London's Tourist Tuk Tuks Or Rickshaws

 

This one has the words, 'Hey, taxi, London,' above the seats inside, and under the seat. 

Where Are They?

Motorised tricycles are known by different names around the world, and variations as company names.

These in my photographs were parked near Embankment station in London, and driving up the road towards Trafalgar Square. 

You might see the lights, flashing lights, or hear music, like ice cream vans which I remember from my childhood.

The cost comes down divided between three friends. If the charge is by time and distance rather than by person. You can see them up and down Oxford Street, the main shopping street, as well as side streets.

Decor

They are brightly coloured, luminous, every one different. One had seats covered in imitation white long haired fur. For fun photos. Open sided so you can take pictures. 

Are they fun, causing congestion on already busy roads, a safer slower form or transports than big buses and coaches, cheaper than taxes, conning tourists out of cash. We were sent one at the airport by the hotel's taxi service in Cambodia. My hat nearly blew off. I was left clutching it. The engine and traffic nose make everything too noisy to speak to the driver and ask him to slow down, stop, or how long now. We hired them by the day or week for nearly a fortnight. You bargained the price. I was quite disappointed to get a ordinary and more expensive regular taxi back to the airport when we left. See my previous posts on this subject for more. Wikipedia has entertaining articles and pictures of similar vehicles in (alphabetically) Bangladesh, The Philippines, and other countries.

Useful Websites about rickshaws and tuktuks

UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuctuc_Ltd

Worldwide - USA, Europe, India and more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw

 

Easy and Obvious Spanish Words Translated into English

 Spanish - English

centro - centre

la clase - the class

colores - colours

curso - course

escribir - to write (sounds like the English words inscribe, a scribe, script, scripture, description. )

escuelas - schools

los libros - the books

mucho - much / a lot

nota - note

Pizza - a large) pizza

pizarra - chalkboard (not pizza, though that might be written on the board)

profesor - professor

taxi - taxi

English - Spanish

the books - los libros

centre - centro

la classe - the class

colours - colores

course - curso

flowers - flowers

much / a lot - mucho

note - nota

professor - profesor (NB only one s in the Spanish word)

schools - escuelas

taxi - taxi

to write - escribir

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

translate google

wiki voybage phrasebook Spanish

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Staying safe in foreign cars and taxis

When ordering a cab, check that you are getting into the correct vehicle. Check the number plate. Note the colour and model of the car.

If in doubt, photogrpah the vehicle, number plate and driver. Ask the driver what sort of car it is and whether he likes that model. 

If possible check the route in advance. 

I never get in a taxi if the driver doesn't know the route and destination.

In a foreign country, have a map.

Make sure you are going to the right hotel. Not one with a similar name. Not the out of town Hilton when the one which has your room booking is the city centre. A city could have several branches of the same hotel chain.

Find out if the local taxis and cabs have a cheaper shared ride system.

Some inter city taxis or sheroots chare a large taxi and set off when all the seats are filled, or enough to make it worrth the driver's while.

I like to keep you luggage beside me, so that if I had to jump out in a hurry my wheel on bag is with me, and I don't forget it.

Keep a pen and paper. Then you can write a note asking for help. Your phone may have google translate.

Install on your mobile phone the ride sharing or ordering app for a country you visit on holiday.

Carry the pin for removing your sim card in case you need to buy an overseas phone and remove the SIM card. 

Do not leave the mobile phone office until they have got your phone working.

You may need your passcode to reinstall the new SIM card.

If travelling with family or close friends, have a coded message for let's leave, we are in danger, or run for it. Supposing you are with a taxi driver who wants you to stop at his brother's shop, or his friend's bar, or at his house to meet his wife (who may have gone out shopping). How would you warn your best friend and travelling ompanion or your teenage son that this is not a good idea. You might have a phrase such as, 'Uncle will be waiting for us at the hotel.'

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12446235/Arizona-woman-kidnapped-man-posing-Uber-driver-note-help.html#comments

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Sylvia's Phone holder

 After Sylvia lost her phone, left behind in a taxi, she thought, she invested in this phone holder. It  has a flap which slides under your existing phone  protection case..

https://www.shein.co.uk/Clear-Phone-Case-With-Chain-Lanyard-p-6338482-cat-1923.html?onelink=2/2nv2itayitn9&skucode=I74dhsufx525&url_from=ukadplase2110181727436529iPhone14_GPM&cid=16905480376&setid=&adid=&pf=GOOGLE&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6d1HOIW0Djdm6Ul-KPtjNBNPqD7AxmEYFlfk-OttQeNAxiuhd3kXRoaAk1gEALw_wcBlus the time and trouble and stress. 

Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

Sylvia lost her phone. She thought she left it in a taxi. If you have the number of the taxi you can ask the taxi company.

I always ask for a receipt. Then if I left anything behind I can call the taxi company. 

If sthey say, we don't have it, you can then work down your list of places you could have lost it.

 The driver might say he does not have it. Why not? It could have been picked up by a later customer. 

