#139 Singapore

Singapore is a very interesting little place. It's both a city and country in one, incredibly multicultural, vibrant and modern, and best of all everyone speaks English and it is very clean and safe. However it is also one of the most expensive places to visit in Asia, so best for a short trip or as part of a long stop-over. Overall I really enjoyed my short visit, and honestly it looks like a cool place to live.

The highlights of the city are the gardens, in particular the Botanical Gardens (which are free) and the Gardens by The Bay (paid attraction). When I visited it was in the summer holidays and the height of the Pokemon Go craze, so there were lots of young people crowded around the Botanical Gardens on their phones. I appreciate nature and getting out  for a nice walk but I'm not hugely interested in types of flowers etc so in hindsight visiting just the free Botanical Gardens would have been more than enough for me, and probably for most people too.

Cloud Forest

The Gardens by the Bay were quite expensive but since it's one of very few attractions there I splashed out to pay for it. The Cloud Forest was really cool, but you have to be careful as the misting only happens for a few minutes every few hours and unless you're there for that it's a bit pointless, so plan in advance. I was lucky and happened to be walking in just as misting started, so I ran around the different levels taking as many photos as I could while it lasted, then when it was over I finally relaxed and went back around again taking my time. I had an enjoyable time and since the domes are temperature controlled it was really nice taking a break from the heat, but overall unless you really like flowers it's not amazing and probably isn't worth the money.

The Gardens by the Bay area is also where you will find the Super Trees and also for a good view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel with the Infinity Pool on top. The only way to get to the pool is to stay at the hotel which is obviously very expensive so I didn't do this. The absolute highlight of my visit was the SuperTrees light show in the evening. They change the music and theme every few months, and when I went it was a 70's disco theme which I absolutely loved beyond words. You can pay to walk around the trees but it's only a small walkway between two of them so it didn't look like it was worth the money.

Shopping

There are tons of shopping malls and high class boutiques around the city, which for commoners like me aren't exactly budget friendly. Despite this I liked my visit to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, it had a little Venetian boat ride going through the mall which is a first for me. It also had a deck out the front with a great view of the water and city skyline, I came here in the evening at sunset and waited around until it got dark.


The good places for eating, shopping and souvenirs would be Chinatown and Bugis Street which both had lots of stalls. There were also two malls beside Bugis which had familiar high street brand names and restaurants.

The Shoppes

Chinatown

Bugis Street

Transport

The best and only way to get around Singapore is the MRT (underground trains) which is very easy to use, very clean and safe and quite cheap too.

For getting to the country itself, I incorporated a visit to Singapore as part of a wider trip which included Thailand and Malaysia, which I think many tourists do. There are a few options for this including train, plane and bus, and in the end I flew to Thailand, flew to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, got a bus to Singapore and then flew back to Thailand again. It's slightly more expensive to travel from Sinagpore to Malaysia than vice-versa which is interesting, and therefore I decided to go to Kuala Lumpur first and travel to Singapore.

I had originally planned to get an overnight train but they changed the schedules and routes shortly after I booked so I had to think fast, and opted to get a bus instead. The bus was luxury and the ticket was quite cheap, but the downside was it took a long time - we left KL at around 7am but didn't arrive in Singapore until around 1pm. Sinagpore Changi Airport is supposed to be the best in the world with all these crazy attractions - but to be honest I saw very little of this - there was a small Japanese garden, a small sunflower garden on the roof, and a small cinema room, which were nice but nothing particularly amazing like I had imagined.

#138 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Unfortunately, I had less than 48 hours in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur. Thankfully, it's quite small and I found I could just about get everything I wanted to see done!

Getting to KL

My first piece of advice is to try plan carefully when you will arrive in KL. I got an early flight from Bangkok and arrived in KL early afternoon on a Monday - and immigration was absolutely madness. I had to wait in line for 1hr40mins, there were hundreds of people in front of me and very little/no information from staff. I think avoid Monday mornings/afternoons as it seemed to be clearing up by the time I finally got through.

So when I finally arrived at my hostel, showered and prepared to go out it was about 5pm and quite late. I made friends with a Spanish girl who was also in KL for the same amount of time as me, and we went out together. First we headed to the Central Market, Chinatown and City Gallery (home of the I <3 KL sign). Thankfully these were all within walking distance of each other and easy to find. There weren't particularly spectacular and we didn't spend a long time, but they were nice and a good place to visit in the late afternoon or early evening before dinner.

