Aloha Singapura!
3-6 August
Singapore
SINGAPORE
Thanks to the emergence of low-cost carriers such as Tiger Airways, we were able to go to Singapore for less than a hundred dollars!
Some months ago, my ex-roommate told me that she was going to KL because Air Asia, another low-cost airline, offered tickets at a bargain. So I browsed through Air Asia's website but found out that the ticket sale was over. Then I checked Tiger Airways' site and voila! Sale of tickets from CRK to SIN just started! Right there and then, I emailed my friends about it, as well as Zev, and asked him if he wanted to go. When he said yes, I did not hesitate to book and buy online. The round trip CKR-SIN-CRK and one way CRK-SIN tickets that I bought only cost US$97!
Without a proper itinerary for our tour, we went to Megamall, the pickup point of Philtranco to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark. Advanced reservation is needed because surprisingly, the bus is full of travelers going to other regional destinations. Quite a number of airlines operate at the DMIA--Asiana (Incheon), Air Asia (KL, Kota Kinabalu.), Tiger Airways (Singapore, Macau), CR Airways (Hong Kong) and Seair (Cebu). With the low fares that these airlines offer, everyone can really fly!
Our flight was at 4pm so we took the 11am departure from Megamall. We arrived at DMIA at around 1pm but the airport was still closed. By 130pm, the checkin counters were opened. Food was available inside the pre-departure area but at a much more expensive price! Imagine, a can of coke cost me P50! Nyek!
Singapore Budget Terminal
We arrived at the Budget Terminal at half past 7 in the evening, but we finished the immigration formalities at around 815pm. Transportation to the city proper is not a problem as there are taxis waiting just outside the terminal. There's also a shuttle service which charges S$35 if you want it all by yourself, or S$7 per person that leaves every 30 minutes but you will have to go with some other passengers. With the S$7, it's either you are the first to be taken to your hotel or the last. We preferred to take the shuttle service that only cost S$7 per person as dropping passengers off to their hotel was an opportunity for us to 'roam around' the city for free! True enough, while dropping off the first passenger, we passed by Orchard Road, Arab Street and we even saw a backpackers' inn that only charges S$18 per person in a room for 6. So next time I go to Singapore with 5 others, I'd think about staying at that inn and not at the costly inn we stayed at. :)
Holiday Inn
Whatever I've saved from the cost of the tickets, I spent on our accommodation. I booked at the Holiday Inn Atrium for 3 nights at an expensive rate of US$90 per night! Huwaaat? Ok. I had no time to think and since I didn't have much time to look for alternative, I went with the first suggestion that was given to me. The hotel was ok, the room was huge enough, the amenities were great and we had a nice view of the surrounding area at night.
Sim Lim Square
Since I forgot the charger for my cam's battery, we decided to go first to Sim Lim Square. From the hotel, we took bus no. 75 to go to Outram station and from there, to Bugis station. We had a light breakfast at McDonalds then proceeded on to squandering almost P60,000 at Sim Lim. Lesson learned: never go to an IT shop with Zev in spending mode.
DHL Balloon
Four hours of bargaining went well so we hurried onto our next stop, the DHL Balloon, which is said to be the largest tethered helium balloon, certified as an aircraft and is the newest attraction for tourists. The cost of a 10-minute ride up to a 150m height that gives one a 360-degree panoramic view of Singapore's skyline is S$23. Quite cheap for an experience you won't usually get.
Bugis
We were tired and hungry after the ride so we decided to eat at Burger King. It was almost 430pm when we finished eating and though we planned to go to Sentosa that day, we postponed it to the following day and decided to go to the Night Safari instead. No one's in the mood to shop even more at Bugis after spending so much at Sim Lim. Riding on bus no. 33, we were able to reach our hotel, freshen up and prepare for our night tour. (It's worth mentioning that we bought EZ link cards so we didn't have to line up at MRT stations to get tickets and then refund all the time, plus the cards gave us access to buses without having to worry about whether we had the exact change or not.)
