Once Upon a Time in Singapore

A few weeks before my scheduled trip to Singapore, I was hesitant to go knowing I'd be traveling alone for the first time. The thought of getting lost in a foreign land gave me more of a fear than excitement, because I have no sense of direction at times. It was supposed to be a group tour with my house mates which was booked a year earlier when Cebu Pacific offered promo fares, but due to some circumstances, it turned out to be a solo tour.

I was noted for being the one who brings her whole closet when traveling. Packing up my things for a one-week tour was a struggle.  This time, I managed not to bring much extras.

TOUCHDOWN

I arrived in Singapore at around 11:35pm of February 26, 2014 - my first international flight. I was fetched by my high school friend Cathy who also offered me to stay at her place for the duration of my tour after my one night hostel accommodation (such a big favor from her). After a little chat, she dropped me off at The Hive Backpackers' Hostel.

DAY 1:  SINGAPORE CITY TOUR

True to what they say, sunrise and sunset in Singapore come late. I woke up at 7:00am but the sun was still shy to show up.

I read my tour itinerary and closely studied the map while eating my breakfast. I had heart palpitations every time I remember that I'd be on my own for the first two days of my tour. I just couldn't imagine myself getting lost.

My fear turned into excitement and confidence when I arrived at the MRT station after a ten-minute walk from the hostel. Their system was impressive! Everything was in order - directions had English translations and full of information, people strictly followed the keep left rule, and convenience in the mode of transportation and payment. First timers can never be lost, unless they do not know how to read and follow directions.

It was a very tiring day since I spent most of the time walking around Marina Bay area but it's all worth it. I met up with Cathy at the Merlion Park, had dinner together (her treat) and I slept over at her unit in Tiong Bahru.

GARDENS BY THE BAY

MERLION PARK

HELIX BRIDGE, MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL & ART SCIENCE MUSEUM

SINGAPORE AT NIGHT

FOODTRIP FROM MAKANSUTRA GLUTTON'S BAY TO SONG FA BAK KUT TEH

DAY 2:  SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS & ORCHARD ROAD

As I walked along Tiong Bahru road towards the nearest MRT station, I began to appreciate Singapore more. The streets were very clean. Trees can be seen at the sides of high rise buildings, creating a balance between nature and infrastructure. There's no heavy traffic due to few vehicles. As what I've learned from friends who work in Singapore, vehicle population is being controlled by the government through the COE or certificate of entitlement. Singaporeans bid for COE which gives them the right to buy a new car. The cost is more or less the price of a brand new car. Owning a car is like buying one for a price of two. Anyone can just use a phone or any gadget anywhere without getting paranoid that somebody might grab it because Singapore is a very safe place.

With such a limited time, I knew I couldn't explore the whole Botanic Gardens so I planned out which gardens to go, and I already had in mind to spend most of my time at the national orchid garden - for the love of flowers.

Some of the species and hybrids of orchids at the garden:

I spent the later part of the afternoon strolling along Orchard Road - Singapore's famous shopping belt.  I do love shopping but I wasn't there to shop for a very obvious reason.

I met up with Monica and her husband within the area and had dinner together (their treat). Monica is an ex-housemate and she's the one who prepared my tour itinerary.  I slept over at their unit in Woodlands - the place nearest to my next destination - the Singapore Zoo.

DAY 3:  SINGAPORE ZOO

This time, I was accompanied by friends - Monica, her husband and cousin. Monica's husband sponsored my zoo ticket (another treat).

UP CLOSE

I was amazed by how the zoo was designed like a natural habitat for animals. Instead of barred cages, they have natural enclosures. Some animals were already accustomed to their zones but some have live wires in their perimeters for safety purposes. Animal shows were also interesting to watch.

FRIENDSHIP. HEHEHE..

I met up with some of my college friends at the city and again, I received another dinner treat. We went atop the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (57th floor) to have a glance of its infinity pool and the whole Marina Bay area. Getting there on top by entering through the back door is free. We then headed to Clarke Quay to have some drinks and relaxation. I could barely see locals in the area. I then wondered if Singaporeans really take time to enjoy nightlife as what we Filipinos do.

DAY 4:  SENTOSA ISLAND

Cathy accompanied me on my adventure at Sentosa Island. We did biking, luge ride, sky ride and food trip.  We watched the Songs of the Sea which made me feel surreal. We went back to the main land via cable car and it was just so relaxing to watch the whole Sentosa Island and the main land Singapore at night time. We met up with her boyfriend and again, I had a free dinner. Happy tummy!

LIGHT AND WATER SHOW:  SONGS OF THE SEA

DAY 5:  LEGOLAND MALAYSIA SIDE TRIP

Jackie, one of my college friends, invited me to go to Legoland Malaysia (her treat). Right after we've crossed the bridge from Singapore to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, one could easily tell the difference between the two. Comfort rooms were clean, but not as well-maintained as those in Singapore. When I read some of the information boards with English translation, I noticed that some Malay words were similar to our Tagalog words, which made me think that maybe we Filipinos are really descendants of Malays before the Spanish colonization. After we went out from the Bureau of Immigration, we then headed to Legoland.

We enjoyed taking photos of different huge lego models. Lego replicas of Asian countries were also amazing.

 

Highlight of the day:

WHO'S OBVIOUSLY AFRAID & WHO'S NOT?

We went back to Singapore and had a dinner treat by Jackie's brother (and it's a buffet dinner). Everyday happy feet and happy tummy!

DAY 6:  SNOW CITY, BUGIS AND CHINATOWN

WITH OLAF OF FROZEN!

Cathy brought me to Snow City (her treat) where I was able to experience what it's like to be in a snow land. We were like children playing with snow, sliding down again and again for an hour. 

We then went to Bugis and Chinatown to shop and to have a food trip before my evening flight back to Cebu. There, almost everything was cheap.

TAKE OFF

I smiled as the plane took off. It was a wonderful travel experience not only because I've been to many places for the whole week but also because of so many blessings - free accommodation offered by a friend, hospitality shown by my friend's main tenant, a generous friend who offered me to use her extra sim card and EZLink card pre-loaded by her, dinner and amusement park ticket treats from friends, and some of them even took a vacation leave from work just to accompany me on some days of my tour. I couldn't thank them enough.