Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Singapore Getaway


   Another adventure to share, my very own Singapore getaway. Yes, it was not really part of the plan to visit Singapore that soon, but to some significant circumstances, we decided to have a tour, Me, my sister and my mom. 
   We had a travel agent of course, they took care of the tickets and the city tour. We only had half day allotted for the city tour, the rest of the three days, we are on our own. Fortunately, my sister knew someone there and she offers to be our tour guide for half day.
   We arrived in the hotel at around nine in the evening. We stayed at Fragnance Pearl hotel at 21 Loring 14 Geylang, little did we know that that place was not safe, the moment we step on the premises of Geylang, prostitute was everywhere. It was luck that we didn't bring the kids with us. We stayed at the hotel for the first night, We just purchase some food at the nearest 711.

   The next morning the coach fetch us at around nine in the morning for the city tour. There are already four people in the excursion bus, three adult Filipino and one kid. Then we pick up another couple, American I think. Unfortunately, the coach job was just to drive us around, so it was not really a good tour, no one explain to us or share the Singapore culture, we have to learn it own our own.
   Our first stop was in Espalde park, where we saw the Singapore river( I think) and some structure I hardly know. I never learned them because no one explained it. Base on my observation, the museum was one of those structure. We passed in an underground tunnel to take pictures of the magnificent river, with its tall building as a background.
                   
      We dropped by just outside the Ruffles hotel to take pictures. The coach didn't explain the significance of that place but Google says is a colonial style hotel in Singapore and one of the word's most famous hotel. 

   Thai hock-keng I wish I got the right name for it, is a temple where Thai and Buddhism had fusion, two religion at one temple. 

   Chinatown was the fourth stop. We didn't get down from the bus because it was too hot and the time was so little and the driver parked the car a little far and due to my moms condition, she can't walk fast. Though I went down to grab some bottled water.

   The fifth stop was at Ginger garden and the six stop was the most awaited one, the little India. We went to the little India arcade and eat samosa at the nearest restaurant, named Bikanervala.
the last stop was the Arab city, we were only given like ten minutes, so we just decided to stay inside the excursion bus. Beside it was scalding hot.
Our city tour was just 4 hours we wished we had a better tour guide and at least one day so we can really enjoy it. If we just knew, we just toured ourselves, besides the taxi drivers are honest and nicer and a better tour guide. So, at around noon, the tour ended and we decided to let the coach drop us at Vivo city, where my sister and her friend,Ate Athen had planned to meet.

While waiting, we ate our lunch at Baguette where I grab a saigon sandwich and a coke.Ate Athen arrived shortly, we start the afternoon tour at Sentosa boardwalk, we walk a little far to reach the center of Sentosa. Upon arriving we eat at the food court where a variety of food are offered. Different cuisine  from different races. We let ate Athen, our tour guide, choose the food to be tried and it was awesome, even now, I miss the taste of cattle fish.
We already reach the center of Sentosa, where we saw the rotating planet of Universal studio.  We also dropped by at the Hershey store and Canydilicious, where we bought some candies and chocolates.
Then we took a taxi cab going to the street market where we eat noodles, spicy shrimps and different kinds of satay. Then we call it a night. Ate Athen still accompanies us to our hotel and she went home after.

My sister flight bound to Qatar was eight in the morning of the following day, so she was not with us when we toured the zoo. We arrived at around eleven in the morning at the zoo. It was only me and my mom, we just took taxi cab. I hope I brought my daughter with me because I know, she will enjoy herself more than I did. The sight of the living animals made my heart melt. It was amazingly real, that, I will treasure for a lifetime.  I ride the elephant and it was a fun ride. We  leave the zoo at around four in the afternoon. We just ride a taxi cab back to our hotel and waited for the bus that will bring us to the airport.

It was really a short trip, like it just happened half a day. Singapore is not SG without the Merlion, but unfortunately we had no time to visit it. So I am still looking forward to go back and see with my own eye the famous Merlion. But anyway, everything is still SG, I'm happy that at least I had time to visit the place I dreamed to live.



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