Our last day in Singapore wasn't really exciting. We had to leave our hotel at 12 noon (Fragrance Hotel) hatch.
Singapore Orchard Road
To make the most of the day, we headed into the city around 9 a.m. From the City Hall MRT station, we walked through Fort Canning Park to Orchard Road. Along this street, one large shopping center follows another. Orchard Central has several restaurants on the 12th floor. From there, you have a good view of Singapore's business district with its skyscrapers.
Transfer to Singapore Changi International Airport
Changi International Airport is excellently connected to public transport. Like many places in Singapore, the airport is very clean. We were surprised to find that, for example, every restroom we used had at least one cleaner wiping down surfaces every few minutes. We were a little surprised by the security checks. There's no central security checkpoint; instead, each gate is processed separately. This, of course, minimizes waiting times for passengers. We did have a scary moment when a large plume of smoke rose from near one of the runways. Unfortunately, we couldn't find out what happened, but thankfully no aircraft were involved.
Flight with AirAsia Indonesia QZ 8493
We took off around 4 pm on AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ 8493, bound for Denpasar, Bali. During the 2.5-hour flight, we crossed the equator for the first time. As is typical at these latitudes, we experienced some turbulence, but otherwise everything went smoothly.
Entry to Bali
After a smooth entry with a visa on arrival (cost: USD 25, but also possible in EUR), we felt like we'd been transported back to when we first arrived in Vietnam. Everyone was trying to sell us their taxi or car. Annoying! We negotiated with several car rental companies and finally rented a 2004 Suzuki Jeep for 750,000 IRP (approx. EUR 63) for five days. This car would never pass a German vehicle inspection (TÜV), but for the few trips around the island and with our slow driving style, it should be fine.
We couldn't check into our reserved room at the hotel. Apparently, it was being renovated, but there were probably 50 police motorcycles parked outside. So I think it was fully booked. The reception had already arranged an alternative hotel for us, though. To get there, they sent a moped ahead, which we followed through the rush-hour traffic. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. Here at the Nirwana Hotel, it's really very clean, and we're looking forward to finally being able to sleep undisturbed again.
