Singapore With The Sunday Club
November 11-15, 2010. My first out-of-the-country trip with my college friends. The first stamp on my passport.
We arrived at Changi Airport and the first few minutes were funny! See, bringing in cigarettes to Singapore is not allowed, and if you get caught not declaring them, you will get jail time and will be required to pay a few thousand singapore dollars. It was my first trip out of the country, and I am sure that Singapore is more stringent in enforcing their rules. The best thing to do is to play it safe. My friend was asked by her singapore-based friend to bring a few packs. We were able to convince her to surrender them. She was ushered to the customs office where the cigarettes were cut and thrown in the trash. We, on the other hand, thought of having our picture taken in front of the customs office with the logo to document the experience. An officer walked over to us and demanded to see the camera. Turns out taking pictures there wasn't allowed. Good thing they were nice and forgiving and we were able to get away with it with free changi airport candies :)
If there was one word to describe the whole trip, it would be "WALK". I did not anticipate how much walking was required in Singapore that I hated myself for not buying a comfortable pair of sandals in Manila. I was forced to buy a pair of slippers on the 2nd day.
But don't get me wrong. It was fun! Despite the fact that we were lost on the first day, we were able to find our way. There was pleasure in that adventure. In learning how to ride the train, in using the EZ-link, in finding for ourselves which restaurants offer good meals and in being lost several times in a day.
Hungry, we hurried to find the nearest restaurant while we waited for our friend who was based there. Funny how we told her to find "Kopitiam", only to find out later on that the term refers to any kind of place in Singapore that sells food (more like foodcourt in the Philippines). Food was cheap at S$3, and iced coffee at S$1. Our walking adventure started after dinner when we were trying to find our hostel at Perak Road - Footprints. It's a quaint hotel, with friendly staff and guests. We met Filipinos there who were all eager to help us. One even walked with us to help us find a taxi, and gave us maps and directions.
Midnight Safari was nice, though I would have appreciated it more if I were not in heels, and if I wasn't so tired from running to catch the last train/bus. Good thing my cousin, Ate Jan, was there to help us find the shortest route. We were able to make it. We boarded our tram and proceeded with the tour. It was like a normal zoo, except there were no cages to hold the animals. I wasn't sure what to do if the lion jumped through the canal which served as a partition between his small territory and the tramway. I even asked if anybody has been attacked before. There were also wild animals crossing through the road. Pretty cool.
Shopping was incredibly fun too. Charles and Keith products were on sale at 50-70% off, gadgets were also much much cheaper. I was able to buy my dad a 500 gb external drive for a little more than 3000 pesos. I noticed though that clothes were expensive, and designs are not as impressive as in manila. We went to Ikea, to Funan Digital Mall, and to others too which I can barely remember now.
Sentosa. Need I say more? Most of what people look for in Singapore is in this place's three train stops. Universal Studios, Imbiah's Beach, Hershey's Store, the biggest merlion statue, rides like the Luge, museums. Too bad we were only there for a short time so we were always running to catch the attractions, but we were able to manage with the time that we had. We watched a really nice play and toured around Universal Studios. Of course, we did not leave the place without taking pictures of ourselves at each corner hehehe!
Chinatown is known to be where the cheap Singapore souvenir items can be bought, much like our Chinatown in the Philippines. But more than the shopping experience, it is also home to the Chinese Temple and museum. We were able to witness a ceremony where the faithfuls were chanting. There were buddhas everywhere, in different poses too.
Food was great. My cousin treated me to a local crab restaurant and boy, it was so good. The ice cream along orchard road and in the market place was so worth its S$1 price.