You might have dropped it in the road when getting out of the vehicle (I lost a cross body bag earlier this year. Luckily the finder gave it in to the club adjacent to the kerbside.)

Sylvia bought hers fro a phone shop, It cost about 25 Singapore dollars. She said that was a lot less that the cost of replacing a phone, 

I found cross body phone cases with chain on Shein for under ten  dollars. Plus a discount offered if you are signing in for the first tie and sign up.

Useful Wevites

https://www.shein.co.uk/Clear-Phone-Case-With-Chain-Lanyard-p-6338482-cat-1923.html?onelink=2/2nv2itayitn9&skucode=I74dhsufx525&url_from=ukadplase2110181727436529iPhone14_GPM&cid=16905480376&setid=&adid=&pf=GOOGLE&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6d1HOIW0Djdm6Ul-KPtjNBNPqD7AxmEYFlfk-OttQeNAxiuhd3kXRoaAk1gEALw_wcB

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Sunny Cyprus and Perfect Paphos Hotel, Casa Mespilea, meaning the Japanese medlar or loquat

 

Paphos on the west coast of Cyrus is the airport where RyanAir planes go from Stansted in the UK to smaller airports. Paphos is a small seaside town, with palm trees and art deco buildings. The town which has received a lot of money which has redeveloped it attractively. 

Casa Mespilea was ready to greet us with smiles at 1.30 a.m. The heady, sweet smell of the trees in the back courtyard wafts over you. Our room was beautifully decorated with a huge artwork over the bed. 

Next morning the buffet breakfasts was laid out under the shade of the back of the hotel. We sat under the trees having breakfast. The views in all directions were idyllic. Breakfast was not included in the hotel price but I reckoned breakfast was the best meal of the day, offering lots of variety. Apart from cereals and boiled eggs and ham, and sweet buns, and orange juice, they had tiny brown bread rolls wrapped around white cream cheese.

The manager is planning to hold wine tastings and other events. If you are interested, get on the mailing list.

Across the road is a Caffe Nero overlooking the sea. On the clifftop in front of Caffe Nero a statue sits waiting for you to take a selfie. (The two f letters in Caffe Nero are not a mistake. That is the Italian spelling.)

From the top roof of the hotel, you can look across at Caffe Nero and the sea. Paphos has half a dozen branches of Caffe Nero.

We took a drive to the harbour. Down on the harbour are cafes overlooking the yachts. Souvenir shops sell clothes including hats and attractive ladies dresses at more than 25 euros. I thought that was dear, but other shops in the major cities sell the same dresses in those styles of the same brand at identical prices. (The cheapest pretty dresses were sleeveless dresses, made in India, ten Euros, inland in the mountains at Troodos. You can also shop for cut price dresses and accessory outlet and seconds shops with lots of tee-shirts and dresses in Limasol or Lemassos in Greek.)

We took some photos, then went for a coffee away from the harbour.

Before travelling, I had ordered two useful books, a Berlitz multi-language guide, a Greek language phrase book, and a Cyprus pocket guide.

Perhaps the best thing about the garden was the aroma. Unfortunately, two sets of diners, at different times, were smoking, which must have detracted from the perfume for them as well as for us. However, the garden was big enough for me to move away and immerse myself in taking photos of the colours and shadows cast by the bright sunlight.

Useful Websites

Ryanair

https://www.ryanair.com/flights/gb/en/flights-to-cyprus

Paphos

https://www.visitpafos.org.cy/

Cyprus

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Casa Mespilea (Mespilea House hotel, Paphos, Cyprus)

https://www.casamespilea.com/

Caffe Nero (clifftop branch opposite Casa Mespilea)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190384-d14796459-r663996151-Caffe_Nero_Kato_Paphos-Paphos_Paphos_District.html

.....

Photos of this idyllic location will be add later.

Travel Poem by Angela Lansbury - The lost key to happiness

The Lost Key To Happiness

by Angea Lansbury

The precious hotel bedroom key

Was lost before checkout

I lost the big vital car key

So we could not go out

I think I must have locked the car 

With our one key inside

Meanwhile the needed suitcase key

Plays you seek while I hide. 

I travelled all around the world

Until I learned to see

Most of my small world's big problems

Were lost keys lost by me.

I'm easy going, slow to change

But rarely make a fuss

I sewed car keys onto ribbons

Then travelled on a bus.

Then Covid-19 fenced us in

Smile, the toilet's not far

No stress to catch a plane or train

No late cab nor hire car.

The suitcases like Russian dolls

Wait for their daily dust

The labelled keys sit neat on hooks

Like shares locked in a Trust

Now even my British birthplace

Is somewhere I forget

Yet I can cross the Antarctic

On the great internet.

Postage stamp places I've now seen

And befriended strangers

Coloured pictures plant and grow dreams 

Safely far from dangers

I Zoom across the USA

And let the world meet me

The fingers read news, pick each place

My wanderlust's still key.

-ends-

Websites

Key fobs

About the Author Angela

Angela Lansbury, is a semi-retired travel writer still researching bucket list countries and seeking out the special, unusual, people, places,  landmarks, hotels, museums and trails, fabulous foods, recipes, clothes and online souvenir shopping.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Toastmasters International.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President. VPPR

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Past meetings have included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . 

Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meeting is  the third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.  Inauguration of the new committee by the incoming Director of S, plus a lively speech on teamwork.

 

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Second set of Portuguese words - learn 15 easy to remember words

 Flag of Portugal

 Flag of Brazil

I can't stop learning Portuguese and Spanish.

English - Portuguese

taxi - taxi
hotel- hotel
bank - banco
port - puerto
blue - azul - (like azure which is a bright blue)

name - nome
first name - primeiro nome (like primary school)
family name/surname - sobrenome
table - mesa
room - quarto (like living quarters)

one - um (like French un and English one - remember: How many? Um - one.)
two - dois (like two dice)
three - três (tr as in triple, tricycle, trio; think of three trespassers)
four - quatro (like quadrangle in English and quarter and quatre in French)
ten - dez (sounds a bit like decimal)

Useful Websites
Languages
translate google
duolingo
duolingo.com

https://www.visitbrasil.com/key-information/language.html
memrise
memrise.com
https://www.mezzoguild.com/portuguese-and-brazilian/

Travel
https://www.visitportugal.com/en
https://www.visitbrasil.com/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, speaker, author, and teacher of languages.
Latest book: An ebook  Improve Your English. Several books by different authors have that title. Make sure to add the name Angela Lansbury.
I have written a post about the Spanish restaurant in Melaka, called Salud which means cheers.
Please share links to your favourite pages.
Update
Contact Angela Lansbury by attending Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club online.

Learn A Few Words Of Malay Easily During Malay Language Month In Singapore

Singapore flag.

Why bother learning the Malay language? It is spoken in Malaysia and Indonesia, is easy to learn, is all around in Malay restaurants and food kiosks and even Singapore airport signs and train station announcments. Why not? A new skill for free.

Signs You See At Singapore Airport:
(You will also see similar bilingual signs in Malaysia and Indonesia.)

English - Malay
bus - bas
taxi - taksi

Just say the words aloud and you will find the language is phonetic and you can often recgnie at least one word in every sign and sentence.

Pick up a Singapore map or travel guide and compare it with the version in Malay.

English - Malay
action - aksi
admission/ticket - tiket
app - aplikasi (like application)
category - kategori
customer - konsumen
Chinese - Cina
connectivity - konektivas
electric - elektrik
fares - tarif
festival - festival
focus - fokus
free - gratis
local - lokal
optical illusion - ilusi optik
recipes - resep
Singapore - Singapura
souvenir - suvenir
tour - tur
traditional - tradisional/tradisi
trail - rute
transport - transportasi
unique - unik

That's twenty-one words you can instantly recognize.

A couple more handy words:
and - dan (the same letters but the letter d is at the start instead of the end)
you - anda (I think of  'and you')

Restaurant Menus
Looking at Restaurants and food kiosks and the food in supermarkets at Singapore airport, you will soon learn that Makan / makanan means food, meal, or eat and Minuman means drink or drinks.

Some items you might spot on menus:
English - Malay
icon - ikon
chocolate - coklat
satay - sate

Also look for t-shirts with the flag.

And baseball hats. I bought mine for 5 dollars on the YWCA shop.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is an author, travel writer and photogrpaher and teaches English and other languages.

Etiquette rules for you to follow in Asia and The West

In Asia the first things I learned were:

1 Beckoning
Beckon a taxi with  your hands palm down like patting a dog.

2 Business Cards
Present your business cards with both hands and a nod or slight bow. Receive a business card with both hands and a nod or slight bow.

3 V Signs
Winston Churchill made the V for victory sign popular in WWII.

Wikipedia article on V-sign. Photo in the public domain.

Asians are keen on V signs. With the palm facing forward, that's V for victory. Japanese girls use it as a peace sign.

I never make a V sign in case I get it wrong or the sign is misinterpreted. In Europe a V-sign with the palm towards yourself means up yours.

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking thumbs up. Photo from Wikipedia article on hitchhiking. Photo author Drozd.

4 Right Hand Only
Asians who eat with their hands eat with their right hand in the food.
The left hand is reserved for going to the toilet.

5 Hand Shaking, Bowing and Namaste
In the US, UK and most of Europe, you shake hands on meeting somebody new or entering a meeting, greeting the Toastmasters of the day, and leaving the stage and welcoming the Toastmaster of the day or evening to take over, signing and sealing a business deal, often on congratulating somebody for winning a prize, and on leaving and saying goodbye.

Photo from Wikipedia article on Namaste: An Oberoi Hotel employee doing Namaste, New Delhi. Photo author Saptarshi Biswas on Flikr.

Namaste
Namaste is holding both hands together as if in prayer and nodding as a greeting.

Bowing
The Japanese bow. Men sometimes keep their arms to their sides as they bow. Women fold their hands as they bow. Sometimes men hold their hands as they bow.

