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Stopping at Changi Airport
After our swim we walked over to Terminal 2 in Changi Airport. The airport is a virtual city with multiple levels of services offered to transiting passengers. Our first stop was at a travel kiosk where we inquired about Hop on Hop Off Bus tickets. There were several options and we weren't sure how their prices compared with what we were seeing online. There are actually several different tour operators to select from.
They also advertised Gardens by the Bay admission tickets. We walked away at first, but then decided to make that our destination for the day. Purchasing tickets at the airport meant we'd not have to wait in line when we got there and we'd save a few dollars on the admission price. They accepted credit cards which meant we could conserve our cash for places that didn't accept credit cards.
Lunch at Food Court
We started wandering around Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 almost in a daze. It was overwhelming at first, with so many dining options to choose from. Finally we noticed that Basement lever 2 had a food court. So we took the escalator down and started to explore the various options.
We both decided to order chicken dumplings. When we got the order, we realized that we could have ordered just one plate, but since we didn't know when we'd be eating again, too much food was better than not enough. There were several tables nearby, so we found a place to sit and ate our lunch. Looking around, we didn't see anyone drinking beverages with their meals. Since we had our water bottles with us, we decided to just have that with our lunch.
MRT to Gardens
As with most mass transit systems, it is necessary for each passenger to have their own travel card. We looked around the airport and found a long line waiting to purchase cards. There were signs indicating that Singapore Tourist Passes were sold there. Those offer unlimited train and bus transit for 24 hour period.
Since our plans had changed, we started to think that we probably didn't need an unlimited travel card. I stayed in line while my husband went to the transit booth to talk to someone about the best option for us to purchase. The standard travel cards are sold in machines, but you need to have coins and small denomination bills. He got change and then headed to purchase the tickets. They were S$ 4.70 for the round trip each which was cheaper than S$ 20 each for the Tourist Pass.
Tip: If you are staying multiple days and planning to visit several locations in Singapore, then the Tourist Pass would be your best option. Otherwise, purchase a Standard Travel Card for each trip.
We'd looked at the MRT website before heading to the airport, so we had an idea about how to get to Gardens by the Bay. Singapore's system is very similar to London or Washington DC systems. The routes intersect making it possible to get anywhere on the system regardless of your origination point. Changi Airport is on the East West (Green) line.
Getting on the train at the airport is confusing; we weren't quite sure if we were on the right train. We must have looked puzzled, because a gentleman asked where we were going, and told us we would have to change trains in a couple stops because our train terminated at Tanah Merah. We waited a few minutes there and were back on a Green Line train to our next stop. The closest station to the Gardens is Baymont, which is on the Circle (Yellow) line. We would need to transfer to the Circle Line at Paya Lebar.
Once we got to Baymont, there were signs directing us to the Gardens by the Bay. It was quite a walk before we got to the exit. Once outside, we found that we were very close to the Gardens shuttle bus. We purchased shuttle tickets for S$ 6 each and were on our way to the entrance.
Related Album:
Singapore MRT
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