I'm sweaty from my brisk walking but thankfully there are numerous travellators to help me along.

I am one of the last passengers to board this plane and find my seat being 3C. I only count four other passengers in the J cabin. My seat row 3 has six seats across the width of the plane, but I'm the only passenger in this row. I sneak a look back into the Y cabin and I think it is only 10-15% full. I seriously believe JL will really lose $$$ on this short flight.

I paid ~AUD$170 for this short flight which generates 40 status credits to my lowly QF FF account. Not a bad SC earner but really not needed for me. (It would have cost ~$100 for a Y seat though)

Feet shot:-

Only me in Row 3 in the business class cabin:-

I love the Live Camera View of the plane that is shown on the main cabin IFE. I watch the plane take off, cruise and then land into KLIA. KLIA is lit up like a christmas tree! The plane lines up with the green runway lights and lands - almost in slow motion - yet perfect. Now if only ALL planes had this, it is SO cool.

After a quick taxi to our gate, I deboard the plane quickly and head off to the intra-train terminal ride to retrieve my baggage.

I am finally in Malaysia!

 

[Keith009]

Re: Singapore Chilli Crab!!

However one thing that I did not miss is eating the famous Singapore Chilli Crabs!! It is must for every visitor, returning visitor or a local, unless you have a shellfish allergy eg. QF009 [ mate].

Or can't eat spicy food...

 

[Evan]

I have flown that small SIN-KUL flight a few times and most times its been about 40-50% full, However the SIN-KIX and SIN-NRT flights are often full and do earn good money for JL. I hope these flights never go since about the only OW option to KUL.

Next time your in down and feel the desire to see the less sterile parts of Singapore just drop me a PM and i would be happy to show you around

E

 

[Alanslegal]

QF009, Sorry to use you as an example mate

E, Will take up that offer if that desire comes

I did some some interesting characters for hire/purchase around Geylang when I for a late night drive to that large hawker centre on iirc Old Airport Road.

 

[Alanslegal]

Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur

I had a two night stay booked at the Westin KL mainly because of its central location to everything. Namely the shopping, restaurants, nightlife and everything else around Bukit Bintang.

(Initially) I then had a further two nights booked at the Traders Hotel directly after the Westin mainly because I wanted to be up, close & personal to the Petronas Towers. I had a very good rate for their executive club level rooms facing the towers and the reviews of TripAdvisor made this a no brainer for me.

However the Starwood Preferred Guest program (SPG) is sometimes a bit clever with marketing and promotions, and released an offer where you pay three different stays using a Mastercard, and earn two free nights! I couldn't let this out of my grasp, so given that my Westin stay counted as one, I needed two more! I then cancelled the Traders Hotel and booked the Hotel Imperial KL and Le Meridien KL for the following two nights and hence, this is my mattress run.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

The 70km car ride from KLIA into KL itself meant that I arrived at the Westin a bit past 11pm. I knew the day before that I had been upgraded to an executive club room from a standard city room. As a SPG PLT I was hoping for a suite upgrade but the check-in agent advised that they no longer offered suite upgrades to PLT's as they were no longer standard suites.

I was promised a view of the towers when asked, however when I went to my room it was facing the wrong way. I did contemplate for a few moments whether to request a room change but decided not to. In hindsight, I should have put in a small complaint that the room was not to of my liking and possibly receive some Starwood points as goodwill gesture.

The room is consistent Westin style influence - modern, simple, fresh. The room is of good sizing with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Kuala Lumpur and beyond. The bathroom is large with a bathtub and separate shower. However the ony one flaw with this room is that the television needs to be urgently upgraded to a LCD or a plasma set.

 

[Alanslegal]

The benefits of staying on a club floor meant complimentary access to Executive Club Lounge. It is on the top floor of the hotel with views directly at the Petronas Towers. 12 months ago the view was without obstruction but today, sadly, one of the towers is now partially blocked by the construction of a new luxury residential apartment across the road, on top of the Pavillion megashop.

The Lounge buffet provided a typical range of hot & cold choices that are found in many hotel club lounges. It was not sensational as some reviews made it to be. As a norm for hotels in Asia, an egg cooking station is available.

After seeing the residential apartment being constucted between the Westin and the Petronas towers, alot of the hotel rooms now have obstructed views. There would only be a few remaining rooms at the end of each floor that have a geniune view of the twin towers.