A Happy and Joyful Trip to Singapore and Malaysia

I had always wanted to travel abroad with my son independently. After considering several countries, we finally chose Singapore and Malaysia. For one, I have a good friend in Singapore; for another, it was our first time going abroad. Since my English is limited, I knew Singapore is mainly Chinese. Although the official language is English, most Singaporeans speak Mandarin, making communication not too difficult. After deciding on the destination, I spent almost three months doing a lot of research, gaining a general understanding of transportation, accommodation, and attractions at the destination (which proved to be very necessary later). Then I started applying for visas, booking flights, and reserving hotels online. For this trip, I recommend using Ctrip for all arrangements (visas, flights, attraction tickets, etc.).

1. It was my first time applying for a visa. I looked at many visa agencies but finally decided to do it through Ctrip. After comparison, Ctrip’s visa fees were not expensive—much cheaper than what my travel agency quoted—and they didn’t require any deposit. After paying, I could check the visa status online throughout the process. If there were any issues with the visa, a Ctrip staff member would call to inform me, and I could also add the visa officer on WeChat to ask questions. The visa for Singapore and Malaysia cost a total of 880 RMB (for two people).

2. Since I booked my tickets on Ctrip when I went to Inner Mongolia last year, I also booked this year’s flights on Ctrip. If you can finalize your itinerary, I recommend booking tickets earlier—it’s more cost-effective. If I had booked in March, it would have been 3,800 RMB for two people round trip; by June, the same flights cost 4,800 RMB, an extra 1,000 RMB. I finally booked Xiamen Airlines for the round trip from Nanjing to Singapore. Xiamen Airlines’ service was good. On the outbound journey, we had a 10-hour layover in Fuzhou, arriving at midnight. I booked an airport apartment hotel very close to the airport (the airport apartment hotel was actually a converted residential apartment). Most of them offer airport transfer services, so there’s no need to worry about finding a hotel late at night (Changle Airport Hotel, 188 RMB per night). The boss was very nice; our flight was delayed by two hours, and we didn’t arrive in Fuzhou until 1 a.m. He contacted us, drove us to the hotel, and the next morning took us back to the airport. Thank him!

3. We took the 10:10 a.m. Xiamen Airlines flight to Singapore. The service on Xiamen Airlines was quite good, which made up for the limited seat space. The main thing was the low ticket price. After all, we were only on the plane for a few hours, so it was acceptable! The flight arrived on time at Changi Airport. My first impression of Singapore was that although the airport was very busy, everything was well-organized—no sense of chaos. Changi Airport is large, with three terminals connected by a free Skytrain, making transfers very convenient. The duty-free shops in the airport had a wide variety of goods, including many luxury brands. I checked the cosmetics; some were much cheaper than in China, while others were about the same. So it’s best to check prices at home first and compare before buying. After clearing customs and collecting our luggage, we met up with our friend who came to pick us up.

4. Our friend drove us around to see the city sights of Singapore. Although Singapore is small, both its natural and cultural landscapes are worth visiting.

Day 1: After breakfast (the Indian roti prata was very good—much more authentic than what we have here), our friend drove us to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The gardens are free and have fresh air, with many exotic flowers and plants. Singapore’s national flower, the orchid, was also on display there. Strolling among the green grass and flowers made us feel very happy! Singapore’s natural ecosystem is well preserved; we saw squirrels jumping in the trees and lizards striding boldly along the paths!

At noon, we went to Chinatown (Niu Che Shui, literally “bullock cart water”). It was originally the settlement area for earlier generations of Chinese. The name comes from the fact that there was no running water supply, so water had to be transported by bullock carts. On this street, there is also an Indian temple—Sri Mariamman Temple—and the Buddhist Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which are worth visiting if time permits. For lunch, we went to the Maxwell Food Centre, which is similar to a large food court in China. One stall, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, was particularly famous. I queued for nearly 40 minutes and finally got to try it. Personally, I found it just average, which made my friend laugh at me for a long time. Actually, you can find chicken rice everywhere in Singapore, and it’s very tasty—no need to queue so long! In the afternoon, we visited the Cloud Forest and the OCBC Skyway at Gardens by the Bay. The Cloud Forest is a man-made greenhouse with various exotic plants and flowers—very beautiful! There happened to be an orchid exhibition, and we were treated to a feast for the eyes, seeing so many different kinds of orchids! Special reminder: The Cloud Forest is very cool and has low temperatures; it’s best to bring a jacket. My son and I were so cold that we had to rush out!

