Singapore on a Budget

From Melacca Central Bus Terminal , we took the 2PM bus to Singapore for 23 Ringgit  ( around 300 pesos/ 7 USD). Several buses travel this route all day, with the last trip at around 7 pm .  Our ride was a basic aircon bus with No TV. Super VIP buses are also available at 25-27 Ringgit (8 USD ). Travel time from Melacca to SG was around 3-4 hours, depending on traffic. We travelled on a Sunday afternoon, so it was a hassle free crossing. Unlike in other countries, immigration for both Malaysia and SG are under one building in Johor Bahru.

Budget Stay in Little India

The bus’ last drop off point was at their garage near Sim Lim Square; very favourable to us because it was just a short walk to Little India where we opt to stay. Contrary to the prior comments of others, staying in the cheerful and vibrant Little India district made my trip in Singapore more interesting. This area is dominated by Indian foodstrips, shops , incense and Bollywood music which was new to my senses.  It was also a good exposure in preparation for my next backpacking trip 😉 We stayed at Inncrowd Backpackers inn at Dunlop St. for 20 SGD/night (dorm type) including light breakfast (Toasts,Jam,Egg) and unlimited coffee/tea the whole day. They have a good lounge for guests to watch TV or DVD. Desktop Computers and reference books and Maps are also available for everybody.  ( http://www.the-inncrowd.com )

SAM_0310  SAM_0317

Photo of Inncrowd Backpackers where we stayed for 20 SGD /night with light breakfast. It looks better in actual. hehe

Photo of Inncrowd Backpackers where we stayed for 20 SGD /night with light breakfast. It looks better in actual. hehe

Masala Chicken Pizza

Masala Chicken bun ( 1.2 SGD )- I had a slice of this or 2 for 3 straight days ! Its spicy- pepperish , best paired with Coke =)

Chicken Biryani Meal at a Indian Cafeteria near Tekka Market.  5 SGD , good for 2

Chicken Biryani Meal at an authentic Indian Cafeteria near Tekka Market. 5 SGD , good for 2

another Chicken Biryani  meal I had from a nearby restaurant. hmm, too polished. The meals on the Cafe near the market are more interesting . =)

another Chicken Biryani meal I had from a nearby restaurant. hmm, too polished. Meals from the Cafe at Tekka Market are more interesting . =)

crispy and spicy Vegetarian Samosa

crispy and spicy Samosa from a  Vegetarian bakery at the corner of Dunlop St.

Cheaper to buy Universal Studios Ticket Online 

Singapore First timers would definitely include visiting Universal Studios in their itineraries. Walk in ticket prices are at 74 SGD for a day tour , but we were lucky enough to stumble on a discounted online promo with Asiatravel.com … We got our ticket for only 65 SGD , inclusive of 10 SGD consumable + P 5 SGD discount on shopping. Sweet!

Maximize Tourist Privileges

Train connection to Universal Studios is located at Vevo City Mall ,which also gives out a lot of perks for tourists. I just presented by passport at the information counter and got this privilege card to avail shopping discounts and free snacks. =)

Free Texas Chicken and Mcdonalds Coffee (and etc) at  Vevo City for tourists.

Free Texas Chicken and Mcdonalds Coffee (and etc) at Vevo City for tourists.

Asia Travel Kiosk at the basement of Universal Studios where we exchanged our 65 SGD worth On line Vouchers to entrance Tickets .

Asia Travel Kiosk at the basement of Universal Studios where we exchanged our 65 SGD worth Online Vouchers to entrance Tickets .

SAM_0330  SAM_0345 SAM_0348

Touring the City on your own

1. Mall Hopping at Orchard Road

SAM_0359SAM_0367 SAM_0369

2. Bay Area and the Gardens by the Bay in the Afternoon

SAM_0389 SAM_0384

 interesting Bench

interesting Bench

No entrance fees at the outer Gardens , perfect for morning Jog if i had more time

No entrance fee at the outer Gardens , perfect for morning Jog if I had more time

SAM_0461

Dinner at MakanSutra Food Stalls Just outside the Esplanade near the Bay Area  

Me Goreng and Curry+roti

Me Goreng and Curry+roti

MakanSutra Gluttons Bay

MakanSutra Gluttons Bay

SAM_0402

Marina Bay Sands Mall and Hotel

SAM_0431

Mall interior

SAM_0406

View of Marina Bay Sands

SAM_0437

Marina Bay Sands Hotel Lobby

SAM_0438

Awesome Drop Lanterns at Marina Bay Lobby

SAM_0408

View of Singapore Cityscape as seen from Marina Bay Sands.

Clark Quay for some Chill and Cold beer.

SAM_0286

interesting Lobby near Clark Quay with wall hung landscaping.

SAM_0307

The Sling Ride ! around 80 SGD per ride , too expensive =(

SAM_0284

ice cream sandwich for 1 SGD

ice cream sandwich for 1 SGD

Dine with the Hawkers

Hawkers are the equivalent of Filipino Karinderias , that offer ready made affordable meals. (around 3-5 SGD for 3 viand meals )  Meals are generally Chinese Style and veryTasty.

SAM_0504 SAM_0488 SAM_0479

=)

One thought on “Singapore on a Budget

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s