Food

Our hostel was located beside the popular Jalan Alor street food street and we ate there, although be careful where you eat as some of the Chinese restaurants have giant menus and are not actually so cheap (and forgot to put in our order, so eventually we left and went somewhere cheaper further down the street). Make sure to watch out for all the durians (well...more like smell out!) too.

Batu Caves

On our second day we headed off to the wonderful Batu caves. It was very cheap and easy to get to, we simply caught one of the regular trains from KL Sentral for only 4ringitts (90c!) return that took about an hour. The train is very clean and modern, and there are even women only carriages! The caves themselves are free to enter and look very remote and exotic despite being so close to the city. It really is an amazing, WOW-factor destination without all the hassle. Perfect!

Best Place for a View

On our way back we visited the famous Petronas Towers. I wasn't eager to actually go up the tower since it was very expensive (85rm/€18), and it turned out tickets were completely sold out for that day by the time we arrived (around 2pm) so if you do want to go up make sure to go early in the morning or get tickets in advance.

We went to the Skybar located at Traders Hotel that night to take photos of the Towers at night. It was quite busy and there were no seats at the window, but we found a couch at the window and sat there and took photos. No staff approached us to take our order, and so we got away without even having to buy a drink. They also weren't strict on dress code - we didn't look bad but we also didn't dress up either!

Although my time in KL was very short, I felt I could still get a good feel for the place and I had a very enjoyable time. I didn't get the opportunity to visit the Islamic Arts Museum but I have read good reviews so I would encourage you to visit there too.

#114 Manila, Philippines

One of the infamous Jeepneys!

Monument with the national flag

As a young, particularly pale white woman, I didn’t enjoy my time in the Philippines. This could have been different had I also been travelling with a male partner, as did other young foreigners I saw, but I was alone.

I don’t dress sexy, and on the average day I would never turn heads walking down the street. I live in Japan so I’m well used to being an outsider and getting side-eyed when they think you’re not looking. But in Manila I encountered staring and leering on a scale like never before.

On my first day there I was walking beside a busy road and I suddenly realized all the men in the trucks and vans were beeping their horns and yelling at me. I never felt more disgusted in my life. From that moment onwards I felt self-conscious and unsafe.

I couldn’t handle the taxi’s. Also on my first day I was at a mall, and trying to avoid the worst of rush hour waited until around 6.30pm and then decided to head back to my hostel. Being a Friday evening, there were people lining everywhere trying to get jeepneys and taxis, and I ended up standing near a slum with children running around me, but there was a city hall employed traffic warden who was kind and said he would help me find a taxi. Even with the city hall employee I still felt uncomfortable and unsafe and just wanted to get back to my hostel asap, and I had to wait maybe 15mins. It doesn’t sound like a long time, but it was hell not knowing when one would finally show, or if I was going to get mugged or hassled by the slum children (which sounds terrible, but it was scary). I think because it was a Friday it was especially bad, but it made me nervous going out again in case I had similar issues trying to get home again.

Crowds trying to get home on a Friday evening

Getting on/off buses etc. there are people grabbing at your suitcases and asking you where you’re going and if you make the mistake of answering, one will grab your bag and push you in whatever direction and then it’s too late when they rip you off. It’s disorientating and you don’t have two seconds to try figure it out for yourself, they’re on you like leeches, and you have people asking for a tip and you’re not even sure what they did to assist you in the first place.

For the taxi’s they say you should make them turn on the meter because it’s cheaper – but actually I found it was easier for them to impose a rip off price at first, that way at least they have no reason to go the long way around or delay you further.

SM City mall - not one of the biggest, but nice

I would talk about the cultural things, but I didn’t see them. I tried to go to Intra Muros the first morning, but the taxi driver said it was too hot and suggested an aquarium, I politely said “Oh yeah maybe later” but before I knew it he had dropped me at the aquarium. This is when I tried to walk to Intra Muros and failed. So I ended up at a mall and went to the cinema, so I could just get away from it all. The next two days I spent on a nearby island resort, and when I returned on my last day in Manila I had planned to try see Intra Muros again, or go to one of the famous giant malls. Neither of these happened – I was sick from the worry and stress. I knew I was wasting an opportunity, but I couldn’t deal with the stares and the people ripping me off. I didn’t even eat that day because the thoughts of even walking down the street and going to a restaurant was too much. This is very unlike me, so it really emphasized the impact. I just wanted to leave.