Night Safari
The concierge told us that it would be better if we went to the safari by cab because it would cost us only around S$20 one way from where we were versus the 2 hours it would take us if we went there by bus and then MRT and then bus again. But we wanted to explore the place on our own, so we did not follow his suggestion. While waiting (which seemed like eternity) for the bus that would take us to the MRT, a tour bus with the signage "night safari" put on the window stopped in front of me. I knocked and asked the driver if he was going to the place and if it was possible for two lost tourists to join them. He said yes and charged us S$45 each (entrance to the Night Safari was only S$18 per person). We thought that the tour was expensive at first but later on realized that with the amount we paid, the tour was ok since we did not have to worry about our ride back to the hotel and the bonus of having a tour guide mentioning some bits of facts about the places that we pass by.
Though I am not really fond of animals, we still went to the safari, for experience. I mean, it was just like going to the zoo--at night, minus the photo ops available during daytime. So if you can do without the 'experience' thing, the night safari is a no-go for you.
Mt. Faber
From the hotel, we took a nice long walk to the Outram MRT station the following day. We had to stop at the Harbour Front station where cable cars and buses to Sentosa were available. Hungry, we ate at a Taiwanese restaurant, Shihlin, first, before going to the cable car station. Unfortunately, we went on the wrong side of the station so we found ourselves at the bus terminal! So, we just decided then that we'd ride the cable car on going back from Sentosa. But, as fate would have it, we found out that there's a bus to Mt. Faber (S$1) available as well, at the terminal. I know that from Mt. Faber, we could go to Sentosa on a cable car. Hmmm...So, we changed plans again and had a side trip to Mt. Faber from which we were able to get a nice view of the city and a longer cable car ride. Hehe.
Cable Car
Zev has fear of heights. And while the cable car ride was joy in itself, it was made more interesting by the fact that the man I was with was holding on to his breath most of the time. The cable car ride cost us S$9.90 plus S$2 entrance to Sentosa. We were lucky to find a money changing station at the 'cable car stop' because we didn't have S$ anymore. But instead of the usual 1:1.55 exchange rate they give at the airport, we only had 1:1.5 rate at the station.
4D Magix
I don't know why Zev wanted to see this when we already have the same technology available at Enchanted Kingdom. The entrance was S$16 each and right after the 15-minute show, Zev said, "mas maganda pa yung sa EK dyan eh." Oh well. Couldn't say, "Oo nga" because I actually enjoyed it. Hehe.
Garden of Fountain
While on our way to Siloso beach, we spotted a nice area which we wanted to explore, so we hopped out of the bus on the next stop. After taking some wacky pictures (because only the two of us were there), we again decided to eat at Burger King which was the nearest food stop at that area.
Siloso Beach
Located in front of the Siloso beach is another attraction called Underwater World which we decided not to visit for the simple reason that since we both did not enjoy the night safari because we do not like animals, we might not enjoy these animals even if they were underwater. Hehe. We justified our decision by saying that we'd just go to Hong Kong next time to see Ocean Park, which is, we think, better than Singapore's Underwater World. So off we were to Siloso Beach where we rented a bike for an hour and toured the area up to Palawan beach and on to the jungle trek. Cycling was so tiring that we ended up eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream before going on to our last stop. Yum!
Luge and Skyride
The one that we said we did not want to do without was the Luge and Skyride. The fee only cost us S$8 per person and then S$10 for the picture taken of us while on the skyride. We bought the picture for souvenir. And proof that while up there, we were still arguing. Haha! Riding the luge is like riding on a go-cart except that it is not run with a motor engine and the skyride is like well, a cable car ride or a ferris wheel ride. Basta. Di ko alam i-describe pero enjoy. Hehe.
Chinatown
Zev wanted so much to see the food street in Chinatown so straight from Sentosa, we went there and scanned the stalls of nice food to eat. He said he could eat anything and true enough, he found something he said he wanted just after seeing a few shops. Unfortunately, I did not, so we continued on our search. Finally, at the last stall, I found fried rice and garlic/chilli mussels that I thought I could eat. When they served the mussels, I felt they were raw so I just contented myself with the fried rice while Zev enjoyed all the mussels and the tom yum soup. We were back at the hotel after dinner. We should rest, as we had an early morning flight.
In summary, our trip was so much fun (though expensive). Zev said, while we parted, "So next year ulet ha." Sure!
Philtranco
email: reservation@philtranco.com.ph
Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore
317 OUTRAM ROAD
SINGAPORE, 169075 SINGAPORE
Hotel Front Desk: 65-67330188
Hotel Fax: 65-67330989
Singapore
SINGAPORE
Thanks to the emergence of low-cost carriers such as Tiger Airways, we were able to go to Singapore for less than a hundred dollars!