The West - Europe
UK
A pupil should not address a teacher as Miss, but by their proper name.
In the UK small children who would struggle with surnames may call adult women Aunty and the first name.
In Singapore, the prefix, Uncle or Aunty, is a sign of respect and warmth towards an older person.
However, in the UK you would not call an adult stranger uncle or auntie, wich incplies they are related to you. Nor would you call an older person Grandad can be an insult, implying they are a grumpy old man.

Kissing
The French will kiss other on or near the cheek, not lips on lips, but kissing the air beside your cheek, as a greeting.

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up - Numbers
A thumb up is one in the UK but five in Japan.

OK
The OK  or round sign formed by the thumb tip and next finger is OK in the USA but rude in several other countries. Rather than learning which countries, forgetting and getting it wrong, just avoid using the OK sign.

Useful Websites
Japanese etiquette
https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0000211/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author, speaker.
Author of Etiquette For Every Occasion. You can buy it from Amazon or Ebay, new or second hand. If you read it, please give me a review. I have other posts on etiquette around the world. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.  

Where's the Building? Where is the Room? How not to get lost

Always allow extra time. That one way system can take up time.

A good rule is to arrive half an hour before you are needed at an event. If you have a delay in traffic,  and arrive early, you can use the spare time to go to the toilet and comb your hair, remove your coat or jacket, blow your nose, have a glass of water, and look up the name of the person you are meeting.

You might even go for a coffee or snack in the building and check your emails and email others to say where you are.

Lost
How could you get lost? Or arrive later than expected?

The taxi arrives on the other side of the road and takes five minutes to go up to the lights and beyond them and do a u-turn.

When I ordered Grab in Singapore, I knew in advance the fare, so I could get out the exact money without having to wait for change. The receipt was sent automatically through the online (by phone) booking (which somebody else = a member of my family - had made on my behalf.

When I arrived the building reception office was busy. So I could have had to wait five minutes behind somebody doing a long transaction or telling their life story and saying thanks before I had a chance to simply ask the way. By chance I found the solution. Because I had three heavy bags, I did not go right into the office but dropped one of the heaviest bags containing the borrowed laptop at my feet,and propped open the door (which changed the temperature of the room).

The person on the desk looked up and caught my eye. I asked, Where is the conference room?

I was told on the second floor. I thought that would be a big room, well marked, easy to find. But no. When you come out of the lift there are two directions. A large room with a meeting was by the lift. This was called theatrette. Not my group.

I then walked along and found a large room with 'meeting in progress' and 'use other door'.

To cut a long story short, you could arrive early and find the room has not yet been opened. The group could be large and ask to move to another room. You could arrive late and by the time you run around the building and up and down in the lift to reception to clarify - they have gone.

When I returned to the lift I saw the plan of the floor, designed to show fire escapes, including 'you are here'. A locked an empty room I passed was the conference room.

The moral is - allow time to find the building. If possible, call the organizer to ask where they are in the building.

If you use a building regularly and arrive early, you can use that time to get familiar with the building. Where are the toilets - for both sexes. In some buildings the toilets for males are on one floor, the ladies is on another floor. On one occasion I hung around alone in the corridor outside a room waiting for my apparently late organizers. They were already downstairs in the coffee shop having a jolly pre-meeting and some sensible food before the calorie-laden cakes served at the meeting.

At another meeting I went to the venue and could not find the meeting. I went back down to the hallway and phoned. The organiser said he would come down and find me. Five and then ten minutes passed. I phoned again. He said he want down and could not see me. He was now on stage delivering a speech. I went back to reception. They said no meeting today. I got out my programme sheet, which I had printed, to show him. He said, This is Nee Soon East. We are Nee Soon South.

A walk back to the MRT station, a one stop train journey, a short walk - I arrive late. I am not the only person this has happened to. It's good to check with the host that you are on your way and estimated time of arrival. As host, it's good to check with guests that they have directions.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Fifteen Fun Ways Tourists Can Travel in Singapore or London and Cities Around The World

Singapore Flag.

Problem
What to do - where to go? How to get around? In Korea in the snow I was scared to walk to the nearby station. I ended up taking two expensive tours with an English language guide who picked me up from the hotel in the bus. Singapore is one of the easiest countries to get around. But all over the world you will find most of these options, such as hired bicycles you ride yourself, and the trishaws (three wheeled tourist vehicles with a guide in front pedalling), and hop on hop off bus tours.

APPS for your phone
googlemaps (go to google and look for google maps). Download ad from google store or on an iphone from the apple store. Install for free. Click on install.

my transport SG

Singapore MRT

1 BICYCLE

hellobicycle.co.sg

Other bicycles can be picked up and dropped off.


2 BUS (SG) (See app above)

Night buses in Singapore:
SMRT Night Rider
SBS Nite Owl Service
London, England, also has night buses.

3 CAR
Hire cars for use in the island to tour around or drive across the bridge to Malaysia.
If you want to fly-drive, you can also hire bicycles with helmets over in Indonesia. Remember to take your driving license as well as your passport and credit card. You might want to take your own helmet, driving gloves, goggles, suitable footwear, jacket, rainwear, waterbottles etc.

4 E-scooter
goscoot.com.sg
https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/e-scooter-laws-singapore

Scooter at Clarke Quay, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

5 Grab
www.grab.com/sg
Instead of a meter, find out the fare fixed in advance. Once I took a grab on a rainy day and one road was closed because of an accident. The journey took longer than expected but I did not have to pay any extra for the additional mileage.

6 LTR (See MRT)
Pass by the skyscraper housing blocks and the LRT carriage windows go dark to protect the privacy of the occupants. I met somebody who lives in one of the blocks. He says, residents can't see the trains or be seen, but can hear the trains passing.

7 Open top bus with commentary and map
(Free if you are on a stopover with Singapore airlines in daytime and have a few hours to spare.)
Several companies include:
Duck+Hippo
Charter tel: 6338 6877

8 MRT underground train
Must see the modern trains with the glass doors keeping passengers and their belongings off the tracks.

MRT Train map including LRT from the rack in any ticket office on the concourse level; also online.
Options include:
One trip ticket.
Multi-day tourist pass.
Ex-pasts who are senior citizens and PR permanent residents, can pply for a ticket which gives reductions on all journeys.

9 SINGAPORE FLYER
Book online for a daytime or evening ride with commentary.

Get a discount for a ride with another attraction.


Transit Link Hotline
1800 - 2255 663
www.transitlink.com.sg

SBS Transit Hotline
1800 - 287 2727
www.sbstransitlink.com.sg

SMRT Hotline
1800 - 336 8900
www.smrt.com.sg

10 Duck boat

11 River Boat/ Cruise
Singapore River Cruise Traditional Bumboat
riverboat.com.sg
rivercruise.com.sg

12 Taxi
Comfort (+65) 6552 1111

Premier Taxi (+65) 6363 6888

SMRT (+65) 6555 8888

Trans Cab
(+65) 6555 3333

13 Trishaw
Tour Little India for about 30 minutes with commentary, for  about S$39 adult and 29 for a child.
Got more time and money? Slightly longer, approx 45 minute tour of Chinatown or Kampong Glam for 49 adult and 39 child. Their leaflet has a handy map which enables you to identify your photos of streets and buildings such as mosques and temples afterwards.
www.trishawuncle.com.sg

14 Walk Alone / With your family and friends
a) Walk under the malls when it rains, from Orchard MRT to Ngee Ann City, basement one or basement two.

WALK UNDERGROUND
b) Ngee Ann City on the major shopping street, Orchard Road, illuminated for Christmas and Chinese New Year and other festivals. If it rains, walk along underground between the underground shops and eating places.


 c) Botanical Gardens And Parks

Botanical Gardens. Free. Singapore.

Free in Singapore. In most other cities you pay for Botanical Gardens, eg Indonesia and Madeira. In England, London's free parks include central Green Park, and Regents Park; in South London on a good day there's a view from and Horniman Museum Gardens (see my post).

d) Gardens By The Bay
Walking around the gardens admiring the plants and reading the plaques is free.
You can also pay to walk along the overhead walkway, about S$8 per adult. Some tickets for the two attractions of Gardens by the Bay include the walkway. (See my posts on Gardens By The Bay.)

15 Walk With Guide
www.singaporewalks.com

MORE INFORMATION FROM
BIKES
https://mobike.com/sg/faq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBike (Countries covered include Austria, Australia, France, Germany and more.)

Singapore Bike price comparison
https://www.shape.com.sg/lifestyle/bike-sharing-singapore-which-cheapest-option/

BUSES
Singapore
https://www.mytransport.sg/content/mytransport/home.html
London, England
https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

MULTI-TICKETS FOR TRAINS AND ATTRACTIONS OR BOTH
You can buy tickets for multiple journeys on underground trains in most cities of the world.
Multi-attraction passes are also available. Last summer leaflets on London's UK mainline stations offered discounts on attractions combined with railway tickets.
New York was offering a multi-pass to attractions.
London's multi-attraction pass included the Coca-Cola London Eye (big wheel) and other attractions.

TOURIST BOARDS
Singapore & UK and Other Tourist Boards
visitsingapore.com
https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/getting-around/
visitbritain.com

AIRLINES
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

TRAVEL SITES
tripadvisor.com

HIRE CAR
Note that if you speak German or other languages you will find translations of most of the English language websites. However, you might find lower prices or more choice on other websites set up by speakers of other languages, aimed at people whose point of departure is in those countries. The advertising is in their language and the bookings are at hotels where their language is spoken by staff and guided tours are in their language or available in their language. We discovered this on a trip to Madeira, organized by the Germans who we had met in Indonesia. They were booking hire cars at different rates and at different companies from those offered to us on our English language websites much cheaper than the hire care from the casino hotel reception which was delivered to the hotel. Our German friends paid for a taxi to the hire car firm office where they collected the car. That saved them a lot of money.

wikitravel
https://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore
https://wikitravel.org/ (Many other cities and countries with ads for tours.)

wikivoyage
Free travel guide that anybody can edit
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Singapore
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Water bottles and drinking water when travelling

You need moisture in Singapore where it is so hot that you are perspiring all the time. At a morning meeting I looked for a drink. No water provided. 

