Singapore Series: Our Singapore Sling in a Nutshell

I’ve only published one post in three months, an all-time low even for someone like me who makes it a point to blog about something at least once a month. I guess that’s a testament to how busy I was during the first part of the year. Now that the long overdue things (like taking the IELTS, updating my CV and having a well-deserved vacation) are all over and done with, I can finally update this blog once again.

So thanks to Cebu Pacific’s 10-10-10 promo, I saw myself flying to the Land of the Merlion last March 11.  We landed on Singapore soil well after midnight and proceeded to Pasir Bas to rest for the night.

Officially landed!

Our first day was spent familiarizing ourselves with the city on foot. They say Singapore is so small that you can see its entirety in a single day, but I beg to disagree. Yes, you can see Singapore in a day if you were merely a spectator sitting on bus taking pictures of the architectural wonders of the city. However, if you really want to explore Singapore, you have to get off the bus, go on foot and have a look around. Since we were not familiar with the MRT and bus routes yet during our first day, we were only able to explore Little India, Bugis Village, Orchard Road and Suntec City.

We explored SG via it's extensive tube system, which was very efficient.

McDonald's continues to conquer the world! Even Bugis Village had a branch.

Little India was an exotic treat with all the unique sights and SMELLS.

Ice cream is best enjoyed street-style in SG.

Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road is teeming with Filipinos!
 Pasalubongs abound, but Mustafa (which I do not have a picture of) sells cheaper goods.

We loved the architecture in Suntec City.

Guess what my wish was at the Fountain of Wealth! It had nothing to do with financial gain.
I want to be wealthy in some other aspect. Haha.

We availed of the Hippo Tour on our second day in the city. The tour wasn't anything spectacular, but the bus rides allowed our tired feet to rest every now and then. I must say though that you have to be patient when waiting for the bus. Although the tour company claims that there will be buses coming to pick you up every 30 minutes, there were several occasions when buses came about 30-40 minutes late. This annoyed the hell out of my friends and me.  I know for a fact that Filipinos are always late, but I never thought that Singaporeans are too!

We rode colorful buses like this.

Our first destination for the day was this temple.

The facade of the legendary Raffles Hotel,
 home to the world renowned Singapore Sling. 

Raffles Hotel's elegance is timeless.

I want a luggage bag just like the one on my right for that old-world worn traveler look.

I enjoyed Raffles Museum because I'm such a sucker for history. 

This is what we paid for -  a bus where we can rest our tired feet.

We met a Filipina receptionist at the Mint Museum of Toys.
There were so many Filipinos in SG. It's like home, but way, way cleaner!

The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was a quite a sight!

All the countries I've been to have a Chinatown.
Even downtown Los Angeles has one. Again, cheap goods abound!

We watched the sunset (which came rather late) here. The water was still and we had
an amazing view of the Esplanade. When night fell, SG came to life with all the lights.
What an amazing spectacle that was!

The Singapore Flyer, Asia's version of the London's Eye.

There are wonderful specimens of Singapore's fine architecture everywhere you go.

Marina Bay Sands, the name speaks for itself.

Asia's version of Venice's gondolas.

When  I grow up (or rich, rather), this is where I'll shop! (lol)

Look, a living statue!

We were supposed to take a bus to Kuala Lumpur on our third day, but we were not able to book seats early enough, so we went to Johor Bahru instead. JB is a lot like Manila, but with only a few places of interest.What I really liked about it though are the cheap bargain finds! Nike bags that sell for around 3,000-4,000 Php in the PH cost only about 1,000-2000 Php in JB. Ipanema flip flops are also half the price!

Camwhoring fail on the way to Malaysia. My friend's mom came with us and although
she was more than 60 years old, she gamely walked with us everywhere. Her stamina is aha-mazing!

My primary purpose for going to Malaysia was to shop. Shopping in SG is
a crime, but in Malaysia, it is a privilege!

The obligatory money pose.

Malaysia at night.

Our last day in SG was spent in Sentosa Island.  We weren’t able to see everything because we woke up late and spent almost the entire day at Universal Studios. Universal Studios Singapore isn’t anything like the California version, but I’m happy that we now have a Universal Studios in Asia for people who can’t go to the US for one reason or another. (My tourist visa expired last December and it’s so hard to get one when you are a nurse. Que horror!)

The Sentosa Express transported us to a little piece of heaven on earth.
Man, you gotta love that view!

That girl in red is my colleague, Shuz. She was bouncing with excitement as we were already nearing
Universal Studios at this point.  Imagine a fully grown woman shrieking like a  five year old! Haha.

The Disneyland for Adults! 

After getting enough of Universal Studios, we went to the Imbiah Lookout to watch the Songs of the Sea.
Songs of the Sea is a mesmerizing show filled with flame bursts, water jets, laser lights and music.
The story was not particularly engaging, but the the effects were quite fun to watch.

Fixed the pasalubongs for my loved ones back at home that night because
come the next day, I will be back in Manila's arms. I got my sister and myself matching flipflops
because I'm cheesy like that.

So, that was my Singapore vacation in a nutshell. I shall write about some Singapore attractions in greater detail soon when I find the time. Universal Studios deserves a separate post and so does the food! For now, I must say, I’m happy to be back to the blogging world!