Hi,
I travelled to New Zealand in 2005. Though it has been a long time, I still remember is vividly. I decided to share my experiences of the travel and the place so that anyone travelling would have a fair idea of what to expect. But obviously this is all based on personal experiences and these might vary.
Travelling from India, I had chosen the route via Singapore. So I had to fly from New Delhi to Singapore, then to Auckland and then finally to my destination in Wellington. I had never travelled alone before this trip so obviously I had my own apprehensions and obvious excitments as well. J
Delhi - Singapore
I slept through the entire flight from Delhi to Singapore only to be woken up by the steward for my dinner and then light breakfast. After landing in Singapore at 7:30 a.m., local time I was welcomed by Changi Airport. I don’t know if it was because it was my first trip abroad but I was blown away by this airport. It was (is) just so impressive!! The airport has two terminals : Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Both are connected by a Sky Train which is also a good experience. And then there are travellators everywhere (you know something like an escalator but this moves horizontally.)
As I followed the directions to the Departure, I came across the counter for transit visas. Since I was travelling to New Zealand, I could get this visa issued. I think the same applies in case you are travelling to Australia, Europe and ofcourse U.S.A. But you can check the present status. Anyway, just 5 minutes at the counter and I had a transit visa for Singapore.
I had to catch the flight to Auckland after a good 12 hours so I decided to spend all this time doing a bit of sight-seeing.After a bath and a change of clothes at the airport, I was ready to go out. I depositted all my hand-baggage at the Baggage Counter in the airport for $5. Ofcourse I was carrying all my other currency, passport and tickets.If anything, I was just too paranoid about the safety of these documents, may be because I was in a foreign country all alone, for the first time. I felt scared going out but as it turned out it was all for nothing.
Whatever little I had seen of the airport made me decide that I would spare atleast 2 hours for some shopping. Atleast that would give me some idea about the prices and I could always shop on my way back to India.
Experience in Singapore
As I stepped out of the airport, it was fairly easy to get a cab to the city. As we moved towards the city , I was struck by how well-planned it all was. Cars were just zipping past the cab from both directions.What fascinated me most was the runways that have been constructed just above the roads. While you travel on the road, it seems like a normal flyover to you until an airplane zooms across the runway just above your head. J Amazing!!
So, anyway I had heard lots about the malls on the Orchid Road. So, I first went there. (Well for most that would not be the first place to go to but then I had my priorities and I was hungry).
I went to the Takashimaya Mall…My God!! Was it big?? It was simply amazing. Though most things were out of my reach, it was still quite an experience. If you are a vegetarian, the best place to eat is SubWay. I picked up a 6’’ and then continued my exploration.
Deciding that I had had enough of the mall, I again took a cab and decided to go the Botanical Garden. By the way, I knew about it from the pamphlets I had picked up from the airport.
Though the Singapore weather is tropical and you tend to sweat a lot, still this particular day , it was just about okay. Once I reached the Botanical Garden I still had 3 hours to spare before my alloted 2 hours for the airport. After buying the ticket to the garden, I entered it to find myself in a different world all-together. If you are a nature-lover and like to walk , you should not miss this place. As expected, it was all green. Right when you enter you see water fountains welcoming you. There is a big clock, very well architectured too. So, it was obviously time to take out the camera.
I must have clicked photos of all the flowers there were. Anyway, as I moved into the garden, I came across a water-body (it wasn’t a lake or a lagoon..so I am going to call it just that!!) In the middle of the water-body was a stage where they hold Symphony shows. All around the water-body were slopes with grass all over for audiences to sit and enjoy the music. Imagine!! It must be so great to watch such a show, especially at night time.
Anyway, as I moved ahead I saw lots of gardens inside, the Ginger Garden, Orchid Garden and so on. Though I did not go to the Ginger Garden, the Orchid garden was really good. Orchid is the flower of Singapore so it made sense to go there. The garden that was really beautiful was the Mist Garden. It was simply breath-taking.I have never seen such flowers and such colours in my entire life. It just simply something that you experience..noone can tell you about it.
So, though I was enjoying myself there, I had to move back to the airport. So, I went out and took a cab back. One thing I ought to mention is the cab service in Singapore. It is simply wonderful. The drivers don’t argue about the destination, something that we are used to in India and no hassles about the prices as well. Mind you, I love India but yes, I am open to accept and give healthy criticisms.
So, now we come to the airport. My God, I was so thankful that I kept some time aside for this place. I saw the most amazing jewellery (though I could not buy it ), watches, hand-bags and accessories there. You name any brand and Terminal 2 had a shop.Meanwhile I also checked out my flight details. The flight was on time and I decided to check out the location of the gate, you know again the travelling-alone factor came into the picture. Once I had located the gate I ws supposed to board the flight from, I again started out with my exploration.
It seemed the airport had a gym, a 3-D movie theatre, a hotel, besides the hoards of shops.I shopped for some slippers from Charles and Keith (that was quite affordable) and decided to put off everything else for my return journey. It was time to collect the baggage from the deposit centre and head for the flight to Auckland, one step closer to the final destination.
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