In the evening, we went to the Singapore Flyer. You can also walk there from Gardens by the Bay, but we took the MRT—just one stop, I think. After exiting the MRT station, we walked a short distance. To the south of the Flyer, there is a bridge. Crossing the bridge leads to the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Square, across from which is the Merlion Park. On the west side of the square, there is an open-air place that looks like a food court, with a rich variety of food at reasonable prices. My son and I had a hearty meal there. I recommend riding the Singapore Flyer in the evening (7:10–7:30 p.m.), when the sky is not yet completely dark—by the time you reach the top, it will be dark, and the views are beautiful!

Day 2: In Singapore, it doesn’t get light until 7 a.m. After breakfast, we took the MRT to HarbourFront station. From VivoCity (a shopping mall), we went up to the third floor and took the monorail to Sentosa Island. The monorail has three stops; the first stop is for Universal Studios and FestiveWalk, and the third stop is for Palawan Beach and Siloso Beach. I had booked tickets on Ctrip, which saved us 60 RMB compared to buying at the box office. Ctrip sent a confirmation code, and we could enter the park by showing the code on our phones. Special reminder: Avoid weekends—the crowds are huge. We went on a Monday, and we still had to queue for about an hour for every ride. Seeing this, I immediately bought an Express Pass, which allows you to skip the regular queue and enter through the priority lane. There were two options: 60 SGD (one-time priority for each ride) and 80 SGD (unlimited priority). This way, my son didn’t have to queue with everyone else; he could go straight from the priority lane and play more rides—it was worth it. I recommend the Transformers ride, the Red and Blue roller coasters, Water World, and the indoor roller coaster in Ancient Egypt. Although Universal Studios is small, you still need a full day to explore everything. There are also wonderful performances on Hollywood Boulevard—super entertaining! Before entering, you can pick up a Chinese-English park map at the entrance!

The picture above shows the candy store opposite the Universal Studios exit. It has a wide variety of items, but prices are very high!

For lunch, we left the park and went to the nearby Malaysian Food Street. The food was delicious and reasonably priced—cheaper than inside the park. (Special reminder) If you’re just going out to eat and plan to return to the park, make sure a staff member at the exit stamps an invisible ink stamp on your arm. When you come back, you just scan it. However, it seems you can only leave once! I think one day is definitely not enough to fully experience Sentosa, so we went back another day. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit the S.E.A. Aquarium this time. As my son said, we’ll save it as a reason to come back next time.

