Finally, I had the chance to travel out of the country and the destination was Singapore. I spent a week there with my sister and friend and we had a blast. I was at awe at how well the place was made and kept at its best. From one phrase I read from the internet, "Singapore doesn't do things by halves" which I totally agree upon. When they build or create something they make sure it's the best. Everything surrounding the City is topnotch, from the buildings to the MRT to the entertainment shows. Up until my last day there I was impressed by the beauty and organization of the place. Their motto: "Onward, Singapore" is a motivation for their government and the citizens to always move forward and continue to innovate and keep abreast with the present. My days there were worth keeping in my treasure box of moments.
Arrival: Touchdown was at the Changi Budget Terminal. According to a Singaporean I met, it was the most ugly terminal. Well, tell me about it, there's much worse where I came from.
Day 1: Our first stroll around the big city. It was my first time to ride their bus and boy was it real neat and comfy. We took the train from Hougang to Clarke Quay. From there we roamed around the city by foot. Thank goodness I had my legs warmed up by biking back home or else I would've had cramps. The walk was way intense. No wonder most of the people there were skinny or medium-built. The view of the city is amazing. Although it's filled with loads of sky-high buildings, there are still greens in view. At night we watched the Songs of the Sea, a sound and light show at the Marina Bay.
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| On our way to Clarke Quay |
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| Outside the Asian Civilization Museum |
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| Raffles Hotel |
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| Esplanade | |
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| Merlion |
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| Rooftop garden at Orchard Central Mall |
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| Songs of the Sea |
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| Marina Bay Sands |
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| The banks of Singapore at night |
Day 2: We headed to Sentosa to experience Universal Studios. We had loads of fun meeting and taking pictures with some characters. The thrill and laughter went on and on while riding Transformer's The Ride, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure, Revenge of the Mummy, Battlestar Galactica's Cylon, and Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. The WaterWorld show, Lights Camera Action, Shrek in 4D, Lake Hollywood Spectacular Fireworks were world class shows worth watching all over again. From entrance to exit we were all smiles, leaving Sentosa for the night satisfied and happy.
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| Battlestar Galactica's Human (Red) and Cylon (Blue) |
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| Elated after screaming our hearts out while riding Cylon |
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| After being saved by the Autobots. Whew! |
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| With Charlie Chaplin |
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| Shrek's castle |
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| On our way to the Revenge of the Mummy |
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| The princess and her guards |
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| Entering the jungle for a crate ride |
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| WaterWorld |
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| Waiting for the WaterWorld show |
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| Universal Studios Singapore was fun! |
Day 3: Went for a side trip to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Unfortunately, the zoo was inaccessible since it was under maintenance. A mosque was nearby so we went to check it out and there we met Zacaria, the artist. We bought 3 of his artworks. They were beautiful acrylic paintings on silk. He explained each of them and they we're truly inspiring. We had an interesting lunch at the Sizzling Stonegrill. Went for a little shopping afterwards; good thing there was a mallwide sale going on.
In the evening, we were off to Sentosa for Resorts World's Voyage de La Vie. It was one amazing show I will never forget.
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| The mosque |
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| Zacaria doing one of his paintings while we're selecting a finished artwork to buy |
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| Too bad the zoo was closed at the moment, we just had our pictures taken outside |
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| Yummy seafood getting cooked on the sizzling volcanic rock |
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| Coffee and cakes before heading back to Singapore |
Back in Singapore...
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| Amazing is an understatement |
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| Thumbs up! |
Day 4: Paid a short visit at the MICA Building. It used to be a police station but now it houses several art galleries. Singapore Botanic Gardens-- a beautiful and relaxing place; perfect escape from the busy pace of the big city. Every corner is clean and green. Picnickers, joggers, photographers, newly weds and couples engaged having their photo-ops are everywhere. I would love to have spent more time there to read a book and have a stroll around the vast grassland. By night, we returned to Sentosa to experience the Luge and Skyride and it was a lot of fun! On our way home bound the boardwalk, we saw many people sitting by the bay somewhat waiting for a show. Turned out there was going to be a Crane Dance after Earth Hour. We waited for about 30 minutes and witnessed the beautiful show and it was for free.
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| MICA Building |
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| Artworks showcased at MICA Building |
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| The Gates |
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| Serene view of green |
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| The Gazebo |
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| Luge and Skyride smiles |
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| The Crane Dance was a beautiful show and the best part is it was free |
Day 5: Went shopping for souvenirs in Chinatown. Walking along the way, we noticed an Indian temple and a Chinese temple. Shopping and sight seeing in one location, what more can you ask for?
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| Shoppers all around |
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| Inside the Indian temple |
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| The Chinese temple |
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| Beautiful architecture |
Day 6: Our last day was spent biking by the East Coast Park. You can do whatever recreation you want in the park. Everything is there from biking, fishing, wake boarding, skateboarding, camping, to a dip in the beach. A whole day there wouldn't be dull at all. It was a perfect finale for our week in the Merlion City.
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| East Coast Beach |
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| Roller skates are just a rent away |
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| East Coast Xtreme Skatepark |
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| Get ready to get wet for wakeboarding adventure |
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| East Coast was fun, Fun, FUN! |
A week in Singapore is too short to experience everything but enough to see the beauty and feel the fun of this fine city. I'm definitely going back one of these days. I've yet to get on board the Marina Flyer, see the view of the city from the top of the Marina Bay Sands, meet the animals of the Singapore Zoo and lots more! See you again real soon Singapore!
