Glad that I was able to squeeze in a short trip to Singapore with my family to take a short break from both of my jobs as September comes to an end. We make it a point to fly out of the country at least once a year but my other brother missed this year's trip since he's having his own baby in a few weeks time (yes, I'm gonna be a full blown tita!)
This is only the fourth country I've ever been to outside the Philippines and also my favorite one by far so I made sure I documented my first visit to SG well. I wouldn't exactly call my blog a travel blog but I can't seem to find the time and right ambiance to unearth all feelings that come along with setting foot in a new place. So forgive me if this post will sound more informative than creative. :(
We landed in Singapore on a Friday night and took a cab to our hotel in Bugis area. There are many ways to reach the city from the airport aside from taking a cab. Singapore has a very efficient and tourist-friendly transportation system. It may be possible for you to get lost in a small city in other countries, but Singapore is equipped with signs and directions everywhere that it will be hard to get lost even if it was on purpose. We bought a 3-day tourist pass for S$30/person (with S$10 refundable deposit for the card.) It gives you unlimited access to trains and buses which is very economical for tourists because here's a tip: everything in Singapore is expensive.
The famous USS globe!
We spent our first full day at Universal Studios. How to get here if you're staying in the city and not on a tour package? Do it like the locals!
(1) Coming from the city take the the Northeast Line and get down at Harbourfront Station.
(2) Follow the signs going to Vivo City (it's a mall), climb up the 3rd floor and you'll easily spot the ticketing area of Sentosa Express. It will take you to Sentosa Island but unfortunately the tourist pass does not cover the Sentosa Monorail. We paid S$4 per person to get to Resorts World Sentosa.
You can also take a cab (they call it tek-si) but most highways in Singapore has tolls so if you're on a budget and also in it for the experience, take the MRT!
I know Instagram nuts can relate to me when I say that there are too many doors to choose from in USS, especially in New York section.
Parents pulling it off
Far Far Away Castle
I'm making a mental note to come back to USS when I visit Singapore again since I didn't get to ride everything. My little brother got sick on our first night but didn't want to ruin the trip that he dragged himself to go. He forced himself to get on rides despite feeling under the weather but the scorching heat of the sun was no help. I swear it was even hotter than Manila weather at the time. Even I, a beach and sunshine person couldn't bear it. It was half a day of going around and experiencing the rides and the other half was spent on eating and resting because the heat was really physically draining.
And so we were told you can't leave SG without a visit to Merlion Park
We spent the following day exploring the vicinity of Marina Bay. The heat was still unbearable so after getting sundrenched taking pictures, we walked to the nearest MRT station and went to Orchard. Then we went back to Marina Bay Sands in the afternoon. Medyo hassle, but thanks to our tourist pass for the unlimited train ride.
"Bes dali, ang init." me to mom haha
Gardens by the Bay at Marina Bay Sands
Gardens by the Bay easily won my heart with its genius theme of nature meets the future. The place has two airconditioned conservatories (S$28/head if you want to enter both).
First conservatory: Flower Dome
Second Conservatory: Cloud Forest
Proud of mom for bravely conquering the Cloud Walk bearing her fear of heights
Gardens by the Bay at night, during the light show
One of my favorites: Little India
On our last day we went around exploring the colorful neighborhood of Little India. This is a pretty lowkey area since these bright colored houses are hidden in the side streets that tourists can't easily locate it. But if you have spare time, do find it! Little India has its own MRT station (Northeast Line and Downtown Line)
I still wanted to visit Clarke Quay at nighttime, eat street food at Haji Lane, visit heritage and art and science museums, visit the famous Sri Thendayuthapani Temple and experience the River Safari but time was not on our side. Four days was apparently too short so after our Little India walk we went straight to shopping for pasalubong.
Two places where you can get the cheapest (cheap as in Singapore cheap) items: Chinatown and Bugis Street. This is the closest you can get to Divisoria but the prices are nowhere near if you convert. So skip the local Pinoy tourist habit of converting to peso before buying. It's not practical, our money doesn't have the same value. You won't get lost going to these places if you look at the city map because both have their own train stations.
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I find it imperative to share that although I can't live without traveling, I am also a fearful flyer. I can't count the number of times I've been asked by people who know how much I love traveling why I didn't try becoming a Flight Attendant and the equal number of times I shamefully admitted that I'm scared of flying. The anticipation of being confined in a pressurized tube up in the air for hours stresses me out so much that it triggers my anxiety. After this trip however, I think I learned to keep my flight anxiety at bay. After so much research, turbulence no longer bothers me, though I can't really tell for now if I could survive a long haul flight without in-flight wifi and enough space to move around so I won't feel so constricted (must save up for that business class ticket then.) I've been on an aircraft exactly 16 times and I learned that no anti-anxiety pills can cure the fear of flying, the only remedy is to fly as often as you can. To fearful flyers like me, at the end of every long turbulent flight, it's always the experience of immersing yourself in a different culture, exploring new places and the memories that you keep that matter. So don't let any of your fears cripple you. Keep on flying. Keep on seeing the world.
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