Day 3: In the morning, we took the MRT to Changi Airport Terminal 1. Singapore’s MRT generally starts operating at 5 a.m. We went from Outram Park station to Tanah Merah station, where we transferred to reach Terminal 1. The journey took about an hour. Singapore’s MRT network extends in all directions and can reach most places—it’s really convenient, though a bit expensive. My son and I took the MRT twice a day, costing about 50 RMB total. I heard there are multi-ride tickets, but I calculated and it didn’t seem cost-effective for us, so I didn’t buy one. We took the 9:10 a.m. AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia’s seats were a bit more spacious than Xiamen Airlines’, making the ride quite comfortable. Since it’s a budget airline, no water or food was provided, nor was free checked baggage included. Each person could bring carry-on luggage weighing less than 7 kg. After a one-hour flight, we landed at KLIA2. After clearing customs and picking up our luggage, we took the airport bus (red with a five-star pattern) directly to the hotel. Before boarding, the driver asked which hotel we were going to, and we just showed him our itinerary. Upon reaching the city, we transferred to a minibus that took us to the hotel. There are also other buses and the KLIA Ekspres (which is very expensive—50 MYR just to the transit station). When booking your hotel, ask which transportation options are available; the hotel will tell you. I booked the Crown Regency Residences Kuala Lumpur. I really want to praise this hotel. It’s not luxurious, but for being in a foreign country, I thought it was great. It’s an apartment-style hotel with kitchen facilities. It’s close to the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower—about a 10-minute walk to the Twin Towers. The front desk staff didn’t speak much Chinese, but the manager, Mr. Leong, spoke excellent Chinese. I had contacted him on WeChat before the trip, and he provided a lot of information. When we arrived, he explained the surrounding attractions and transportation options. The hotel also provided a Chinese-language transport map, which really touched us. Thank him! We will definitely stay at this hotel again next time! We arrived in downtown Kuala Lumpur around noon. After lunch and a short rest, we headed straight to the Petronas Twin Towers. The towers are 88 stories and 452 meters tall, impressive in appearance. By the time we arrived, the observation deck tickets for the day were sold out, so I bought tickets for the morning of the 21st. The lower floors of the tower house a shopping mall and supermarket. The mall looked similar to our Golden Eagle department store and was having a sale; some items were quite cheap. On the third floor of the mall, there was a food court serving mostly Malay food. After shopping until we were tired, we had dinner and returned to the hotel to rest. As night fell, we went back to the Twin Towers to see the night view. During the day, it was stunning; at night, it was even more beautiful. The square was filled with people from different countries taking photos!

The picture below is KL Tower.

The picture above is a handmade transport map of Kuala Lumpur’s main attractions from the hotel. The green and purple lines are free bus routes. In front of the hotel, there is also a Hop-on Hop-off tourist double-decker bus, which costs money. It runs every 30 minutes and passes 40 attractions and hundreds of hotels in Kuala Lumpur, allowing you to get on and off at any stop. The pass is valid for 24 hours. I still recommend the free buses; they are quite convenient.

Day 4: My son had always wanted to see the Strait of Malacca, so we decided to go. In the morning, we took the LRT from a station near the hotel to TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan), which is the main bus terminal for southbound buses. The ticket counter is on the third floor. To buy tickets, we had to show our passports. Boarding was on the second floor. Since our English was poor, we got a bit lost at the station, but the local Malays were very warm-hearted and guided us all the way to the boarding area. We were very touched. Throughout this trip, we encountered many such warm-hearted people who proactively offered to help. My son and I felt that after returning home, we should also learn to take the initiative to help others. The bus fare from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca was 10 MYR, and the journey took 2 hours to reach the Malacca bus station. From the station, we took Bus 17 to the Dutch Square (Stadthuys). It was once the political institution of the Dutch Governor and his staff, and now houses a museum—worth a visit!

Then we followed the stone steps up to the ruins of St. Paul’s Church, which has a history of over 500 years. It was first a church and later became a noble cemetery. From the hill, you can overlook the Strait of Malacca.

After visiting St. Paul’s Church, we walked to the Malacca Menara Taming Sari, a revolving observation tower. Riding it to the top gives you a panoramic view of Malacca (40 MYR per person).

A short walk from the tower brought us to the Malacca River Cruise. The ticket was 33 MYR per person. The Malacca River runs through the city, and the cruise offers views of the scenery along the river.

You can’t visit Malacca without going to Jonker Street. We arrived there at 2:30 p.m. and had lunch at the famous Jonker 88 Chicken Rice Ball. Chicken rice balls are made by rolling rice into balls, like meatballs—five rice balls equal one bowl of rice.

After visiting, we prepared to head back. We went to a famous local specialty shop on Jonker Street—San Shu Gong—and bought some local products. The prices were reasonable. At 4 p.m., we took the bus back to Kuala Lumpur, arriving at the hotel at 6:30 p.m.

Day 5: The main task today was to visit the major attractions in Kuala Lumpur. In the morning, we checked out, stored our luggage, then went to the Petronas Twin Towers for breakfast and to go up the towers. I had booked for 9:15 a.m. We queued for security and then ascended. Ticket price: 85 MYR per person.