Some months ago, my ex-roommate told me that she was going to KL because Air Asia, another low-cost airline, offered tickets at a bargain. So I browsed through Air Asia's website but found out that the ticket sale was over. Then I checked Tiger Airways' site and voila! Sale of tickets from CRK to SIN just started! Right there and then, I emailed my friends about it, as well as Zev, and asked him if he wanted to go. When he said yes, I did not hesitate to book and buy online. The round trip CKR-SIN-CRK and one way CRK-SIN tickets that I bought only cost US$97!
Without a proper itinerary for our tour, we went to Megamall, the pickup point of Philtranco to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark. Advanced reservation is needed because surprisingly, the bus is full of travelers going to other regional destinations. Quite a number of airlines operate at the DMIA--Asiana (Incheon), Air Asia (KL, Kota Kinabalu.), Tiger Airways (Singapore, Macau), CR Airways (Hong Kong) and Seair (Cebu). With the low fares that these airlines offer, everyone can really fly!
Our flight was at 4pm so we took the 11am departure from Megamall. We arrived at DMIA at around 1pm but the airport was still closed. By 130pm, the checkin counters were opened. Food was available inside the pre-departure area but at a much more expensive price! Imagine, a can of coke cost me P50! Nyek!
Singapore Budget Terminal
We arrived at the Budget Terminal at half past 7 in the evening, but we finished the immigration formalities at around 815pm. Transportation to the city proper is not a problem as there are taxis waiting just outside the terminal. There's also a shuttle service which charges S$35 if you want it all by yourself, or S$7 per person that leaves every 30 minutes but you will have to go with some other passengers. With the S$7, it's either you are the first to be taken to your hotel or the last. We preferred to take the shuttle service that only cost S$7 per person as dropping passengers off to their hotel was an opportunity for us to 'roam around' the city for free! True enough, while dropping off the first passenger, we passed by Orchard Road, Arab Street and we even saw a backpackers' inn that only charges S$18 per person in a room for 6. So next time I go to Singapore with 5 others, I'd think about staying at that inn and not at the costly inn we stayed at. :)
Holiday Inn
Whatever I've saved from the cost of the tickets, I spent on our accommodation. I booked at the Holiday Inn Atrium for 3 nights at an expensive rate of US$90 per night! Huwaaat? Ok. I had no time to think and since I didn't have much time to look for alternative, I went with the first suggestion that was given to me. The hotel was ok, the room was huge enough, the amenities were great and we had a nice view of the surrounding area at night.
Sim Lim Square
Since I forgot the charger for my cam's battery, we decided to go first to Sim Lim Square. From the hotel, we took bus no. 75 to go to Outram station and from there, to Bugis station. We had a light breakfast at McDonalds then proceeded on to squandering almost P60,000 at Sim Lim. Lesson learned: never go to an IT shop with Zev in spending mode.
DHL Balloon
Four hours of bargaining went well so we hurried onto our next stop, the DHL Balloon, which is said to be the largest tethered helium balloon, certified as an aircraft and is the newest attraction for tourists. The cost of a 10-minute ride up to a 150m height that gives one a 360-degree panoramic view of Singapore's skyline is S$23. Quite cheap for an experience you won't usually get.
Bugis
We were tired and hungry after the ride so we decided to eat at Burger King. It was almost 430pm when we finished eating and though we planned to go to Sentosa that day, we postponed it to the following day and decided to go to the Night Safari instead. No one's in the mood to shop even more at Bugis after spending so much at Sim Lim. Riding on bus no. 33, we were able to reach our hotel, freshen up and prepare for our night tour. (It's worth mentioning that we bought EZ link cards so we didn't have to line up at MRT stations to get tickets and then refund all the time, plus the cards gave us access to buses without having to worry about whether we had the exact change or not.)
