From Singapore With Love

Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last post here. I missed the blogging world! You might have been wondering what happened to me recently. Well, these past months have been very overwhelming to me. A lot of things happened and a lot of things have changed in my life. Though I’m a self-confessed travel addict and would go any length to explore new territories, there are still other things that I want to achieve aside from traveling. And since I traveled a lot last year and enjoyed to the fullest, I told myself that this year I would try to focus more on career and personal growth. (hehe sana lang magawa ko)

I actually did a home-based job after graduating from college. And even though the pay was enough to support my travels, I felt that I had to go out of my cocoon and start learning about the outside world. That’s why I was busy job hunting the past months and having job interviews. Fortunately, after a month of undergoing the stressful life of a job applicant, I finally landed a job in a company. I’m now an official office girl. hehe. But nope, not in Singapore (I only had a trip to Singapore that’s why it’s the title of this post). I got a new job in Manila.

Vang Vieng, Laos on my desktop

Needless to say, I left my precious hometown and moved to Manila to start living independently. I’m still on the process of adjusting until now. But life in Manila is still so different from the life in the province. I have yet to adjust to the fast-paced life, traffic and a lot more. One of my struggles is I don’t have a stable internet connection in my dorm that’s why I couldn’t update my blog regularly as before.I’m really glad that I finally got the time to write today.

A week before my work starts, I flew into Singapore for a vacation (huling hirit bago mag-start sa work hehe ). This was actually my second time in Singapore as I also went to Singapore last year for my Asian Cruise which you can read here. But this trip was extra special because I traveled with my friends. It’s actually my first time to travel in a foreign country with friends.

I was really excited for this trip but I knew for the fact that the Philippine immigration officials are now very strict for Filipinos going to Singapore. I knew that they are particularly being strict to young female travelers who might have the tendency to look for a job in Singapore. With no authenticated invitation letter and no company ID on hand during that time, I was really nervous for my friend and I when we were at the airport. I prepared our printed itinerary, hotel bookings, return ticket and show money. I also oriented my friend on what to say just in case the immigration officials questioned us.

Our flight would depart from NAIA Terminal 3 at  4:50pm via Airphil Express. We bought the ticket during a promo (roundtrip fare Php6,062/pax). Thankfully, everything went well in the immigration. The official just asked me what I will do in Singapore, my job and how many days I will stay in Singapore. I guess, they didn’t ask us much since we would be staying only for three full days in Singapore. Our plane touched down in Singapore at 8:20pm. One bonus of flying via Airphil Express is that you would arrive at Terminal 2 of Changi International Airport unlike other budget airlines that would arrive at the Budget Terminal. Thus, you could see the grandiose interior of Terminal 2.

Singapore the second time around (with my friend Haru)

Our friends based in Singapore waited for us at the arrival area. We then took the sky train to go to the newly constructed Terminal 3. If I considered Terminal 2 to be already grandiose, I was much more wowed by the interior of Terminal 3. Terminal 3 was opened to the public in 2008 and its interior architecture won the Honour Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Changi International Airport Terminal 3

 Green Wall photo from here

It even has a “Green Wall” that was designed to regulate the internal temperature and occasional misting of the terminal. (Ang bongga talaga ng airport nila hehe ) So in case you still have lots of free time upon arrival in the airport or before your flight leaves, I really encourage you to visit Terminal 3 of Changi International Airport. You would be really impressed by the elegantly designed terminal.

Our friends based in Singapore treated us over a delicious dinner at Earle Swensen’s also located in Terminal 3. I strongly recommend this restaurant. It has a free salad buffet bar if you order one of their rice meals. I’m not really into salads but Earle Swensen’s salad bar changed my perception toward salads. Their salad tasted sooo good!

Thanks a lot to my friends for the hearty dinner. I was so full after this . The next day we woke up early to start exploring the city. Our friends based in Singapore took a leave from their work to accompany us. We really owe them big time. They became our tour guide all throughout our stay in Singapore, so unlike my previous travels abroad I didn’t need to prepare my itinerary and figure out how to go from one place to another. Our first stop was Sentosa Island. It is a famous island resort in Singapore that is visited by millions of tourist every year. I guess this place is a must-not-be-missed destination for every travelers visiting Singapore.

(Note: Some photos were borrowed from my friend Haru)

Welcome to Sentosa! 

Yup, there's a beach in Singapore 🙂

We thank God for giving us a fine weather when we went to Sentosa. There are so many activities to do in the island. We tried the the Luge that most Filipinos might read Lu-geh at first, meaning bankrupt in Tagalog. hehe . The luge is actually a sled that you will ride down a steep hill. One ride costs 12.50 SGD per person(Php 412.50). It was my first time to try this so I was really excited. We first rode a chair lift to bring us up to the starting point. The view from the lift was really beautiful.

When it was already our turn we sat down on our luge and listened to the staff’s instruction. He said that we should pull the front of the luge towards us if we want to move faster and we should release it if we want to stop. My friends went off first and I was left struggling on my luge. The Singaporean staff approached me and helped me. He asked which country I came from and I said Philippines. He then said “Hila! Hila!” I was really surprised and I couldn’t help but laugh. And thankfully I was able to move my luge. I guess they often meet Filipino tourists that’s why they already became familiar with some Filipino words.

The luge was very fun and you would feel the adrenaline rush as you go down the hill. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take some photos because it’s dangerous to hold your camera while on the luge. But this was such an unforgettable experience and I would definitely try it again if given a chance next time. After Sentosa, we took the MRT to see the Fountain of Wealth. We only have three full days in Singapore so we want to maximize every minute of our stay here. 

My friend Haru at Vivo City

The Fountain of Wealth - the world's largest fountain

The Fountain of Wealth is located in Suntec City and it is hailed as the world’s largest fountain. We walked to the Merlion Park afterwards and we were welcomed by the remarkable landscape of Singapore’s skyscrapers.

We were fortunate to go here just before dusk because we could witness the scenery as  the city transforms from daytime to nighttime. I assure you that Singapore is such a fantastic place to see at night.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Merlion Park

Being such a vibrant, clean and organize city, who wouldn’t love Singapore? It’s like your dream city where rules are strictly followed and implemented.  I’m glad because I was given a chance to visit this country again. And just like the first time I went here, Singapore never fails to amaze me. It’s truly a lovely city full of delights and wonders.