travelblogger
Singapore: When Family Sticks Together
“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” – John Hope Franklin
We started traveling together in 2017. Our first wanderlust together was in Saigon, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia. We see to it that at least yearly we go outside the Philippines. That is our family goals while still alive and very much kicking. The joy and exposure that we gained are fulfilling and gainful in many ways. As I always make known to my friends and acquaintances, I don’t want to die to leave an estate or resources, but rather a collection of flashback memories that it won’t dismiss from the mind and the smile that gives you excellent health benefits. Besides, when smiling, you are more attractive.
One of my goals alone is to travel the world until I reach 60 years old. I don’t want to be flying when I am already a senior citizen, what I wanted to do at that age is stay in a province and be a farmer with my dogs. I’m trying my best to pursue that dreams of mine, besides I still have 13 years more to accomplish everything.
Our journey in Singapore was in January 2018; I haven’t got the chance to published immediately due to some reasons. This is the only travel I have that I haven’t booked on a travel agency. Everything is a do-it-yourself. DIY travels are quite stressful, but when you are after of learning something new, this is the best catch!
First Day
At the airport, I was trying to locate the convenience store which I have purchased, a 4G with data useful for seven days.
While strolling, someone from the immigration caught my attention and said, I was not allowed to go beyond, it’s a restricted area. I just thought there is another entrance towards Cheers Convenience Store. I saw the store already but, the entry is outside, after immigration thing. I rented out also a wheelchair for my Mom while still here in the Philippines to be picked up at the airport.
When I have something to verify, I leave my companions in a comfortable area before doing things so they won’t run down. Finally, I got my sim and the wheelchair. Since it was nearly minutes before the rush hour, I just took a taxi going to our hotel the “Fragrance Hotel,” adjacent to Bugis Junction. I booked our hotel directly on their website.
Our room is teensy-weensy and no ventilation. If you are claustrophobic, this hotel is not for you. The reason I booked this hotel aside from penny-wise, it is in public interest (near to MRT), we won’t stay in a hotel the whole day anyway, we were there to explore. All we need is a spot to hibernate at night and to replenish.
We arrived early, so we just left our baggage at the counter while waiting for their check-in time at 14:00. We went straight to Bugis Junction to have our lunch.
After spending some time along Bugis Junction, we went to Marina Square (taxi) to pick up the tickets that I booked online on Duck Tour and Gardens By The Bay through Klook Travel.
Captain Explorer duck tour is an amphibious transport with a tourist guide who mark out every spot that we passed through. The tour starts at Marina Square to Marina Bay, Marina Barrage, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens on the Bay, Bay South, Singapore River, Merlion, Helix Bridge, Floating Stadium, Marina Bay Financial Center, and the tour ends at Singapore Flyer or Marina Square. After 45 min on a Captain Explorer, we went straight to Gardens By The Bay through Funvee Hopper.
Gardens by the Bay have a lot of attractions, and some of these are the following: Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, OCBC Skyway, and Supertree Grove.
The Flower Dome
The Cloud Forest
Supertree Groove
OCBC Skyway
We ended our night and dinner at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
Second Day
Ended up with a bus, we dropped by in Vivo City to have our breakfast and at the same time to pick our tickets to Sentosa for a whole day pass plus 3 activities: Sea Aquarium plus Royal Albatross, Wings of Time, and Sentosa Express Ticket. We consumed our entire day in Universal Studios and Sentosa.
Sea Aquarium
Royal Albatross is supposed to be a sunset cruise with dinner. Unfortunately, it rained the whole day, so this package is not that spine-tingling.
Wings of Time
Wings of time is an outdoor night show. It is a combination of a fireworks display, musical, and laser lights. Too bad, it was cat-and-dog weather, but still, the show must go on. Showtimes are 19:40 and 18:40 daily.
you can watch my live video on this link
Sentosa Express
Sentosa Express monorail makes the following stops:
Sentosa Station (Vivo Shopping Mall)
Waterfront Station (Resorts World and Universal Studios)
> Adventure Cove Waterpark
> Crane Dance
> Dolphin Island
> Lake of Dreams
> Royal Albatross
> Sea Aquarium
> The Maritime Experiential Museum
> Trick Eye Museum
Imbiah Station
> Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
> Images of Singapore Live
> Madame Tussauds
> Mega Adventure Park
> Sentosa 4D AdventureLand
> Sentosa Merlion
> Sentosa Nature Discovery
> Singapore Cable Car Sky Network
> Skyline Luge Sentosa
> Tiger Sky Tower
Beach Station
> Wings of Time
> Siloso Beach
> Fort Siloso
> Fort Siloso Skywalk
> Go Green Cycle
> Ifly
> Ola Beach Club
> Wave House Sentosa
AJ Hackett Sentosa
> Palawan Beach
> Animal Bird and Encounters
> Kidzania
> Mosh!