The days of giving everybody a small plastic bottle of water and coming to an end (October 2018). Even if you stay in air conditioned offices and use cars and taxis, only a proportion of the car parks are underground. You spend a lot of time in overground car parks or bus stops or open air taxi stands. So you need water.

Yes, going green, saving trees, not using plastic, all very well, but people need a drink. I went to two meetings in a day with no water provided.

I used to carry water bottles. Then I got backache. I ditched the umbrella and water bottle, just carrying too much. 

We are in transit over water in Singapore. Early days - no water fountains. Then along come the gyms and hotels and coffee shop. Now you are expected to carry a water bottle and fill it up from a water fountain which has paper cups or no cups. You can buy a collapsible cup.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Misadventures With The Wrong Language Group, Wrong Coach, Wrong Taxi

Flag of France from Wikipedia.

Problem
Have you ever lost your tour group or had trouble finding your coach or taxi in a car park during a travel trip?

Story of My Misadventure
I once joined an English speaking group on a guided tour of a stately home in France - and I stopped to take a photo. We had joined the English tour group of the stately home. I did not know the guide or the other people on the guided tour, and neither the guide nor the other guests knew me.

 I was with a group who had an English speaking guide - easy, ok?

I saw a group at the end of the gallery and ran up. From the back of the crowd I worked my way forward. When I could hear, I realised the guide was speaking German!

 Okay, so maybe we had some Germans in our group. Eventually I asked him if he could repeat his story in English. He told me, "You are with the wrong group. This is a German group."

I tried three different group before I found the English group.


If only they had carried flags!

That's one story of my French misadventure. It was not my only misadventure. Call me Miss Adventure.
Flags are very handy.

Learn A Language
On the other hand, if I had learned to speak German fluently, I could have stayed with the German speaking group. But then I would have my husband, got back to the car park at the wrong time and boarded the wrong coach.

You also need flags on coaches. Several time I have been on a tour and the guide has told us to remember our coach number plate. Trying to remember a coach number plate is much harder than recognizing a flag.

Identifying A Taxi In India
As for a taxi, I once remembered the ending of a taxi number plate in India. When I emerged from the museum, which had four exits and four car parks, I discovered that all taxis had number plates ending with the same two digits or letters.

If only I had brought with a little Union Jack and Blutac to stick it on the front windscreen. It is easy enough to take a picture or flag from a magazine or newspaper or free map and keep it in your handbag or travel bag to add to your suitcase or taxi windscreen.

Useful Websites
For a free learn online language website for French, German and English from other languages, try:
duolingo.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Can you save milk and food from your fridge for the plane or food from the plane?

Problem
What do you do with leftover food at home when you are going away? I like to have some food and drink with me. At very least an empty container for saving leftovers, in case I am called away for departures in the middle of a meal.

Empty soup containers with lids which seal well are good. So are yogurt containers from supermarkets. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Answers
LEAVING HOME
When I am just away for the weekend, I buy milk with an expiry date at least 24 hours after I get back so I have milk for coffee and breakfast cereal when I get home.

Once we saw our hire car coming to collect us and left our flowers and milk on the neighbour's doorstep. We texted them from the car to tell them it was us who had left it, and take it in out of the sun.

I take with me a tin of sardines. I make sure that even the tins are stored in waterproof containers.

A tin of sardines in a leak-proof container.

RETURNING HOME
Sometimes, whilst waiting for the hire car to arrive at an airport, I am able to buy either a carton of milk from a nearby supermarket in the arrivals lounge, or a takeaway coffee from the nearest airport coffee outlet. I might even ask for a glass of milk, poured into a sealable container.

You could ask your taxi to stop en route. We have a Tesco nearby. One person can continue home with the luggage. The other person does not have to worry about waiting in a queue (line-up) or a taxi impatient on a yellow line.

MILK
When the taxi drops me off at a nearby supermarket, I can walk home with the milk. This is helpful after an all-night flight when you are tired and don't want to walk and make decisions. At least I am walking home, not having to take the double trip, out from home to the shop and back.

On the plane which arrives in the morning; it's too early for coffee. I don't want to be hunting for a loo at the airport. But I will want a coffee when I get through the door at my destination and have to plan my day.

Sometimes I don't drink my coffee on the plane because I want to sleep, but consider saving the tiny carton of milk. Or I don't drink the coffee in the hotel bedroom, but save the milk for a cup on arrival home.

Milk cartons. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I have tried looking at the base to see the expiry date but it's hard to decipher, even if you photograph the packet and blow it up and darken and lighten the photo.

I reckon that the airline has a turnover of milks and it will be safe to drink within the two hours it takes me from the five am arrival at the airport to the 8 am breakfast at home / destination.

But milks kept for months in the fridge, just in case I run out.? Not too sure. I must email and ask them. What do you think?

