Tag: BicycleTouringSingapore

Garry McGivern (Travelsonabike2) bicycle touring Singapore his trusty bike, Passepartout

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Cycling To Australia: Singapore To Batam Island, Indonesia | Travelsonabike2

Bicycle Touring to Australia: Singapore to Batam, Indonesia by Ferry

My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling through Indonesia on Sunday, the 19th February 2012. Singapore to Batam, by ferry and 24 miles cycling. I arrived at the ferry terminal nice and early, just in case there was a problem. Thankfully, there wasn’t, although I did have to unload all my bags and put them through the X-ray machine. After loading my bike back up, they took the bike off me, as it gets loaded separately. I wasn’t happy about that, but I had to go along with it if that was the system. I was relieved to see my bike on the boat as I boarded.

Tall building and ferris wheel
Bye-bye Singapore

The ferry only took about an hour, and I was soon on Batam Island. I was all psyched up, ready to argue my case for not having an onward flight. I needn’t have worried. In fact, I needn’t have bothered buying a return ticket! Customs never bothered to ask anything about leaving Indonesia! The customs officer was only interested in where I was heading, which only came up in conversation. He even told me where to go for my next ferry! Which was about 20km away. Again, the only hassle was putting my bags through the X-ray machine! Country number 18, my last one before Australia.

On Batam Island

I cycled the 20km, found my next ferry, and booked a ticket to Sumatra for tomorrow morning. Disappointingly, the only accommodation near the ferry was in golf resorts, and I wasn’t going to pay their prices! So I cycled back the 20km to Batam centre to find a hotel.

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

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Cycling To Australia: In Singapore | Travelsonabike2

Bicycle Touring to Australia: In Singapore

My latest bicycle touring to Australia update cycling in Singapore on Saturday, the 18th February 2012. There was no rush today, so I had a bit of a lie-in until seven! After breakfast, the first job of the day was to check out the ferry situation. I managed to find the ferry terminal okay and have booked a return ticket to Batam Island for tomorrow morning. The reason for buying a return ticket is that part of the entry requirements to Indonesia is an onward flight. I could have booked my onward flight to Australia, but Indonesia is a big country, and I just don’t know when I’ll get to Bali, or even if I will! I’m hoping a return ferry ticket will be sufficient!

Getting to Batam is only part of getting to Indonesia. I think from Batam. I need to get another ferry to Dumai in Sumatra. Finding information on Indonesian ferries is hard going. A lot of the information online is out of date. And a lot of the ferries no longer run. Cheap airlines have replaced them. But we’ll see tomorrow what happens!

Time To Sort The Bike Out

After sorting out my ferry ticket, I went to get some new tyres. I noticed yesterday when I had my puncture that my back tyre was wearing a bit thin and had gone through to the webbing in places. Whilst I was there, I replaced the front tyre as it was also low on tread. I also brought a new bicycle pump, just in case my car pump packs up!

White colonial building
Not my hotel

It’s been raining for a good part of the day, and I spent a good part of it sheltering. I probably stayed undercover for longer than maybe I normally would. I talked to a father and his daughter who were holidaying from Newcastle. They were also sheltering. They were nice people to talk to.

After the rain stopped, I continued riding around Singapore and found the F1 circuit. The names were still above the garages from last year, and the pit boxes still had the tyre marks. Very geeky, I know, but I do like my F1! I went for a ride around the circuit, mostly the wrong way, but it is on the roads! That’s Singapore and Monaco; I’ve cycled around now! How sad, but I’m happy!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels

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Cycling To Australia: Simpang Renggam, Malaysia, To Singapore | Travelsonabike2

Bicycle Touring to Australia: Simpang Renggam, Malaysia, To Singapore

My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling through Singapore on Friday, the 17th of February 2012. Simpang Renggam, Malaysia to Singapore. 75 miles. I was trying to find an excuse to complain to the hotel management this morning to see the pretty manager from last night. But I couldn’t fault the place. And besides, I don’t know what I would have done had she even been there. Breakfast was across the road from the hotel, in the same restaurant I’d eaten in last night. Duck, rice and coffee, that kept me going for a while.

There was no rush today. I thought Singapore was only forty miles away. Obviously not! Well, it was, but it was still a few more miles to the heart of Singapore, where I needed to be.

Don’t Be Lazy, Fix It

I got a slow puncture early this morning, and because it was slow, I ignored it and kept pumping the tyre up. Eventually, the air came out too quickly, and the inevitable happened. I had to stop and repair it! I’d just finished the repair when a car pulled up alongside and out jumped a man. He introduced himself as Rahman and said he was also into cycling. Although his cycling was off-road on a mountain bike.

Two men
With Rahman

We chatted for a while before he invited me to the café across the road, where he brought me lunch. Over lunch, we talked about my trip. He was very interested in my bike and took loads of photos. A couple of his friends from his cycle club also came along to say hello. After nearly an hour, I thanked him for his hospitality and left to continue my ride.

The Malaysian/Singapore border wasn’t much further once I left the café. Only another hour or two. I had trouble getting onto the bridge connecting Malaysia and Singapore, but a kind old man on a scooter showed me the way. Getting out of Malaysia wasn’t a problem, but getting into Singapore was a little problematic. The over-official border guard kept asking me how I would leave and where my flight ticket home was! Not again! I could feel Bangladesh happening all over again! I explained that I was getting the ferry to Indonesia. So, where’s your visa for Indonesia? She asked. It’s visa on entry, I replied. This went backwards and forwards for a while until she finally gave in and allowed me in!

Country Number 17

Now, in Singapore, my map was useless! Because of its large scale, the word Singapore covered nearly all of the country. And there was only one road showing, which was a motorway, so I had to go for it! I don’t mind motorway cycling as a last resort, as I feel pretty safe on the hard shoulder in my own lane. But I sometimes wonder if I have a death wish when I try to cross four lanes of fast-moving motorway traffic when the motorway splits!

Halfway down the motorway, the heavens opened. Fearing for my safety, I took shelter under a bridge, along with a monkey! Others quickly joined us, also sheltering from the rain. As we all waited for the rain to pass, a police car passed. And I suddenly remembered that chewing gum was banned! And what was I doing, chewing gum! I quickly swallowed it just in case he stopped. He didn’t. But I must remember to keep my gum away.

I made it to Singapore City and found a hotel in Chinatown. The room is small, made even smaller by having my bike with me. But I’m more than happy to climb over it to get in and out! The hotel is also surprisingly cheap, granted it’s a bit more expensive than what I’ve been paying. But a lot cheaper than I’d expected.

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels