My two-day Singapore trip (day 2)

I woke up feeling energized for the day. We explored Universal Studios, Sentosa, and we watched Songs of the Sea which I missed the last time I was in SG.

We already purchased our USS tickets online to avoid the long lines in the counter. We realized we were a bit early for the opening of the park so we had first our traditional Singaporean breakfast at Toast Box in Vivo City.

my peanut butter kaya toast and coffee <3

We bought our tram tickets going to Sentosa and then headed directly to Universal Studios.

While at Universal Studios, here are some of the things we did..

Seriously, it was a challenge getting a solo pic at the globe

Our first stop was Hollywood Boulevard..

Hanging out by the bench

Still kids at heart, we were delighted to see the Shrek's ogre house and Princess Fiona's castle at Far Far Away. 

Knock knock

outside someone else's castle

Who likes to move it, move it? We do at Madagascar!

with friends from Madagascar

Welcome to Waterworld for an action-filled time. This was a definitely sensational show - with the great sound effects, explosions, and stunts, we felt that we are on an action movie.

Waterworld

Who would forget the movie Jurassic Park? If you're a Steven Spielberg loyal or an 80 or 90's baby, you must have watch this hit movie.

Dinosaurs run amok

And oh by the way, can I just say that we had a really delicious laksa for lunch at the Discovery Food Center. Ansarap!

Laksa for lunch. yummy!

After our lunch, we headed to Ancient Egypt where we rode the Revenge of the Mummy - a psychological roller coaster thriller ride. Two thumbs up for this ride for scaring the hell out of me.

Revenge of the Mummy

By afternoon, we’ve gone to most attractions and tried all the available rides. Too bad (or good -- because I'd wet my pants if I rode it hehe) Battlestar Galactica was still closed.

Galactica

I haven't been to New York so walking in these NY sidewalks was the next best thing. And yeah being up close and personal with Beetle Juice!

Beetle Juicin'

We also met Frankenstein on the way who strangled me.. hehe

HELP.......

My most favorite part of any tour is shopping for souvenirs :)

Can I just get this for free?

And how could I forget the Hershey’s Store in USS waiting for meeeee.

I so love Reese's. HEAVEN!

We headed to Sentosa afterwards to stroll around while waiting for the Songs of the Sea show. We rode the tram and dropped by Palawan Beach.

In Palawan Beach, you can find the suspension bridge to the southernmost point of Continental Asia.

Here!

We returned to the tram station by 7pm for the show. We managed to get good seats. I can't believe that I actually missed Songs of the Sea the last time I was there.

It was indeed a great and entertaining show. Coolness.

Seriously, don't miss it!

Really feeling dead tired, we got to the hotel around 9pm. We met some SG friends at Bugis to give them the liquors we bought at Duty Free. We were supposed to go to Mustafa Center to do some more pasalubong shopping since it’s open 24 hours but my feet couldn't walk anymore..boooo.

So we just stayed at the hotel and watched TV while nursing my tired feet.

In a few hours, I said goodbye to SG again. Whew, the weekend passed too quickly. Well, two days for a vacay is actually short. Time flies when you’re having fun!

See you soon SG, for good.

My two-day Singapore trip (days 0 and 1)

Because I love seat sale and traveling, I didn’t hesitate to book a promo SG-MNL ticket for nth time around. I originally planned on spending four whole days in Singapore for a short vacay. But because of work, I had to cut it down to two days. With a heavy heart, I re-booked my one way ticket to SG a day later than the original. Erick, my boyfriend, went to SG two days ahead of me and then we agreed that he would just meet me there. If there is any consolation, that would be the fact that it is actually my 3rd time in SG so I’ve gone to touristy places already.

It has been in the rumor mill that it was a bit of a challenge to go through Philippine immigration nowadays for SG-bound passengers because of the influx of Filipino job seekers posing as tourists heading to Singapore. I, myself, also was questioned at the immigration but I came prepared with my return ticket, hotel booking confirmation, and it wasn’t my first to go to SG. The supposedly 9:30pm flight was delayed and our plane arrived at the Budget Terminal of Changi Airport almost 1am. I dropped by the Duty Free to buy some liquor as requested by SG friends because it is tax-free and thus cheaper. Erick was already there to fetch me up at the airport.

Erick's first time in SG and on a solo travel

We arrived almost 2am in our hotel in Bugis. We had to pay a bit extra because of the night rate. We finally settled around 2am hoping to catch some zzzzzzs to recharge for my first real day in SG.             
                                
On my first real day, we had Kampong Glam and Haji Lane on the morning itinerary. Good thing it was just a short walk from where we stayed. In no time, we were in Kampong Glam. I entered the Sultan Mosque wearing a robe because I was wearing tight and really short shorts.  