It was definitely a trip worth remembering, especially because I was with my friends with whom I have shared much of my life with. Joanne who is based there, was gracious enough to juggle her time with work and being with us. I was also able to meet new friends like Arn, Weng, CheAnn, Esti and company. I was also surprised to receive a nice wallet - a perfect wallet actually - as a birthday gift from them. Donna and I received matching wallets from Charles and Keith just about the time when we were saying our good nights and goodbyes. It was a perfect way to end the trip. My only regret was not being able to go up the marina bay sands. Next time, hopefully with Tatette :)
We arrived at Changi Airport and the first few minutes were funny! See, bringing in cigarettes to Singapore is not allowed, and if you get caught not declaring them, you will get jail time and will be required to pay a few thousand singapore dollars. It was my first trip out of the country, and I am sure that Singapore is more stringent in enforcing their rules. The best thing to do is to play it safe. My friend was asked by her singapore-based friend to bring a few packs. We were able to convince her to surrender them. She was ushered to the customs office where the cigarettes were cut and thrown in the trash. We, on the other hand, thought of having our picture taken in front of the customs office with the logo to document the experience. An officer walked over to us and demanded to see the camera. Turns out taking pictures there wasn't allowed. Good thing they were nice and forgiving and we were able to get away with it with free changi airport candies :)
If there was one word to describe the whole trip, it would be "WALK". I did not anticipate how much walking was required in Singapore that I hated myself for not buying a comfortable pair of sandals in Manila. I was forced to buy a pair of slippers on the 2nd day.
But don't get me wrong. It was fun! Despite the fact that we were lost on the first day, we were able to find our way. There was pleasure in that adventure. In learning how to ride the train, in using the EZ-link, in finding for ourselves which restaurants offer good meals and in being lost several times in a day.
Hungry, we hurried to find the nearest restaurant while we waited for our friend who was based there. Funny how we told her to find "Kopitiam", only to find out later on that the term refers to any kind of place in Singapore that sells food (more like foodcourt in the Philippines). Food was cheap at S$3, and iced coffee at S$1. Our walking adventure started after dinner when we were trying to find our hostel at Perak Road - Footprints. It's a quaint hotel, with friendly staff and guests. We met Filipinos there who were all eager to help us. One even walked with us to help us find a taxi, and gave us maps and directions.
Midnight Safari was nice, though I would have appreciated it more if I were not in heels, and if I wasn't so tired from running to catch the last train/bus. Good thing my cousin, Ate Jan, was there to help us find the shortest route. We were able to make it. We boarded our tram and proceeded with the tour. It was like a normal zoo, except there were no cages to hold the animals. I wasn't sure what to do if the lion jumped through the canal which served as a partition between his small territory and the tramway. I even asked if anybody has been attacked before. There were also wild animals crossing through the road. Pretty cool.
Shopping was incredibly fun too. Charles and Keith products were on sale at 50-70% off, gadgets were also much much cheaper. I was able to buy my dad a 500 gb external drive for a little more than 3000 pesos. I noticed though that clothes were expensive, and designs are not as impressive as in manila. We went to Ikea, to Funan Digital Mall, and to others too which I can barely remember now.
Sentosa. Need I say more? Most of what people look for in Singapore is in this place's three train stops. Universal Studios, Imbiah's Beach, Hershey's Store, the biggest merlion statue, rides like the Luge, museums. Too bad we were only there for a short time so we were always running to catch the attractions, but we were able to manage with the time that we had. We watched a really nice play and toured around Universal Studios. Of course, we did not leave the place without taking pictures of ourselves at each corner hehehe!
Chinatown is known to be where the cheap Singapore souvenir items can be bought, much like our Chinatown in the Philippines. But more than the shopping experience, it is also home to the Chinese Temple and museum. We were able to witness a ceremony where the faithfuls were chanting. There were buddhas everywhere, in different poses too.
Food was great. My cousin treated me to a local crab restaurant and boy, it was so good. The ice cream along orchard road and in the market place was so worth its S$1 price.
It was definitely a trip worth remembering, especially because I was with my friends with whom I have shared much of my life with. Joanne who is based there, was gracious enough to juggle her time with work and being with us. I was also able to meet new friends like Arn, Weng, CheAnn, Esti and company. I was also surprised to receive a nice wallet - a perfect wallet actually - as a birthday gift from them. Donna and I received matching wallets from Charles and Keith just about the time when we were saying our good nights and goodbyes. It was a perfect way to end the trip. My only regret was not being able to go up the marina bay sands. Next time, hopefully with Tatette :)
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