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Translate into Spanish - words at the airport, hotel,

Problem
Next year I am taking a holiday with a group of ex-pats who speak English, Indonesian, German and Dutch. We will be in Bulgaria. So I need to brush up on the basics of sentences in four languages, enough to grasp what they are saying. I have chosen half a dozen vital sentence which I will learn in each of the three languages.

I also go to a Toastmasters group where two people speak Spanish, one from Spain, another from Venezuela. Although I can read Spanish, when I was asked, in Spanish, 'do you understand Spanish,' I was flummoxed because I could not immediately summon up the reply, only a little. So I am collecting the phrases one might need, which I habitually need, in three of four languages which I will be needing when checking into airports and accosting strangers who speak assorted languages. Here's the Spanish.

I started by spending ten minutes on the German, as I already know German. That is in another post. I need to practise saying these sentences so I can not only understand, but also speak!

Read the English, then the German / Spanish / other language. Come back to the English and see if you can remember the German / Spanish / other language.

ENGLISH
AIRPORT
Excuse me - do you speak English / German / Dutch / Indonesian / Malaysian?
No, sorry. / Yes, I do. I am English!
Only - a little. Slowly, please!
Can you write it down?
I have a dictionary - can you Google translate it?

1
Airport
Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening
Welcome
Excuse me
Can you help me?

2
Where is the check-in? Where is the Lufthansa / KLM desk?
Where is the lounge?
Where is the toilet? The ladies / The gents /
Men / Women/ Boys / Girls/ male / female
And - What time is the shuttle bus?

3
It's due now /
in Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes,
in half an hour, every hour, on the hour
Sorry - it does not run on Sunday / the evening / bank holidays
If you can't wait, how about a taxi - over there

4
Where is the bus stop?
Where is the car park?
We are in a hurry. We are late!
You are late. You must hurry!
Calm down. You are in good time. You've plenty of time.

5
I don't know
I am also looking for it
No idea
I'm a stranger
Ask over there

6
Ask him / her / them
Come with me
I'll show you
Thanks
Bon voyage / have a safe journey

7
Mind out! Watch out!
Take care / Look after yourself
See you soon
See you later
Goodbye

AEROPUERTO
Disculpe, ¿usted habla inglés / hablas alemán / holandés / indonesio / hablas malayo?
No, lo siento / Sí, lo hago. ¡Soy Inglés! Soy alemán, soy indonesio, soy holandés
Solo un poco. ¡Lentamente por favor!
Puedes escribirlo?
Tengo un diccionario. ¿Puedes traducir Google?

1
aeropuerto
Buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas tardes
Bienvenido
lo siento
¿Me puedes ayudar?

2
¿Dónde está el check-in? ¿Dónde está el medidor Lufthansa / KLM?
¿Donde está la habitación?
¿Dónde está el baño? Las damas / caballeros /
Hombres / mujeres / niños / niñas / hombres / mujeres
Y, ¿a qué hora es el servicio de autobús?

3
Es debido /
en cinco minutos, diez minutos, quince minutos,
en media hora, cada hora, cada hora a cada hora
Lo sentimos, no se ejecuta los domingos / noches / días festivos
Si no puedes esperar, ¿qué piensas de un taxi?

4
¿Dónde esta la parada de autobus?
¿Dónde está el estacionamiento?
Estamos en apuros. ¡Llegamos tarde!
Llegas tarde ¡Tienes que darte prisa!
Cálmese. Usted está allí a tiempo. Tienes mucho tiempo.

5
No lo sé
También lo estoy buscando
Ni idea
Soy un extraño
Pregunta por allí

6
Pregunta pregunta
Ven conmigo
te mostrare
Muchas gracias
Buen viaje / viaje seguro

7
¡Cuidado! ¡Cuidado!
Cuídate)
Hasta pronto (Literalmente en español Adiós por hoy)
Nos vemos más tarde
Adios que Te Vaya Bien

GERMAN
FLUGHAFEN
Entschuldigung - Sprechen Sie Englisch / Sprechen Sie Deutsch / Niederländisch / Indonesisch / Sprechen Sie Malaysisch?
Nein Entschuldigung. / Ja, mache ich. Ich bin Engländer! Ich bin Deutsche. Ich bin Indonesisch. Ich bin Niederländisch.
Nur ein bisschen. Langsam Bitte!
Kannst du es aufschreiben?
Ich habe ein Wörterbuch - kannst du Google übersetzen?

1
Flughafen
Guten Morgen / guten Nachmittag / guten Abend
Herzlich willkommen
Entschuldigen Sie mich
Kannst du mir helfen?

2
Wo ist der Check-in? Wo ist der Lufthansa / KLM Schalter?
Wo ist die Lounge?
Wo ist die Toilette? Die Damen / Die Herren /
Männer / Frauen / Jungen / Mädchen / männlich / weiblich
Und - Um wie viel Uhr ist der Shuttlebus?

3
Wo ist die Bushaltestelle?
Wo ist der Parkplatz?
Wir sind in Eile. Wir sind spät!
Du bist spät. Du musst dich beeilen!
Beruhigen. Du bist rechtzeitig da. Du hast viel Zeit.