Sultan Mosque

We spent a few minutes inside and then went out to take some pictures of the mosque. Along Bussorah St., there are souvenir shops and the Children Little Museum which was still closed.

One of the many shops along Bussorah St.

We stopped by Haji Lane – which is a small lane of boutiques and clothing stores of independent designers in Singapore. I like the vibe of this quirky lane. Shops open around noon so if you’re planning to go, the best time would be after lunch.

Although this was only a 2-day trip, I was in no rush to see all the new places in Singapore. We toured on our own pace which made me appreciate the sights more.

From Bugis MRT. we rode the train to City Hall.  We were not yet hungry so we decided to go to Funan IT Mall to check the latest gadgets released. Passing along some restos made my stomach growl, so I gave in and had my first real meal of the day.

After our meal, we headed to Chijmes to look for a coffee shop when the rain started pouring. Dang! Good thing I have an umbrella.

We caught the bus going to Orchard or so I thought. I realized that it wasn’t heading to Orchard when it made its turn in the outskirts of the city..We went as far as Tiong Bahru and Redhill. We were lost but it was all part of this trip. Finally, the bus went back to the city. The 10-minute bus ride to Orchard Road became an hour bus ride.

Joyride

While in Orchard, we checked Ion Orchard, Wisma Atria, and yes even Lucky Plaza to exchange pesos to SGD and buy Singapore perfumes. We lost track of time and before I know it was almost 5pm. Time to go back my hotel to freshen up for the night.

At Ion Orchard

Our agenda for the night is Merlion Park which I’ve seen a number of times already but I don’t mind seeing again. And yes, I wanna see Marina Bay Sands and Esplanade at night.

Rode the train again from Bugis to City Hall and changed to red line to Marina Bay.

Merlion and MBS at night

We had dinner at Makansutra just at the back of Esplanade.

Tiger beer and sorry I forgot the name of the noodles hehe

We decided to walk again to Merlion Park and then we rode the river taxi going to Clarke Quay. We were the only ones in the boat which was great :)

Water taxi ride to CQ

We spent a few minutes in Clarke Quay and just went around. We aren't in the mood to drink since I was already tired from our walking spree.

Eh mas magaling pa ako dito sumayaw eh! chos

We are Cinderellas and taxis are darn expensive in SG. So we rode the last train from Clarke Quay going to Bugis.

Goodnight Sing!

Saving sucks!

Okay, this is just a quick post. I just want to rant.... By the way, good morning!

Saving money sucks big time! Who invented it anyway? And why do we have to save?! And why on earth, I didn't have the skills of saving!!! There are always temptations whenever I try to save like the urge to travel, buy a new dress or bag, eat at a fancy resto... and the list goes on.

I've read in self-help finance books that you try to save at least 10% of your monthly salary. Well, I am trying to religiously save that amount but it really is a big challenge for me. Maybe I just don't have that fat paycheck which makes it extra harder to save that tiny-bity 10% of my salary. haha. Or I'm just not born to scrimp.

I need saving from SAVING!

My Singapore top 15

I think it’s about high-time that I write my Singapore travel experience. Having traveled thrice to Singapore or SG as it is fondly called makes me no expert about this quaint city but I always have a grand time whenever I’m in SG.  I’ve developed my own list of favorites and must-go’s when visiting the Lion City. 

1) Universal Studios Singapore. The movie-themed park just opened last year 2010 and is probably the most visited tourist spot in Singapore right now. Movie fanatics will be delighted to try all the movie-themed rides and attractions.  I personally liked Revenge of the Mummy. It’s an indoor roller coaster ride on a high-speed with unexpected drops and turns in the dark. The sound effects sounded real and you could feel the wind blowing or sometimes heat warming you.

This ride scared me the most – that’s why I had my eyes closed throughout the 4-minute ride. Three thumbs up!

Revenge of the Mummy!

Explosions everywhere at Waterworld

Madagascar at USS

Tickets

Visitor Info
How to get there

2) Merlion Park. You haven’t been to Singapore, if you haven’t been to Merlion. The merlion is actually a head of lion and a tail of a fish. It is Singapore’s national symbol.

Merlion at night

3) The Esplanade (Theaters on the Bay). Famous for its durian-shaped dome, the Esplanade is Singapore’s performing arts venue featuring local and international performances.

the half-lit Esplanade

Inside, you’ll find out that this theatre offers not only performing arts but  shopping and dining experience as well. 

I wanted to try Orgo Bar and Lab at Esplanade's roof terrace for their organic mixed drinks. But due to exhaustion from our day tour, we didn't get to.

How to get there

4) Marina Bay Sands (MBS). The Marina Bay Sands is an iconic structure on the Marina Bay Waterfront with a skypark which actually looks like a ship on top of three buildings. It houses the ArtScience Museum, luxury hotel, mall, theaters, celebrity chef restaurants, ice skating rink and the most expensive casino property.

Meanwhile, the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck is open to the public.

Hello Marina Bay Sands!

5) Singapore Flyer. Nope, it is not a ferris wheel as commonly mistaken but an observation wheel standing at 165m just surpassing the London Eye. This makes Singapore flyer the tallest observation wheel. If you’re up in the flyer, don’t miss the great views of the city and neighboring Indonesian islands, Batam and Bintan.

Singapore Flyer at dusk

Visitor Info
How to get there

6) Sentosa . They say Sentosa stands for So Expensive Nothing To See Actually. Haha. Funny but I don’t agree. Back then, when Universal Studios isn’t built yet Sentosa was probably the place tourists flocked for rides and attractions. Sentosa is still a good place to go for the rides, dining, beach, or simply a stroll.

For beachcombers, Sentosa has three beaches you can go. Well, their beaches are not exactly for swimming and never mind if the sand actually came from Boracay and Palawan.

Siloso, the fun and hip beach, is the place for beach activities like volleyball, kayaking, skimboarding, etc. It has also the most restaurants in the whole Sentosa.

Siloso Beach

Palawan Beach, on the other hand, is known as the family beach. Also, you can find here the bridge linking to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia. Cool lah?

Palawan Beach and the suspension bridge to the southernmost point of Continental Asia

Tanjong Beach is probably the most tranquil beach of all.

Songs of the Sea is a water and light show that you really shouldn’t miss. 

Spectacular Songs of the Sea show

How to get there

7) Orchard Road. Stretched along the Orchard Road are a number of shopping malls to choose from high to low end shopping.

If you can afford all the signature clothes and bags, then you’re only problem will be choosing what to buy. But if not, you are free to take a souvenir picture outside the stores hehe

At Ion Orchard

8) Nightlife. In the mood for some party and booze? Head to Clarke Quay and dance and drink the night away in the city’s trendiest night spot. If you’re looking for action-filled night, try the GMAX Reverse Bungy or Extreme Swing while there.

CQ

Not for the faint heart

If you’re looking for ambiance, I suggest you try Chijmes (pronounced as chimes) for a more intimate and sophisticated night. Chijmes itself is a visual treat, with its impressive architecture. It was actually a Catholic convent school converted into a commercial center. 

Night out at the church errrrr Chijmes

9) Kampong Glam. With Bugis station as the nearest MRT station, Kampong Glam is a Malay quarters with mosques and old shophouses selling textiles, and Muslim religious items.  Muslim presence is still predominant in the area particularly in Bussorah St and Arab St where you can see  art galleries, souvenir shops, camera houses, and other businesses.

Sultan Mosque

While there, we took advantage of entering the Sultan Mosque. It was my first time to enter a mosque by the way and I was required to wear a robe since I was in shorts. We also had a chance to witness a Malay wedding.

Inside the mosque

10) Haji Lane. Don’t miss Haji Lane, which is just a few steps away from Bussorah and Arab Streets.  Haji Lane is tiny lane where you can find dresshops and boutiques of emerging and independent fashion designers in Singapore. It is a fashionista’s paradise indeed!

11) Hawker food courts. Singaporean food trip, anyone? You can never go wrong eating in hawkers. For around SGD 3 you can buy a decent meal.

To start your day, have a Singaporean traditional breakfast of kaya toast and kopi. For a real treat, try laksa, Hainanese chicken, beef hor fun, satay, chili crab, bak kuh teh..whew the list could go on :)

Start your day right by eating a good breakfast :)

Famous hawker centers include Lau Pa Sat, Makansutra Gluttons Bay, and Newton Food Center.

12) Train rides. Transportation is Singapore is extremely efficient; it makes me wanna curse our LRT/MRT here in Manila. I simply enjoy traveling by train in SG.  Switching lines and transferring interchanges easy breezy as  1-2-3. SG’s MRT ride is an experience in itself.