I know many people have travelled the Philippines and had very enjoyable times, but this was my experience. I’m glad I had the experience, but I could never recommend a solo white woman to travel here. 
While you might not be in immediate danger of rape or mugging, the stares and leers and the constant overcharging leave a stressful and distasteful impression of the people and the country. You’re constantly self-aware and on your guard, ready for the next argument. For me, it just wasn't worth the bother.

#110 Osaka, Japan

I went to Osaka after spending 2 action packed days in Kyoto. My feet were blistering, my legs had turned to jelly and I was exhausted. But I persevered!!

However, if you have time to spare I would recommend scheduling some down time as I felt very rushed (working in Japan = very little vacation time) and I felt I couldn't properly appreciate all of Osaka because I had overdone it in Kyoto.

OK! So would I recommend it? Yes! It's only a short trip from Kyoto (30mins on the local train) so there is no reason why you can't fit it into your visit to Japan.

While Osaka castle is mentioned as one of the main sights, I didn't think it was the most exciting thing ever, and it was also a little awkward to get to. I also thought Shinsekai wasn't as interesting as the internet had led me to believe.

My favourite area was around Namba and Dontonbori - with all the restaurants and flashing neon lights. We also happened upon a flea market at Shitennoji temple, by far the best of what I've seen in Japan - but it only happens on the 21st and 22nd of each month.

#109 Kyoto, Japan

Recently I went on a trip to Kyoto. I was travelling during a big Japanese holiday, which made a lot of things difficult. Obviously I would highly recommend against this - however it was my only time off work so I had no choice but to go then. I still had a good time, but I would strongly advise you to check the Japanese calendar before you plan a trip, as it is very busy, and trying to get photos or linger in one place is tricky surrounded by crowds (but still very safe, as always).


Getting There
Since I'm already in Japan, this involved me hopping on a shinkansen (bullet train). It was my first time on it (although I had lived in Tokyo for 4 months before) so it was an exciting day!

Big stops like Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka will have trains that always stop, but the faster trains will skip many smaller stations, so always be sure to check that the train will stop at the station you want before you board.
Kyoto is only 30mins from Osaka by local train so that could be a good location to fly to. While it's easy and quick to get from Tokyo, the bullet train tickets are pretty expensive, at least 10,000yen each way (about €200 round trip). I would also caution people travelling during high season - reserved seats will sell out in advance, and with unreserved seating you could end up standing for 2 hours on a train that cost you €100....



Baggage Storage
Yes, I am giving this it's own heading. Kyoto Station has both lockers and a baggage storage room. Now, there are only a limited number of large lockers that fit big suitcases, and these can be difficult to find and sometimes can be full. Since we stayed in an AirBnB we had no option of leaving our bags and coming back later in the evening, and the lockers were all full, but we did get into baggage storage just in time (they were also full shortly after us). You cannot travel around Kyoto with a suitcase, so please be aware of the storage situation!!


Accommodation
While Kyoto is a big place, it doesn't have the selection of cheap hostels that Tokyo has. There are times when everywhere will book out (check Japanese holidays) and you can bet on the cheapest/highest rated accommodation being booked out on most weekends. I would recommend booking ahead, websites like HostelWorld take only a small 10% deposit so there should be no excuse! We had to use AirBnB because everywhere was sold out, and had a good experience, but I personally would always prefer a hostel.



Sights
Thankfully, most sights were actually free. This includes the treetop KiyoMizu Dera temple and the red gates of Fujimi Inari. The Ginko golden temple you had to pay for, and although it is one of the classic images of Japan I basically just took a photo and left...not so exciting, but one of those things you just have to do I guess.
When we went to Gion it was too busy with crowds to really the street, but we did catch a quick glimpse of a maiko walking down a side street. I could say similar about the Arashiyama bamboo grove...it was too full of people to get a good photo, and also it was disappointing anyway, very small (I think I have more bamboo in my back garden).