I
had planned to travel south to check out the Great Singapore Sale; this would
be my fifth GSS trip since I started it in 2009. As I don’t like to spend too
long and too much in Singers, I decided to take the night train and fly back. So
I bought a lower berth ticket from KTMB last month (you can buy it only one
month in advance) and a JetStar single ticket flight back.
I
left on Friday evening. The train left KL Sentral at 2317 (scheduled ETA was
2300) and I managed to grab some shuteye. Of course I was shaken up from my slumber
a few times by the train whistles and vibrations and other passengers’ snores
but despite all that, I think I slept better than I had on previous trips.
We
pulled into JB Sentral after 6 am and left after 30 minutes. Some immigration
officers came on board to check our passports. They didn’t stamp our passports
though.
It
was well after 7 am when the train finally pulled out of JB Sentral and it
should have been light (it gets light earlier down south) but the buildings
were blurry. The city was still shrouded in haze and it felt like we were in Twilight Zone.
It
got worse on the Causeway and continued all the way into Singapore.
After
clearing immigration, I walked out and crossed the street to the shop blocks. I
bought some water and asked for directions to Marsiling MRT station. I was
advised by both women I asked that it was too far to walk and that I should
just take the bus. The bus fare only cost S$1.10. Well, I didn’t mind walking
and besides, it was still early. Whatever was I going to do if I reach downtown
early anyway. So I left and walked up the road, following the simple rudimentary
map I had printed earlier. And what do you know, it took only 15 minutes to get
to the MRT station – and that included waiting at the lights to cross the road
and stopping to determine my direction.
Singers
had introduced a new MRT ticket since my last visit. Previously, you paid for
the ticket and a S$1 refundable deposit on top of the fare which you could get
back at the ticket machine once you reached your destination. The new ticket is
now paper-based but you could still tap to enter the station and you don’t have
to bother with getting your deposit back as the new ticket does not ask for
deposit. I rode the train for 50 minutes to Newton. From Newton station, I walked
down Scotts Road to Royal Plaza hotel. Almost missed it because there was a
major refurbishment at the hotel entrance. I used the bathroom to freshen up
and change clothes. After that, I sat at the lobby and read while waiting.
I
left the hotel lobby after 10 and went to DFS Galleria next door. The best part
about arriving early is that you beat the crowd. I went into a few stores to
browse but left empty-handed. Next, I crossed over to Far East Plaza. As most
shops were still closed, I left and decided to head for ION Orchard. I got
diverted, however, by a sale sign and went to Marriott to check it out. It was
OK. I didn’t find anything to catch my fancy though. Seeing I was on that side
of Orchard Road, I continued on to Lucky Plaza then took the underground walkway
to Ngee Ann City. Checked out Chanel before the queue started and then walked
around before finally making my way to ION Orchard. There wasn’t any Nike store
there though so I retraced my steps back to Wisma Atria. I bought a flower
brooch and as it was already lunchtime (much to my surprise. When did the time
pass?), headed up to fourth floor to have lunch.
After
lunch, I went back to Ngee Ann City and Takashimaya before crossing over to
Paragon. Thank God the sky had cleared by then and we enjoyed a lovely bright sunny
afternoon. I found a Nike store in Paragon and although it still stocked
Arsenal’s shirt in boys’ sizes L and XL, they were still retailing at S$79. Excuse
me? So I left without buying anything.
I
went to Al-Falah Mosque nearby to perform prayers before returning to Lucky
Plaza. I had by then grown tired of Singers. There was nothing that spoke to me
or shouted at me and I wondered why I even bothered coming in the first place. After
Lucky Plaza, I returned to Far East Plaza for a short while before thinking,
sod it, I’d had enough. So I went to Orchard MRT and took the train to Changi
Airport.
I
had an early dinner at Changi and went in early. Nothing appealed at me at
duty-free either and that was then when I knew this would be my last GSS trip
in a while. Never say never though. I may return one fine day but not anytime
soon.
The
plane took off later than scheduled and as a result, we were made to circle the
airspace as there was a heavy air traffic going into KLIA. Duh! I had to hold
my bladder all the while and had to rush out to use the bathroom. Then I had to
rush to catch the 9:20 pm train back to KL. I just about made it panting and
gasping, with 20 seconds to spare. Never mind. I much prefer that than having
to wait another 20 minutes for the next train. I hate waiting!
So
that was my last GSS trip for the time being (I keep wanting to type GST. No,
not the Goods and Services Tax but Chanel GST. Heh). Let me know if you had
better luck than me at GSS: better bargains, better shopping experience etc.
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