After exiting the Twin Towers, we could have taken the MRT across the square to Merdeka Square and the National Mosque, but we were short on time, so I decided to take a taxi. Taxis in Malaysia are known for overcharging tourists. Seeing we were tourists, the driver asked for 40 MYR. I had done my homework and knew it should be about 20 MYR, so I bargained with several taxis until one agreed to take us for 20 MYR. My English is not great, but for bargaining, a simple “Yes” or “No” was enough.

We drove straight to the National Mosque. After changing into appropriate attire, we visited the mosque (free). The mosque was very clean; my white socks didn’t get dirty at all, and it felt very sacred!

After visiting the mosque, across the street is the old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Following the road north from the old station for about 20 minutes, we reached Merdeka Square. Here you’ll find the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, St. Mary’s Cathedral, etc. Merdeka Square is equivalent to Tiananmen Square in China. On August 31, 1957, Malaysia declared independence from British colonial rule. In the square stands the world’s tallest flagpole, 100 feet high, commemorating this historic moment.

Due to time constraints, we didn’t go to Petaling Street (Chinatown in Malaysia) or Bukit Bintang (Kuala Lumpur’s commercial and financial center). We’ll save them for next time. In the afternoon, we took the LRT to KL Sentral, then transferred to a bus or the KLIA Ekspres to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and flew back to Singapore on AirAsia. (The duty-free shops at KLIA2 didn’t have much variety. We bought a lot of chocolate, but unfortunately, it all melted on the way home because the weather in Nanjing was too hot.)

In summary: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, somewhat resembles our big cities in the 1990s—lots of construction going on, urban planning a bit messy. But it wasn’t as unsafe as some travel guides claimed. During my three days there, I didn’t feel unsafe anywhere. So wherever you travel, just don’t show off. However, locals told me not to go out too late at night—there are still motorcycle snatch thefts in Kuala Lumpur. When walking on the street, try to stay on the inner side rather than the outer side.

Day 6: Back in Singapore, we felt very tired. We had been traveling non-stop, so my son and I decided to take a rest day and sleep in at home!

Day 7: Today, our friend Tangtang had the day off. She and her husband drove us to Kent Ridge Park, a park built on a hill next to the National University of Singapore. The park was beautiful and quiet; it had just rained, and the air was fresh. Then we went to Fort Canning Park, Clarke Quay, Nanyang Technological University’s Singapore campus, and the National Museum of Singapore.

Day 8: Today’s mission was to go to Sentosa Island and visit Siloso Beach and Palawan Beach. We took the MRT to HarbourFront station (VivoCity), then took the monorail for 4 SGD to the last stop. We walked first to Palawan Beach, crossed a suspension bridge to the southernmost point of the Asian continent, where you can overlook the South China Sea. Due to anchored oil tankers in the sea, I personally found the beach not very clean and unsuitable for swimming. Then we walked to Siloso Beach, which offers many entertainment options. I recommend the indoor skydiving experience, iFly, which simulates skydiving and makes you feel like you’re floating in the air (119 SGD + 40 SGD per person).

Day 9: Today we went to Orchard Road, Singapore’s main commercial and financial center. The area is full of shopping malls and office buildings. You can buy almost anything you want. Prices in Singapore are high, which of course matches their income level, so even discounted items in the mall are still more expensive than at home. I just looked around.

Day 10: Today we were returning to China. In the morning, our friend Tangtang’s husband drove us to the airport. We are grateful for their warm hospitality and look forward to reuniting with them when they come back to China.

Including the previous two days, our 12-day trip to Singapore and Malaysia came to a successful conclusion. Through this trip, we saw beautiful scenery and broadened our horizons. My son and I benefited greatly and look forward to the next trip!

Below are the Singapore MRT map and Malaysia rail transit map from this trip.

The picture above is the Singapore MRT map.

Figure 1: Malaysia MRT and LRT map; Figure 2: Kuala Lumpur free tourist bus route map; Figure 3: Map of surrounding attractions of the hotel I booked.