Yes, after just 3 months, I'm back to Singapore. This time, the trip was unexpected. I booked a promo flight to Macau when Air Asia Philippines (PQ) launched this newest destination. However last October, when I just came from my Malaysia-Singapore Trip, I received a notice from Air Asia saying that my reservation to Macau was cancelled. Since my Mom was expecting a trip for January, I decided to convert my payment to a credit shell and booked a one way flight to Singapore and another flight going to Kuala Lumpur.
Well of course my Mom was sad when she found out that we are no longer going to Macau because she personally chose that destination when I asked her. But since I promised her that I would treat her abroad, I had to make a quick decision and booked this promo flight to Singapore while it is available.
Because our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:10 in the morning, I had to book at Tune Hotels near Clark International Airport. We took the Victory Liner bus going to Dau Bus station for only 129 Pesos. From there, we hired a tricycle for only 100 Pesos going to Tune Hotels. Upon check-in, we were given our key card, essential toiletries, and wifi password. It is actually better to book for a Tune Hotel via agoda.com because all amenities are already included in the amount. When booking straight to tune's website, all amenities including air-conditioning are charged on top of the room rates.
 |
| Inside Tune Hotels Angeles |
We hired a taxi service to Clark International Airport for only 350 Pesos. We were picked up at 3:45 AM and we were just in time for check-in which opened at 4 o' clock in the morning. Check-in procedure was easy because we already checked-in online and had our boarding pass printed. Immigration counters were moved to a new location making space for increasing travelers using this airport which was evident with longer queues.
 |
| Boarding Time! My Mom's first International Flight. |
 |
| Breakfast on board Air Asia. |
Our flight departed on time reaching our destination a few minutes ahead of schedule. Since
Changi Airport has a rail link to the city, we
were at our hotel in a few minutes.
We
stayed at Fragrance Hotel Pearl in Geylang.
There are many Fragrance Hotel in Geylang and around Singapore, but
we chose this one as it is closer to Aljunied MRT Station, although it is still
very tiring to walk to and from the station.
There is a bus stop near Lorong 18 so instead
of walking to the MRT station, we take the bus going to Bugis station bus stop
and from there, we take the train to our destination.
To return to our hotel, we alight at Aljunied
station and from there, we take a bus that stops near Lorong 18 and another
stop in Lorong 10.
Good thing we bought
EZ Link Tap card which can be used in buses and MRT.
 |
| Just Arrived Singapore! |
There
were still no vacant rooms when we arrived at the hotel so we left our luggage
and I decided to go to the city center and let my Mom have a glimpse of Singapore. We went to Raffles center, Marina Bay,
and of course we took pictures with the world famous Merlion, Singapore’s
National Symbol. We ate lunch at Lau Pa
Sat and we also bought a Steamed Saba
Fish for take-out. After a very exciting
tour of the city, we went back to our hotel to check-in. After check-in, we fixed our belongings and
prepare clithes that will be used for our Singapore tour. We took some rest and decided to eat our
take-out for dinner. The fish was so
deliciously cooked and my Mom loved it. After dinner, we went out again to go to Bugis Street so my
Mom would have a first taste of Singapore
bargain Shopping. It was already dark
when we arrived Bugis, my Mom never
imagined that there are cheap bargains in Singapore so she bought souvenir
shirts for her grandchildren. She also
bought some items for her friends, and of course she bought her self a nice
leather bag. After shopping, we went
back to our hotel to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s trip.
 |
| Marina Bay Sands |
 |
| My Mom having a little chat with the statues! |
 |
| A friendly Filipino took this photo for us. |
Day
2: This time we are going to Sentosa to
visit Resorts World. We first ate early
lunch at Vivo City Mall, this is where you can take trains going to Sentosa Island. We ate at the Halal Section food court. After that, we went straight to the Sentosa Express
station located at Level L, 3rd Floor of VivoCity. We alighted at Waterfront station and took a
walk around. We took photos at the
Universal Studios, but since my Mom won’t take any rides, we decided not to
enter inside the park. We walked our way
around bought some souvenirs. Upon
walking our way near Imbiah Station, we again took the monorail to the Beach
Station. From here, we walked to Siloso Beach
but we did not reached the center because it was too hot. We took some rest before taking the monorail
back to Vivo City.
 |
| Lunch Time! |
|
Although tired, we still went to Chinatown before going back to our hotel. We looked for some things to buy but
unfortunately, we find Bugis a better option, so instead of shopping, we tried
several foods from the kiosks. The
seaweed sandwich was good. From Chinatown, we
went to Little India. Our destination is
Mustafa Centre, but it was a long walk because
this place is near Farrer Park Station rather than Little India Station. We bought Merlion Chocolates and other things
to be brought home. Prices here are
cheaper compared to other malls. After
shopping, we went to City Square Mall near Farrer Park Station to rest for a
while before boarding the train. My mom decided to call home to talk to her
grandchildren whom she already misses. When
we got our energy back, we boarded the train back to Aljunied Station. We ate dinner at an eatery outside the station
before we took a bus back to our hotel. It was a very tiring but exciting day for us. After a soothing hot shower, we went to our
bed and had a nice sleep.
 |
| Seaweed Bun |
 |
| Mustafa Centre at Little India |
On
our third day, my Mom requested to go back to Bugis Street so she could buy more
things. Then after that, we proceeded to
Suntec City to see the Fountain of Wealth, the
world’s larget fountain. Unfortunately,
it was under renovation that time, so my Mom wasn’t able to see it. So we went straight to Orchard road to have a
walk around. My Mom liked the ambiance
of this place. We went to Lucky Plaza
to eat lunch. She was already craving
for Filipino Food so I brought her there. We were given a free Ponkan upon ordering at a
Filipino Food Stall inside the food court. I thought my Mom’s shopping spree is done,
until she saw another cheap bargains, we
actually exceeded our budget in
Singapore and had to exchange some extra Pesos so we wouldn’t use our budget
for our next day’s destination which is Kuala Lumpur. We
also went to centerpoint mall to buy bottled water and other necessities. On this day, we went back to our hotel early
to pack our stuff because we are leaving for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.
 |
| A walk along Orchard Road |
It
was an exciting tour because I was with my Mom.
She enjoyed her first tour out of the country. She
said she would want to go back someday so I think I’ll have to start saving for
it now!
No comments:
Post a Comment