Danga Bay and Singapore

Hi again to all.........
The marina here is very friendly and helpful with most things but very run down as it is being relocated in the near future and hasn't had any work done for a while. But there are good restaurants (seafood and Italian) and the city of Johor Bahru is only a short taxi or bus ride away. Taxis are cheap - about 8 Ringgits for a 10 minute ride into Johor. That's just over NZD3. We have found supermarkets and a very good fresh food market as well as getting SIM cards for our phone and mobile broadband.
We also went to Singapore 3 days ago just for 2 days and 1 night. Getting through the border checkpoint at the Causeway across to Singapore is a total rigmarole with endless walking and then we had no Sing dollars so had to find an ATM to get some before we could get a bus to the MRT (train) station. Nothing is straightforward with almost a total dearth of signage. Fairly frustrating but eventually we made it through and arrived at the Kranji MRT station. The MRT is very efficient and clean so we had a very pleasant trip into town, even if we did have to change trains twice. Many Malaysians commute every day to Singapore as the wages there are higher than Malaysia but they still live in Malaysia as the cost of living here is much lower than Singapore. So, they have to go through the border rigmarole twice a day - don't know how they put up with it.
We eventually arrived at the Chinatown station and disembarked to find our hotel - the Santa Grand. Comfortable but with rooms like shoeboxes although with our own ensuite. But clean and friendly and helpful. At SGD120 per night this is very definitely at the lower end of the accommodation scale - you could pay $1000's!
Our main purpose in coming to Singapore was to query our existing bank account and possibly open a new one with another bank. In the event that is what happened as the previous bank had been insisting on ridiculous minimum balances with fees to match! We made an appointment for the following day and in the meantime checked out where they were. We then went to the Marina Sands complex down on the waterfront which is a fantastically upmarket shopping complex on many levels - the shops were mind blowing. Next door there was the well known 3 towers with a structure resembling a boat stretched across the top. We had seen it before but had never been to the top so we purchased tickets for SGD17 apiece and hurtled upwards at ear popping speed for 57 floors. Unfortunately it had started to rain when we got to the viewing deck so we got a blurry view of things and the view wasn't all that spectacular anyway. Once down at the bottom we thought it might be good to have a drink at a bar we came across - nothing particularly flash but it cost us SGD32 for a beer and an Irish cider for Jean!! Won't be doing that again. Then it was back to the hotel for a shower and a lie down before venturing out again just around the corner for a Chinese meal in Chinatown. A couple of handles of Tiger beer and a very good Chinese meal much cheaper than at Marina Sands and Jean bought a handmade handbag from a Thai lady at one of the many stalls around there. Then a much needed sleep.
The next day off again to the banks. The address was Claymore Hill near Orchard Rd. We closed our existing account and then went into a shopping mall to find the local branch of Standard Chartered Bank. This we did and opened the new account with little problem. We knew the documentary requirements so all went off without a hitch. Even had new ATM cards issued on the spot but now we cannot work out how to activate them!! Always some hitches. Amazing shopping malls - this one had 4-5 levels below ground and so many shops. But with over 5 million people on a small island like Singapore they all seem to do a thriving trade. Had a great lunch at one of the myriads of eateries - Jean said her salad was one of the best she had ever had. Then it was back to Johor. We caught a cab to the checkpoint as they are cheap and we needed to relax in the car's airconditioning! Once more through the bureaucratic maze and then a short cab ride back to Danga Bay.
We are feeling very jaded - exhausted may be a better word - after 3 months in Indonesia and for that reason and also so that Jean can seek medical treatment for her hips and breathing issues, we have decided to stay on at Danga for about another 2 weeks. This will have the added advantage that when we do finally sail north we will be with Sail Malaysia which should be beneficial. Jean was going to travel from Pangkor to Penang for the medical issues but we are assured that the facilities here are at least as good as Penang and the hospital is part of the same group of private hospitals throughout Malaysia. First appointment this afternoon so we'll let you know.
The weather is hot and sultry - you only have to move and you perspire. There are thunderstorms most afternoons with the usual forked lightning and thunder crashing around with torrential rain.
Apart from that it's all good - keep watching this space.
Cheers and lotsaluv from us............
Jim and Jean
s.v. Tiare Taporo III
Danga Bay Marina
Johor
Malaysia.

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