Night Safari
The concierge told us that it would be better if we went to the safari by cab because it would cost us only around S$20 one way from where we were versus the 2 hours it would take us if we went there by bus and then MRT and then bus again. But we wanted to explore the place on our own, so we did not follow his suggestion. While waiting (which seemed like eternity) for the bus that would take us to the MRT, a tour bus with the signage "night safari" put on the window stopped in front of me. I knocked and asked the driver if he was going to the place and if it was possible for two lost tourists to join them. He said yes and charged us S$45 each (entrance to the Night Safari was only S$18 per person). We thought that the tour was expensive at first but later on realized that with the amount we paid, the tour was ok since we did not have to worry about our ride back to the hotel and the bonus of having a tour guide mentioning some bits of facts about the places that we pass by.
Though I am not really fond of animals, we still went to the safari, for experience. I mean, it was just like going to the zoo--at night, minus the photo ops available during daytime. So if you can do without the 'experience' thing, the night safari is a no-go for you.
Mt. Faber
From the hotel, we took a nice long walk to the Outram MRT station the following day. We had to stop at the Harbour Front station where cable cars and buses to Sentosa were available. Hungry, we ate at a Taiwanese restaurant, Shihlin, first, before going to the cable car station. Unfortunately, we went on the wrong side of the station so we found ourselves at the bus terminal! So, we just decided then that we'd ride the cable car on going back from Sentosa. But, as fate would have it, we found out that there's a bus to Mt. Faber (S$1) available as well, at the terminal. I know that from Mt. Faber, we could go to Sentosa on a cable car. Hmmm...So, we changed plans again and had a side trip to Mt. Faber from which we were able to get a nice view of the city and a longer cable car ride. Hehe.
Cable Car
Zev has fear of heights. And while the cable car ride was joy in itself, it was made more interesting by the fact that the man I was with was holding on to his breath most of the time. The cable car ride cost us S$9.90 plus S$2 entrance to Sentosa. We were lucky to find a money changing station at the 'cable car stop' because we didn't have S$ anymore. But instead of the usual 1:1.55 exchange rate they give at the airport, we only had 1:1.5 rate at the station.
4D Magix
I don't know why Zev wanted to see this when we already have the same technology available at Enchanted Kingdom. The entrance was S$16 each and right after the 15-minute show, Zev said, "mas maganda pa yung sa EK dyan eh." Oh well. Couldn't say, "Oo nga" because I actually enjoyed it. Hehe.
Garden of Fountain
While on our way to Siloso beach, we spotted a nice area which we wanted to explore, so we hopped out of the bus on the next stop. After taking some wacky pictures (because only the two of us were there), we again decided to eat at Burger King which was the nearest food stop at that area.
Siloso Beach
Located in front of the Siloso beach is another attraction called Underwater World which we decided not to visit for the simple reason that since we both did not enjoy the night safari because we do not like animals, we might not enjoy these animals even if they were underwater. Hehe. We justified our decision by saying that we'd just go to Hong Kong next time to see Ocean Park, which is, we think, better than Singapore's Underwater World. So off we were to Siloso Beach where we rented a bike for an hour and toured the area up to Palawan beach and on to the jungle trek. Cycling was so tiring that we ended up eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream before going on to our last stop. Yum!
Luge and Skyride
The one that we said we did not want to do without was the Luge and Skyride. The fee only cost us S$8 per person and then S$10 for the picture taken of us while on the skyride. We bought the picture for souvenir. And proof that while up there, we were still arguing. Haha! Riding the luge is like riding on a go-cart except that it is not run with a motor engine and the skyride is like well, a cable car ride or a ferris wheel ride. Basta. Di ko alam i-describe pero enjoy. Hehe.
Chinatown
Zev wanted so much to see the food street in Chinatown so straight from Sentosa, we went there and scanned the stalls of nice food to eat. He said he could eat anything and true enough, he found something he said he wanted just after seeing a few shops. Unfortunately, I did not, so we continued on our search. Finally, at the last stall, I found fried rice and garlic/chilli mussels that I thought I could eat. When they served the mussels, I felt they were raw so I just contented myself with the fried rice while Zev enjoyed all the mussels and the tom yum soup. We were back at the hotel after dinner. We should rest, as we had an early morning flight.
In summary, our trip was so much fun (though expensive). Zev said, while we parted, "So next year ulet ha." Sure!
Philtranco
email: reservation@philtranco.com.ph
Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore
317 OUTRAM ROAD
SINGAPORE, 169075 SINGAPORE
Hotel Front Desk: 65-67330188
Hotel Fax: 65-67330989
