First stop, Peninsula excelsior Hotel lobby. I need to make sure I have the right direction so I asked the concierge on what’s the best route to get to Marina Bay Sands. He suggested I take a cab but that’s not too challenging. I wanted to have some certain degree of risk and adventure so he suggested I take the Subway. Hmm. Interesting. I haven’t really tried riding any subway transport system so I said to myself it’s worth giving a try. The direction is simple; take the MRT north & South Route Subway Train at the City Hall Station to the Marina Bay Station and take a bus going to the Marina Bay Sands.
The MRT City Hall Terminal is just a 10-minute walk from the Hotel. I didn’t have any worries getting there. The real and unexpected predicament is how do I purchase the ticket for the train ride, how much will it cost me and which machine should I use to purchase one. See, Singapore’s transportation system is being serviced via an EZ Link Card which can be used for trains, buses and cab fares. All one has to do is to purchase an EZ Link Card value of which will depend on your utilization plan. I didn’t know that information until I finished my adventure. After asking couple of questions from the information officer (answers of which are really hard to understand) and minutes of observing the commuters purchase and reload their EZ Tickets, I got the courage to fall in line and buy my first ever EZ Link ticket.
I got my single journey ticket for 2 Dollars and proceeded to the direction that says Marina Bay. Going down the escalator, I noticed that there are 2 terminals below the City Hall Station. One for the North and South (Red Lane) route the other is for the Green Lane which services the east and West routes. That does not worry me though; all I need to do is follow the signs. Waiting at the flat form, I also noticed that the subway system have installed protective division at the edge of the railway flat form to avoid passengers getting strucked by an incoming train. Pretty cool idea.
The MRT ride ended at the Marina Bay Station which is also the last station. The next mission I need to accomplish is to find the bus stop and book myself a seat to the Marina Bay Sands. Across the busy streets of Central Boulevard I found the bus stop. As the bus stopped to get the passengers waiting at the stop, I hopped into the bus for the ride. Wollah! To my surprise, the bus is also using an EZ Link Card! Unfortunately for me, my EZ Link Card is empty already. So I asked the bus driver if I just can pay him in cash. He said yes, I asked how much, he said 1 Dollar, I got 10Dollar Bill in my pocket, he said no change and just told me to seat down and my fare is free. I thanked him for that.
After 2 minutes, I alighted from the bus and I was staring up close and personal at the magnificent Marina Bay Sands Hotel. At first glance one would really wonder, how the hell did the architects and the engineers managed to put the large ship on top of the 3 towers? The hotel structure inside and out is so amazing! The ship or the Sky Park on top of the 3 towers offers guest a panoramic view of the entire Singapore landscape! Too bad I did find the “stairs” (hahaha) going to the top so I just settled my eyes on the view from below.
I felt a degree of accomplishment having set foot on the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This project was developed by the Las Vegas Sands and it is considered today as the most expensive stand alone casino and 5 Star Hotel. The trip is all worth it and for the heck of it, I didn’t mind the scorching sun on my way back to the Peninsula. Finding Marina is an experience of a lifetime.
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