Pretty easy. Follow these instructions: http://www.lta.gov.sg/motoring_matters/motoring_guide_nonwest_regis.htm
What I did the Day after I arrived, and the day before the bike arrived is:
Singapore AA
Take all the documentation mentioned in the above link to Singapore AA. and get:
Insurance: They will issue you "Carnet Insurance" which they can only sell for 30 days now, so a minimum of $310. You might be able to shop around if you have more time, but I only had a day to sort the documentation out.
ICP: This little slip of paper cost me $53.50. I'm unclear if this was related to the number of days I was staying in Singapore. Anyway, you must remove the vehicle from Singapore before this expires. They clearly were not too familar with this step as I'm not sure that it had been filled in correctly.
Carnet Endorsement: They stamp the back of the Import slip stating that they are liable for the duty on the vehicle if it does not leave Singapore in 12 months. However, I'm not sure why as this is what the Carnet document itself is for. When you leave Singapore you must get the Export slip endorsed also.
Expect Singapore AA to take about 2 hours.
LTA
After Singapore AA is complete, head over to the LTA to get your autopass card. Just hand them all the documentation and they will issue you the card. The whole process takes about 15 minutes, and the card costs $10. You don't need an IU for a car but they will try to get you to hire one, however foreign vehicles are charged $5 for a full day of ERP use if they pass though one (I'm unclear on the rules for a motorbike in regards to the IU, I'll find out at the boarder I guess).
Airport Cargo
As my bike was Airfreight it was a pretty easy process at the airport. You MUST have your Bill of Lading to gain access to the cargo area of the airport. Make sure you can get a copy faxed to you somewhere. Once you get to the airport you need to surrender your passport to the security office and they will issue you a visitors pass. After that retrieve the bike from the cargo company (addresses will be given to you), reassemble if required, and then ride it out to Customs (stay left!). Customs will go over the Carnet and sign it off. In my case they didn't even leave the office to inspect the bike or ask for the ICP or insurance, it was all done and signed quickly (and with the involvement of around 4 of them), And then you're on your way again! Just remember to stop at security to get your passport back.
Showing posts with label singapore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label singapore. Show all posts
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
7 Days in Singapore
I've been sticking mostly to food things to do while here. It's cost me a little over my budget to get my bike here and replace some stuff. But here's my brief guide!
Maxwell Road Hawker Centre
The best of the chicken rice stalls in Maxwell Road Hawker Centre is Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice according to a lot of sources, and there always seems to be a line up out the front which might be proof of this. I've only tried chicken rice here twice and it is the tastiest thing I've had, and as far as I can tell the only real difference in vendors is the condiments. The Boneless Chicken Rice stall down one end of the centre offers separate chilli and ginger which you can mix together yourself, at the Tian Tian stall it's mixed already but it's a much better (and hotter) sauce. The only problem with it being mixed is you miss out on trying a mouthful of extreme ginger chicken rice. It's cheap at $3/$3.50 for a small/large plate of the Chicken Rice and this probably explains the reason for the popularity more than anything. They seem to run out mid afternoon so don't expect it to be open too late, and if visiting at lunch time be prepared for a long wait.
The other standout place I found in this centre was the Indian/Malay place in the south west corner. It was one of the only places to serve nasi goreng that I've found. One of the best nasi gorengs I've had so far! And after 4 days here it was the first thing I tried that had any real chilli in it. They're either leaving the chilli out because I'm white, or the locals like everything really mild.
As always there are many drink stalls with cheap(ish) beers, $5.50 for a longneck of Tiger isn't too bad. I think the most I paid in any hawker centre was $7 for a bottle of stout. Also when drinking there are ladies that will come around and top up your glass, and get another bottle for you. This is all too convienient. I wasn't aware of this at first and just thought it was someone that the guy I was sharing a table with knew.
The link above mentions the Char Kwey Teow from the Marina South Delicious Food Stall, but I'd go elsewhere for that. Which leads me to...
Lau Pa Sat
Lau Pa Sat is another very clean hawker centre with a lot of options. There's a lot more variety in this one than in the centres closer to chinatown, with Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Indian food along with the usual Chinese I'm used to seeing. It also has a Wendys, a Panini place and another place that served western food. It's right next to the large city buildings so there are a lot of office workers that appear very quickly at midday.
Best thing I had here was the Lai Heng Char Kwey Teow, which was the best char kwey teow I had in Singapore. There's something about the way they make it in Australia that I prefer though, probably that they just load it up with more of the chinese sausage. Still, this one was better than the other 4 I tried here!
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Ya Kun Kaya Toast is the original of the kaya toast outlets apparently. You can get the Kaya Toast at a lot of the Kopitiam's in the hawker centre, but the lonely planet guide and several other reviews all point to the original of this chain in the Far East Square.
This is what I've been having for breakfast for the past few days. You can get a Kaya Toast set for $4.00 which is Coffee (with condensed milk), two soft boiled eggs (whites still runny), and the Kaya toast which is toast with coconut jam and butter on it. I've found the same sets at other places for $2.50 however.
The Olde Cuban
I stumbled accross The Olde Cuban here in chinatown and it's a cigar and whiskey bar. The entrance is at the back of a restaurant, not far from the MRT escalators. There's a big selection of very old very expensive whiskeys, and also cigars in their own little humidor room too if you're in to that sort of thing. I recommend the Highland Park.
Brewerkz
Brewerkz is a microbrewery here in Singapore. It seems to have the biggest selection, as shown here:
All the usual styles, a few odd ones thrown in. On the bottom of the pic you can see their scaled pricing, so between 12 and 3pm you can get a pint for $6, this goes up to $15 depending on the time of night. There are also more expensive options of course. It makes it worse that the more you drink the less chance you will have of working out the best value.
The beers were pretty average for their styles, I had nothing really outstanding. It was also really unnerving to be in a brewery with table service and then having to ask for the check when I was ready to leave. The bonus here was it was only $6 a pint (plus 7% GST) at the right time. Other places charge $15.
Internet
Go to any 7-11 and get the StarHub MaxMobile prepaid broadband SIM for $12, the $12 also counts towards your credit. Once you've got it connected up you can add more credit (certain countries cards only, and this process was broken for a day also) to get more days out of it. You can use recharge cards, but DON'T USE THE $17 OR $28 CARDS! They're not for this service, and the only note I saw about this was in the recharge screen while trying to use the $28 card.
Anyway. Once that is all set up you can get online at 7.2Mbit, 2GB/day for 5 days, for $20.
Transport
Get the EZLink card from an MRT station. Cheaper fares (slightly) and then you can roam anywhere the MRT goes. I never tried the buses, but in the area I'm in there are 4 stations on 3 lines all within 15 minutes walk. Note that at the moment the circle line is still under construction and stops at Marymount, however all the signs up in stations show the completed circle.
Next stop, Malaysia.
Maxwell Road Hawker Centre
 |
| Tian Tian Haianese Chicken Rice |
The other standout place I found in this centre was the Indian/Malay place in the south west corner. It was one of the only places to serve nasi goreng that I've found. One of the best nasi gorengs I've had so far! And after 4 days here it was the first thing I tried that had any real chilli in it. They're either leaving the chilli out because I'm white, or the locals like everything really mild.
As always there are many drink stalls with cheap(ish) beers, $5.50 for a longneck of Tiger isn't too bad. I think the most I paid in any hawker centre was $7 for a bottle of stout. Also when drinking there are ladies that will come around and top up your glass, and get another bottle for you. This is all too convienient. I wasn't aware of this at first and just thought it was someone that the guy I was sharing a table with knew.
The link above mentions the Char Kwey Teow from the Marina South Delicious Food Stall, but I'd go elsewhere for that. Which leads me to...
Lau Pa Sat
 |
| One of the 'streets' in this centre |
Best thing I had here was the Lai Heng Char Kwey Teow, which was the best char kwey teow I had in Singapore. There's something about the way they make it in Australia that I prefer though, probably that they just load it up with more of the chinese sausage. Still, this one was better than the other 4 I tried here!
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Ya Kun Kaya Toast is the original of the kaya toast outlets apparently. You can get the Kaya Toast at a lot of the Kopitiam's in the hawker centre, but the lonely planet guide and several other reviews all point to the original of this chain in the Far East Square.
This is what I've been having for breakfast for the past few days. You can get a Kaya Toast set for $4.00 which is Coffee (with condensed milk), two soft boiled eggs (whites still runny), and the Kaya toast which is toast with coconut jam and butter on it. I've found the same sets at other places for $2.50 however.
The Olde Cuban
I stumbled accross The Olde Cuban here in chinatown and it's a cigar and whiskey bar. The entrance is at the back of a restaurant, not far from the MRT escalators. There's a big selection of very old very expensive whiskeys, and also cigars in their own little humidor room too if you're in to that sort of thing. I recommend the Highland Park.
Brewerkz
Brewerkz is a microbrewery here in Singapore. It seems to have the biggest selection, as shown here:
All the usual styles, a few odd ones thrown in. On the bottom of the pic you can see their scaled pricing, so between 12 and 3pm you can get a pint for $6, this goes up to $15 depending on the time of night. There are also more expensive options of course. It makes it worse that the more you drink the less chance you will have of working out the best value.
The beers were pretty average for their styles, I had nothing really outstanding. It was also really unnerving to be in a brewery with table service and then having to ask for the check when I was ready to leave. The bonus here was it was only $6 a pint (plus 7% GST) at the right time. Other places charge $15.
