|
Last
month we told of our trip to Thailand and Malaysia. We now continue
with the final sector, KL to Melbourne via a very unusual route.
|
| After arriving in Kuala Lumpur
by the Lankawi Express Train, Jamal and I stayed 2 nights in China Town,
then Jamal returned to Bali with Air Asia and I began the long treck to
Melbourne. Last December, when Air Paradise suspended operations, I lost
my ticket home to Melbourne from Bali. Qantas offered to honour tickets
until |
|
| December 15, 2005, however this was
not convenient as I already had a 6 month visa and we had already booked
our holiday at the end of the visa. I thought as we would already be in
Malaysia, maybe I could get back to Australia from there. Early last December
Tiger Airways jointly owned by Singapore Airlines and the Ryan Air family
announced they would fly to Darwin for S$30. I checked on-line, all the
$30 tickets had gone but I got one for A$75 + taxes. Very cheap, Qantas
charge A$1050 for the same sector. |
|
|
To Singapore
|
| First leg was to get to Singapore
from Kuala Lumpur. I travelled with Transnasional Intercity Bus. The trip
takes 5 hours including transiting Malaysian and Singapore Immigration.
The bus was very clean, the driver competent and we arrived on time. Cost
was A$10.71. |
|
|
|
| The airfare is around A$50 one way.
Flying is not an attractive option, with the 76km trip to KL airport and
2 hour prior check in, |
| it takes almost the same time and
is a fifth of the price. Air Asia offer a greatly discounted Kuala Lumpur
- Jahore Baru fare, however you still have to transit immigration and enter
Singapore by bus, this entire journey takes far longer than the Transnasional
intercity bus. |
|
|
|
KL Bus Station
|
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| Cafe stop half way to Singapore |
| Transnasional, owned by Nadicorp
Holdings, one of Malaysia's largest private conglomerates with interest
in Transportation, Manufacturing, Agro-business and Property and |
|
| Support Services. Transnasional is
the largest leading transportation operator in Malaysia, carrying
more than 60M PAX per year and has more than 1,000 coaches. |
|
Singapore
|
| I spent the night in Singapore at
Hotel 81 Gold in Geylang, 10 mins. from downtown by SMRT train. |
| Hotel 81 is Singapore’s largest tourist
class budget hotel chain, with 19 hotels and 2000 rooms. Located all over
Singapore, they offer Singapore hospitality at very reasonable rates. |
|
|
|
Hotel 81 standard room
|
| Standard rooms start at only Sing$49
net (A$39), room cleanliness, security and good service is first
class. The Hotel 81 chain has been accredited ISO 9001:2000 since 1998,
and is currently the only budget hotel or hotel chain in Singapore that
is accredited. The rooms are smaller |
|
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