I love train rides in SG

13) Street shopping at Bugis. I love good bargains, who doesn’t? Being cheapskate that I am, it’s no wonder I enjoyed shopping in Bugis. You can also find here some malls like Bugis Junction, Bugis Point, and Iluma.
 

Bugis Village

Read my full entry on Bugis Street Shopping.

14) Changi Airport.  Changi Airport has been consistently voted as the best airport in Asia. It was also voted in Time Magazine for airport’s biggest surprise – a swimming pool complete with changing rooms and gym amenities.

Check out 10 Ways to Pass Time at Changi Airport.

15) Gadgets. Gadgets are cheaper in SG : ) Funan DigitalLife Mall or simply known as the IT Mall tops the destination for IT, electronics, and gaming needs.

Sim Lim Square is a shopping haven for bargain hunters and tech addicts. Practice your haggling skills here.

If there’s one thing I learned about shuttling to- and from- SG, it’d be to never to underestimate this small city. You think three days are enough for a tour? Nah. SG constantly changes; new attractions being developed, tallest of the tall buildings on the rise. Yet, it remains a very livable and clean city. It was dubbed by Discovery Channel as the New York of Asia in the next 20 years or so.

How about you? What's on your Singapore list?

When a guy does something wrong...

Click for a larger image

This gave me a good laugh. Watcha think ladies? :P

Tuesday, break my heart

I wish the clock would strike 6pm already. It's a really slow and boring day at the office. Since yesterday, no new projects have been coming in. When I'm bored, I read all the online stuff that interests me..from travel to food. I am craving for good food now as a result of boredom and endlessly browsing for good eats.

Right now, I want to try some of the restos I've read online like Ms. B's Tuckshop, Barcino, Lolo Dad's, Toki, and many more.

I can't wait til weekend and try the Venice Piazza Food Adventure tour in McKinley Hill.

3 more days to go before weekend. boo..

Eigai Sai: The Japanese Film Festival 2011

Last Saturday, Erick and I went to Shang to watch one of the films shown at the Eega Sai. Eiga Sai means film festival in Japanese. It’s on its 13th year already and it is organized by the Embassy of Japan, Japan Foundation, and the UP Film Institute in lieu of the Philippines-Japanese Friendship Month.

Eegai Sai: The Japanese Film Festival 2011

We wanted to watch Departures which won the Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 in the 81st Academy Award. Unfortunately,we didn’t catch the release of tickets. Apparently, the organizers released the ticket earlier than expected. So anyway, we settled into the next film, The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones which was also an award-winning movie.

The Summit features the story of a surveyor Yoshitaro Shibazaki and his guide Chojiri Uni along with their other companions as they conquered one of Japan’s highest peak in, Mt. Tsurugidake  to complete a map of their country. The mountain is known to be a “mountain of death” because no one succeeded by far to reach its peak. Those who tried failed and others even died on their journey to the peak. 

Journey to Mt. Tsurugidake's summit (from Wiki)

 “Embrace the snow as you ascend Mt. Tsurugidake  and embrace the snow as you descend Mt. Tsurugidake “ were the repeating words of the monk Yoshitaro and Chojiori met during their climb to the mountain. The mountain has the worst winter any mountain climber would find unbearable. To achieve something unimaginable, you must truly embrace the experience especially the challenges you encounter.

The movie ignited my plan to climb Mt. Kinabalu next year : ) Ain’t no mountain high!

Admission to the movie is free. Tickets are released an hour before the screening but better be early. All movies are shown with English sub-titles. Screening is at Shang Cineplex 4 at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall. 

To view the complete movie listings and schedules, click here.

Splashin’ Weekend

It was my youngest sister Anne’s  birthday and she wanted to celebrate it on a swimming day trip. Since she loves the water and adventure, we went to Splash Island last Sunday to have some family time. Anne purchased our admission tickets at megadeals.ph where we got a whooping discount :)

Spash Island Spa & Resort in Binan Laguna is a 1 ½ hour travel from Manila. If you get lucky on Sundays, make it a 1 hour travel time. We left Manila around 7am and by 830am, we were already at the waterpark.

One happy family

It was my first time in Splash Island and to be honest I wasn’t expecting that I would enjoy the rides and the slides. I’m feeling  already old for that. Haha.. Boy I was wrong! I felt like a kid again, wanting to repeat some of the rides – Rio Montanosa, Magellan’s Drop, and Tausug Trails are my favorites.

Erick at Tausug Trails

I hated the King Pilipit slide. It gave me a headache. As the name suggests, the slide consists of twists and some are really big twists with the most parts of the slide covered.