> Palawan Pirate Ship
> Southernmost Point of Continental Asia
> Go Green Segway
Those are the activities and attractions that can be found inside Sentosa. A day is not enough if you want to try all the events and extravagant. We end our night in Vivo City for our dinner and a grab car back to our hotel.
Third Day
On our third day, we went early to Botanic Gardens of Singapore. You can check the link for a separate blog. After Botanic Gardens, we ride on a bus to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. I have included this activity for my Dad for he loves everything about history and museum.
What a damp day, but sad to say we have to go back home. Before going home, we Filipinos are fond of souvenirs. We must end our day by buying things to be brought home from Mustafa Center. This center has a wide range of items to choose from compared to the night market in Bugis Street. Besides, I love the quality of their T-Shirts which I bought for personal use.
Finally, on our fourth day, this is it, whether we like it or not, home is calling us.
It was quite an irksome day finding for directions, but it’s all worth it. I have downloaded a Singapore Map on App Store which was very helpful especially what number of buses to hitch and the name of a bus stop to alight. I was mixed-up a bit, but in the end, I managed to bring my companions to our destinations. It is indeed a beautiful journey!
Thank you for reading, until next time 😉
Siem Reap: Angkor Wat
After Angkor Wat Complex and Ta ProhmTa Prohm, Angkor Wat was our last activity throughout the day. This temple is the biggest of all the three temples in Siem Reap. The way alone going to the temple is exhausting or maybe we were really tired that day since it was our last activity before going back to the hotel. Visiting this huge temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site is overwhelming and exciting, I can’t find any other words to describe these temples. All I can say is, during our 3-day trip, it was all memorable.
Walking towards you
Mesmerized by your beauty
Let me be with you.
A sacred journey
Keep on traveling while young
memories are prized.
Happiness is a choice – why are you not picking it?
All that matters to me – experience is the best learning.
Staying together – getting to know you.
Could not ask for more – thanks to him.
Look at the sky – it’s an ocean of possibilities.
My home is calling
This journey does not end here
I’ll keep on roving.
Crossing Cambodia From Vietnam
We traveled a total of 14 hours from Pham Ngu Lao, Saigon to Siem Reap, Cambodia through Mekong Express. It was a long journey, a bumpy but fun adventure. Inside the bus, we were the only Asians. At exactly 0730 military time, we left Saigon, and our day one starts here.
There was much nothing to see until we arrived the Vietnam-Cambodia Border. We stopped for immigration purposes, immigration officers were unsmiling and sedated but better than those immigration officers in Manila, Philippines. This was my first border crossing experience which was more educational than riding in a plane which took us a total of 5 hours from Saigon.
After passport stamping and everything, we transferred bus from Phnom Penh, going to Siem Reap. The trip is about 6 to 7 hours, and we were entertained well by the female bus attendant who is friendly and ready to accommodate all her passenger’s inquiries.
When it comes to long journey by land, the good thing is, you see good sceneries along your way, and if you are an observant person, you can’t avoid comparing even the simplest things that you see while the bus is moving.
We arrived Siem Reap at 21:00, I immediately saw our driver with a banner in his hand. He helped us with our baggage and drove us directly to our hotel and informed us to pick us tomorrow at 0900 to give us enough time to rest and be ready for our hectic schedules for the following days.
Alright, so after checking-in on our chosen hotel. We just left our pieces of luggage and immediately went out to the night market.
We went out for just an hour since the night market is closing at 2200.
2017 Travel Bucket List:12 Locations to Visit2017 Travel Bucket List:12 Locations to Visit
2017 Travel Bucket List:12 Locations to Visit
1.Basco, Batanes
2. Coron, Palawan
3. El Nido, Palawan
4. Penablanca, Tuguegarao
7. Chiang Mai, Thailand
8. Bali, Indonesia
9. Maligcong Terraces (Mt. Fato and Mt. Kupapey) (articles soon)
10. Laos
11. Vigan, Ilocos Sur
12. Boracay, Aklan
Photo credit goes to google images