Internet
Go to any 7-11 and get the StarHub MaxMobile prepaid broadband SIM for $12, the $12 also counts towards your credit. Once you've got it connected up you can add more credit (certain countries cards only, and this process was broken for a day also) to get more days out of it. You can use recharge cards, but DON'T USE THE $17 OR $28 CARDS! They're not for this service, and the only note I saw about this was in the recharge screen while trying to use the $28 card.
Anyway. Once that is all set up you can get online at 7.2Mbit, 2GB/day for 5 days, for $20.
Transport
Get the EZLink card from an MRT station. Cheaper fares (slightly) and then you can roam anywhere the MRT goes. I never tried the buses, but in the area I'm in there are 4 stations on 3 lines all within 15 minutes walk. Note that at the moment the circle line is still under construction and stops at Marymount, however all the signs up in stations show the completed circle.
Next stop, Malaysia.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Singapore Video!
Me moving my bike from the airport carpark to one closer to chinatown. Watch me get lost twice!
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Darwin, Planes, and Singapore!
Darwin!
Pretty boring place. I mostly spent my time cleaning the bike, and not leaving the motel much. The Monday there was a public holiday, and also the Darwin Cup so most of the people in the hotel were there for the races. I watched them all leaving and coming back as I scrubbed the last bit of the Northern Territory off my bike.
On the Tuesday I drained fuel out of the tank (down to 1/4 tank) to comply with the Dangerous Goods rules. Then packed all my camping gear in the cases and rode around for about an hour to get the fuel down even more. Again. pretty boring place... :D
When it came time to lodge the bike I went to Australian Air Express (they handle all the international Qantas Freight). Had to disconnect the battery and tape up the terminals, then they had a big discussion over the amount of fuel in the bike, then it was off with the mirrors, and getting the dimensions and weight. Pretty easy process, but some of those airport staff are weird people. I guess I know why there's that wide buffer of uninhabited land around Darwin now.
So the bike was ready to go on Wednesday lunchtime to Brisbane first, then back up to Singapore. It does this because it has to be in a wide container and because it is dangerous goods so Jetstar won't carry it direct. I later found out that this leg added another $400 to the cost of shipping. If I'd know I could have sent it from Brisbane for a bit less.
My Wednesday was spent just wasting time at Casuarina and the airport until my 6pm flight. Very, very boring day. Then once on the plane we had to sit there for an extra hour while they sorted out some missing baggage. So boring. 4 hour flight, 5 hours on the plane.
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| Waiting to leave the last very boring bit of Darwin. |
Singapore!
I'm in Singapore! I made it! They let me through Immigration and Customs without any hassle! Hahahahha!
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| My hotel (The Inn at Temple Street) |
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| Pagoda Street |
Most of my days have been spent dealing with the bike however. Thursday was spent at Singapore AA getting the Insurance (S$310, for a week..), and the ICP (S$53? what...). Then it was over to the LTA to get my Autopass card to cover tolls, Vehicle Entry Permit, and parking costs. I just handed them all the documentation and S$10 and I got it, very easy process!
Friday I got a message from the Airport that the bike was ready to pick up, I packed up all my riding gear and headed off in a Taxi. In the middle of the long line to get the security pass for the cargo area I realised my keys were back at the hotel........ Oh well. I went in anyway, made sure I had all the documentation in order, then let them know and they put the bike in a staging area. Then it was back to the hotel to get the keys, then back out to the airport in another Taxi. All up around S$50 wasted for my dumbness.
The second time I was all set, I had them get the bike out of cargo storage, undid all the straps holding it in the container and then I wheeled it outside, connected the battery and I was off! I rode it over to Customs to sign off on the Carnet (couldn't hear anything they were saying), then back to security to get my passport back, then I was free! Riding round legally on Singapore roads! Ha! Totally free to roam anywhere and all I did was take it round to the other side of the airport to park it there until I figured out how the ERP (toll) system worked!
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| It's here! In one piece! |
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| Funan Technology Centre |
Then it was back again for a stroll around, wandered past a brewery who were selling pints of beer for S$15 (same as Melbourne really), then down to the river where everything was expensive again, and all the way to Raffles Hotel. I had a quick look at the long bar, then at the prices, then left. S$26 for a singapore sling, I couldn't justify that after spending so much in the past few days. So I went back the the peoples park plaza and ate for S$4, and drank for S$6.80!
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| Raffles Hotel |
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| The menu at the Long Bar (Raffles Hotel) |
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| CBD |
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| Clarke/Boat Quay |
I've found a good way to save money here is to have very little in your wallet, but there's still the autopass card and the ezlink card (public transport) that hide cash away. Maybe I'll go back to Raffles once I see how much my bank is charging me for withdrawals.
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| Underpass which looks like Half Life. I expected the lights to flicker and something to break through the walls. |
Since the ERP is free today I moved my bike closer to the Hotel, now it's only one street away and closer to my exit into Malaysia!
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| The view from my bike park. |
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| New Bridge Road (Hotel is just that way -->) |
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