4
Ich weiß es nicht
Ich suche auch danach
Keine Ahnung
Ich bin ein Fremder
Frag dort drüben

5
Frag ihn / sie / sie
Komm mit mir
Ich werde Ihnen zeigen
Vielen Dank
Gute Reise / sichere Reise

6
Pass auf
Sich selbst versorgen
Bis bald
Bis später
Auf Wiedersehen

***

English - German
AIRPORT
Airport
Good morning / afternoon / evening
Welcome
Excuse me
Can you help me?

I don't know
I am also looking for it
No idea
I'm a stranger
Ask over there

Where do I check in?
Here / Just there / Over there
On the right / left
Upstairs / downstairs
Up the stairs / up the escalator

Through the doors
At the far end
Where is the exit?
Where are the taxis?
Is there a cheap bus /shuttle bus?

Where does it go?
Does it go into the city / to my hotel
Where is the tourist office?
Can you point (to it)?
I see it!

I can't see it
Thank you
You're welcome
I need water
I would like a cup of coffee

We have black coffee
We only have tea
That's fine
No thanks, I'll leave it
Sorry, I haven't time

How much is it?
Is that the right money?
Do you take Euros?
Yes/no
Is that right?

Is that the right money?
Just right / That's it!
Nearly / almost
Another 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Where's my change?
Keep the change
Where's my change
The bill, please
Keep the change

What time is check in?
They are calling my flight!
I have to go!
Please hurry!
Can I get past?

You have time - plenty of time
Please sit down and wait
Can I sit down, somewhere?
Where can I sit?
I'll be over there

Hotel
Welcome to our hotel
Here is your key
Please fill in this form
We need your name
Write it here

We need a credit card?
Do you have another credit card?
We do not take American Express
That's fine / ok
Just a moment / minute!

We need a signature
You must sign it
Cash will do
Do you take credit cards?
I need a taxi

I need a toilet
Where are the toilets:
Over there
To the right
To the left

See the sign
You can't miss it
Is that everything?
Yes, we're finished
You may go

Later post - Restaurant

Later post - Friends

Earworms has recordings of sentences for these situations
You can buy from Berliz direct and through Amazon and ebay

Useful Websites
Berlitz / Earworms
Amazon
Ebay

Author
Angela Lansbury, please save and share links to your favourite posts.

Singapore's Passion Card Contest asks, What Does Home Mean To You?

Problem
What can I say about my home in Singapore.

Passion Card emailed me with the latest offers and news of a contest.

I wrote down my answer:

Coming home to Singapore is driving from the airport seeing bridges over the motorway draped with greenery and flowers. 

Home is a taxi driver who does his job without expecting a tip. Home is a hot and humid apartment but there's air con in every room, and some homes are designed with facing windows so you get a breeze. 

A Singapore home means a grille over the front door so you can leave it open to cool down. 

Home is an MRT station with trains every three to five minutes. Home is the station with recorded announcements in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, which has encouraged me to learn Mandarin, Malay-Indonesian and Tamil. 

Leaving home is leaving lovely Changi airport which has flowers, fountains and a Butterfly Garden.

Then I realised they wanted only one sentence.

Tell me which sentence you think I should submit.

The contest ends soon, 30 July 2018, one minute to midnight. I presume that is Singapore time, not GMT, and Singapore is ahead if you are holidaying or working in Europe or the USA.

To see what others have send and click on the link to the competition, find Passioncard on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PAssionCard
Details of contest here:
https://bit.ly/2uQ7QSn 
Terms and conditions apply.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Easy Bulgarian Words Similar to English, German, Spanish, or Russian

Problem
How to remember Bulgarian words? It is depressing when you read a lot and can't remember a thing.

Answer
You aim to learn 1 -10 words a day in a foreign language. At the end of the 365 days of the year, allowing for a few days off for sickness or holidays, you should have learned a minimum of 300 words to get by, maybe as many as 3000! That means quite a conversation.

Pick out a few words which are easy. That maintains achieving your daily target of five minutes a day. You keep up the confidence which gives you momentum.

Here are mine for today, at least ten:

English - Bulgarian

"Fir0002/Flagstaffotos". in Wikipedia under bananas.

bananas - banani

bus - autobus
nose - nos
passport - pasport
pullover / sweater (US) - poolovyer
son - sin (Sin also means blue. My son, for my sin, also makes me blue.)
student - stoodent
3 three - dri/tri 3
trousers - pantaloni (US pants)
taxi - taksi

Bulgarian-English

autobus - bus

"Fir0002/Flagstaffotos". in Wikipedia under bananas.

banani - bananas

3 dri/tri - three 3
nos - nose
pantaloni - trousers (US pants)
pasport - passport
poolover - pullover / sweater
sin - son / blue
stoodent - student
taksi - taxi

Words like German
English - Bulgarian
potatoes - kartofiWikipedia Photo by Renee Comet for Cancer Soc.

Words like Spanish
English - Bulgarian
table - masa (like mesa)

Words like Russian
brother - brat
sister - syestra

Useful Websites
http://ilanguages.org/bulgarian_grammar.php

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on learning Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, German and other languages.