Mesmerizing Singapore Part 2

24th December 2010
My cousin had to work at day so we wouldn't have a tour guide till night. Walked around at Little India and some shopping complexes around, but that was really not fun. Very curious about the MRT we passed by though. Got notice two things that shows how developed is Singapore. One, there's usually a giant food court that services all the residences nearby. Very organized. Two, their government are still expanding MRT network despite its superb coverage. That really makes me furious about Malaysia's public transport system.

Well it was Christmas Eve, so to enjoy the atmosphere you just have to go to Orchard Road on that day. And that was the first time I rode MRT in Singapore. Unbelievable! From the first moment I entered the compound I was completely fallen in love with such convenient structure. The escalators to get underground is fast - about twice the speed as the ones found inside shopping complexes. That pretty much shows the usage rate of Singapore MRT.

We definitely had to get tickets to ride MRT. And what we found? No counters. All vendor machines. Cool and efficient. And unlike Malaysia where you have to buy tickets twice when you change between the LRT lines, you won't need to at Singapore. Their interchange stations are to well built where you can change easily.

It was only a couple of minutes before the MRT arrived and there went our MRT ride. Fast. Definitely faster than Malaysians. Crowded - at Malaysia you can only see trains passing nearby Masjid Jamek station crowded at peak hours.

Disembarked at Dhoby Ghout station to change to the other line and reached Orchard station at ease. The station is under a shopping complex. Very accessible. Got out of it and we saw a long line of shopping complexes, about half of Pavillion's standards. Beautiful views as all of them were decorated with Christmas trees and lightings. Very congested with people as well, since Orchard Road is the best place for Christmas celebrations at Singapore. Here are some photos we had taken:

Ferrero Rocher Christmas Tree

For your information we also saw a mini car parade going on! After a long walk around Orchard Road, we ate our dinner nearby and went back by bus. It was quite a day.

Another thing I have noticed: at major tourist spots there are road signs which shows the number of parking lots available around the area. Very helpful to the visitors.

To be continued...