Escape the Haze: Tioman Island

Thanks to our lovely Indonesian neighbours Singapore was covered with haze last week and every day it got worse. While the PSI Index kept climbing from "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy" and even "hazardous" the only place where the air was still ok-ish was our office. The company even provided us with some N95 masks which turned into the most sought-after good in Singapore within hours. Of course I had to try them as well. So I turned into a mixture between a pretty Darth Vader and a dentist.

Even though I tried to stay at home or the office most of the time because of the haze, a friend of mine gave me a reason to ignore the haze and make my way to Marina Bay Sands. Somehow she got a golden member card for the hotel that night and after a couple of phone calls a group of interns gathered at the hotel to crash the infinity pool. Although the haze was still pretty bad we had an awesome time there :)

 

On the weekend I finally wanted to escape the haze so I went with a friend of mine to Tioman island in Malaysia. From Singapore/Johor Bahru it takes about 3h by bus to Mersing (from Singapore ~30 Dollars; from JB ~12 ringgit) from where the ferry to Tioman departs (70ringgit return; 3 hours). Unfortunately even there was haze, although it wasn't as bad as in Singapore. We still had a great time there. We got off the ferry in Tekek and then took a taxi to Juara Beach where we had booked a room at the Beach Shack Hut Hostel. It was a really basic but nice hostel with a very friendly Australian owner. The beach view hut cost us 55 ringgit per night/room and it was right at the beach.
Apart from relaxing in the hammock and swimming in the crystal clear water we also went for a hike to a nearby waterfall. After getting lost a couple of times we finally got to the waterfall after more than an hour. But it was totally worth it. We went swimming in the river and let the waterfall give us a natural massage. Time passed way to quickly and after 2 nights we already had to leave our little paradise island. But I'll definitaly come back there!

 

Free things to do in Singapore: My personal Top 3

Singapore is very expensive when it comes to accommodation, shopping and fine dining/drinking (alcohol). As a student I'm not really able to afford these things, which made me look for cheaper ways to spend my free time. And even though I didn't expect it, there are lot's of fun things one can do with little money or even for free. To help the bank accounts of future exchange students or interns I created my personal Top 3 list of free suff to do in Singapore.

3. Beaches

As a tropical island Singapore offers some pretty nice beaches. Maybe they are not as nice as the ones in Thailand and the water isn't as crystal clear as in Indonesia, but instead of taking the plane, these beaches are only a couple of MRT stations away.

Sentosa is probably the place with the most famous beaches. To get there one has to take the MRT to Harbour Front (circle & purple line). The MRT station is right below the Vivo City Shopping Mall from where you take the tram to Sentosa island (4 SGD return). On Sentose one can choose between 3 different beaches, but I've only been to 2 of them: Palawan and Siloso. Personally I prefer Palawan, because it's not as busy as Siloso, where there are lot's of bars and music.

East Coast Park is another option to spend a relaxing day at the beach. Get off the MRT at Paya Lebar Station (circle line) and either take a bus to Marina Parade or go for a 30 minute walk along beautiful Joo Chiat Road, which has some nicely renovated Chinese buildings, to reach the beach. There one can either play volleyball, rent bycicles or inline skates or just do nothing and enjoy the sun.

East Coast Park

2. Partying

Clubs and alcohol are very expensive in Singapore, but there are some exemptions. Every Wednesday is Ladies Night, which guarantees all girls a great night out for free (sorry guys ;P ). The Exchange bar close to Raffles Place MRT offers free Martinis between 6-9pm. Afterwards it's time to move on. Good options are either 1-Altitude, a roof-top bar on Singapore's highest building, (free entry after 9 pm and a free drink for the first 50 women who show up), or the Ku De Ta at Marina Bay Sands. This night club is right next to the famous infinity pool and all ladies don't only get in for free but also enjoy a free drink.

View from Ku De Ta

1-Altitude

Boys, do not dispair... there also is a chance for you to have a great night out without harming your bank account. Every last Thursday of each month is the helipad on top of the Swissotel (City Hall MRT) turned into a dance floor. Thanks to a guy named Jon White and his guestlist you'll get in for free. Just look for a facebook group called "Jon White's Guest List" and you'll get the latest info on free parties in Singapore. Ask and he'll put you on his guest list.

1. Parks

Singapore is known for breathtaking architecture, great food and even better shopping. What many people (even Singaporeans) don't know is, that this tiny city-state has some wonderful wildlife to offer. During the past 2.5 months Singapore's nature reserves kept astonishing me and I totally recommend every Singapore visitor to step out of the shopping malls, leave those high heels at home, prepare your backpack and explore Singapore's natural beauty.

For a short walk (30 min -1 hour) go to Bukit Timah and climb up Singapore's highest mountain. Ok, don't expect the Himalaya... the state's highest point is less than 200m above sea-level, but do expect some monkeys and beautiful rainforest.

Bukit Timah

Bukit Timah

If you have more time you can walk all the way from Bukit Timah to MacRitchie Nature Reserve. This will take around 4 hours and is very recommended. MacRitchie is definitely my favorite place in Singapore and it's only a 5 minute walk from Marymount MRT. Walking around the whole reserve, over the tree top walk (free entry, open Tuesday-Sunday until 5pm), along the lake and through the forest takes about 4 hours, if you don't get stuck watching the monkeys, lizards and turtles that might pass your way.

Mac Ritchie Nature Reserve

Another nice walking trail takes you from Labrador MRT to Harbour Front MRT (or the other way round). This takes about 1-2 hours and on the way you have some amazing views of the harbour, Sentosa and Batam island. The Henderson Waves are definitely the highlight of this trail. More information can be found on the website of the Singapore National Parks Board.