Agos Grandes was fun too with its machine-generated waves. I just wish I could play with La Union or Baler’s real waves. But Agos Grandes’ waves compensated for now.

Agos Grandes without the waves hehe

After a day of repeating all the rides and climbing the high stairs to take the slides again and again (which wasn’t the fun part), floating on a rubber in the Balsa River was relaxing. 

happy day

Other fun slides include Water Wahoo, Big Bam Boo…

Kids love the Water Wahoo!

It was a fun-filled day with the fam. To top it all off, we had Max’s Chicken-all-you-can for dinner. Busog!

Chicken-all-you-can!

"Umay" from all the chicken eaten

H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y  bebe gurl!

Kota Kinabalu itinerary

Because I’m always the itinerary girl in every trips I made : ) Here’s my 4D/3N Kota Kinabalu itinerary. Who knows you might pick up something useful here or in any case I might go back to KK.

Day 1
Flight from Clark to KK
Check in at Lavender Lodge
Dinner at Seri Selera

Day 2
Whole day beach bumming at Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
Shopping at 1Borneo
Party @ the BED – Waterfront

Day 3
Mt. Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring Tour
Party @ White Room – KK Times Plaza

Day 4
Last minute shopping at Warisan Square, CentrePoint, and KK Plaza
Flight back to Manila

Wait! Here’s more…

12 tips you’ll thank me for..

1. Watch out for seat sale from AirAsia or Cebu Pacific. I got my promo tickets at Php2300+ (USD55+).
2. Get an accommodation that's near the city center so you can shop longer.  Lavender Lodge is highly recommended by most backpacker blogs.
3. Taxis are the most common mode of transportation.  They don't use taxi meters.  RM 10 is the flag down rate.
4. For shopping, VINCCI and Charles and Keith are cheaper in Malaysia.  Head to Warisan Square, CentrePoint , and 1Borneo.  1Borneo is 30 minutes away from the city.  There's a free shuttle for tourists departing at Warisan every 30 minutes.  The last bus going back to the city is at 10:15 PM.  VINCCI shoes are sold at Padini Concept Store in 1Borneo..they have accessories too.
5. Start your island hopping early so you can go to the three islands (Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik).  It starts from 7AM-5PM.

6. If you wanna party, head to the Waterfront.  BED is recommended.  You can also go to KK Times Square, it's where most of high-end bars are located. Ladies are free of cover charge of RM 25.  Niceee!  Check KKGroove for the latest happenings in the city.
7. Pitchers are at RM65 and higher.  Kinda expensive, huh.  There are service charge and government tax on top of that.  So, share share share.
8. If you're stuck somewhere and there's no taxi, you can call their taxi service.  The number is sent to you when you activate your roaming service.
9. Dine at local restaurants and try local cuisine.  At RM10, you're already satisfyingly full. Try the Islamic Restaurant at the basement of CentrePoint (in front.
10. Bring a three-pronged adaptor.  Malaysia has a different power outlet than ours.
11. And check Sabah tourism site when doing your itinerary. 
12. RM1 = Php 14+

Happy KK! 

/streetsmartgirl

Last day in KK (day 4)

We made an effort to wake up early on our fourth and last day in Kota Kinabalu. Our flight back to Manila via AirAsia was at 1:40pm so we had the whole morning free.

As always, I spend my last day in any trip shopping. After our breakfast, we headed to the three malls in the city center – Warisan Square, KK Plaza, and CentrePoint, to do some last minute shopping. We did some solo shopping so we could maximize our time.

Kota Kinabalu is really not a shopping destination, well except for the Vincci shoes I hoarded and the outlet stores in Warisan Square like Roxy, Charles and Keith, Vincci, Quicksilver, to name a few.

i <3 SALE!!

Anna, the happy shopper

If you happen to be in the city on a Sunday, try going to the Gaya Sunday Market where you can buy local souvenirs and have a gastronomic experience with Malaysian food. Too bad, we missed that.

At around 12pm, we went straight to the airport. We were in a hurry that when it was my turn for immigration, I realized that I lost my departure card. Dang! The immigration officer was looking for it and I wasn’t sure where I exactly placed it. So yes, I was scolded by the IO thinking that it was my first time to travel out-of-the-country. I found my departure card in the pocket of my luggage after I arrived home. So much for the hassle.

We landed in Clark around 4pm and we immediately went to the Philtranco booth to purchase our tickets going to Manila. Home sweet home :) :(

I’m glad I made this trip. Be back next year to cross one of the things in my bucket list – to finally climb Mt. Kinabalu. So yeah be ready KK!

Can't take my eyes off you :)