Singapore - Sightseeing in the City

This will be my last entry on the Singapore trip I had back in December 2011. It seem like ages ago when in fact, it was just two months back when I first stepped my feet in Singapore. We had gone to the Dream and Reality exhibition in National Museum of Singapore which I believe is over by now and also the amazing Wicked the Musical which is still ongoing until March or April 2012. We had ticked off shopping which we basically did quite often but the thing we did the most has to be walking around the city and sightseeing.

Old Chinese shop houses

Walking is the mode of transportation for travelling as it allows us to absorb all the scenic views the place has to offer and the same goes to Singapore. On the first day of our arrival, while the others were resting in the hostel for the main event at night, I went for a tour around Chinatown. Chinatown remains my favourite spot in Singapore as it manages to retain its charms as well as being a fully commercialized area. The old shoplots in Chinatown are refurbished and have been given a new leash of life instead of being neglected as all the shop houses had been renovated to either house hotels or souvenir shops.

While Chinese shop houses grace Chinatown, other significant races have their marks in the area as well. There is the Masjid Jamae Chulia where the Indian influence in the architecture is apparent as well as the Sri Mariamman Temple. All these makes Chinatown, like any Southeast Asian country, such a cultural potpourri.

Masjid Jamae Chulia

Sri Mariamman Temple

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

The second last day was a walk-athon itself as we walked and walked around the Esplanade. Indeed, we walked a lot on that day, be it inside shopping centres or out in the open. We departed from the relic Chinatown and entered the urban cityscape of Singapore, filled with high towers and rising skyscrapers. It is amazing how these two different scopes of a city can mingle together and form the extensive part of the country. I left Singapore allured and another visit is well promised.

More photos after the jump!

Singapore - Christmas Decorations in Orchard Road

Besides Wicked the Musical, another reason why we wanted to go to Singapore during this festive month is to witness for ourselves how Singapore was transformed from an urban landscape to a winter wonderland minus the coldness. Singaporeans are really into Christmas celebrations and even though we were not really there during the big day itself, we were really into the mood of celebration.

As we had enjoyed our wonderful meals in Marche Restaurant (thanks for the treat!), we were on our ways to the next and properly the last stop for the night, The Grand Hyatt Hotel. As we were walking towards our destination, we were mesmerized by the Christmas decorations that garnished the streets of Singapore. However, while for those of us who lived in Malaysia were amazed by it, two of our friends who have been residing in the city for quite some time, said that the decorations for the year were downsized. The decorations for the previous year were better and grander. Be it as it may, we were still delighted by the Christmas decoration showcase.

Some of the Christmas decorations we saw...

 We reached the Grand Hyatt Hotel where we were all set for some chilling and relaxing moments. A glass of cocktail with the company of close friends, it was a night to remember.

Grand Hyatt Hotel

A toast to a good night!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Sharing is caring. A piece of information and a word of advice.

While you do not have to be a guest to go for a drink or two at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, you do have to follow their dress codes. Bear in mind that if you want to enjoy yourself in the bar at the hotel, remember not to wear shorts for it is not allowed. It happened to me but luckily, I made some purchases during the shopping spree and have to go change the bottoms. I'll take it as a lesson, to always dress for the occasion.

Singapore - Orchard Road and Marche Restaurant

Consumerism is a big business in Singapore. Just look at the parades of shopping malls lining up along the streets of Singapore. However, when it comes to Singapore, there is not an iconic a name as Orchard Road, where all the possible brands are made available along the road. Therefore, a trip to Singapore is never complete without a visit to the famous street. Or shopping, for that matter.

Ion Orchard, one of the many complexes we went into

We made our visits to the landmark road after the brief tour to Universal Studio. It was easily accessible with the help of the ever reliable MTR. You just stop at the Orchard station and ta-da, you are at the underground pass connecting you to all the malls out there. Ion Orchard, 313@Somerset; all these can be accessed through underground pass. You do not have to brace the temperate weather Malaysia and Singapore are famous for to go to another mall. And that was basically what we did for the whole afternoon. Malls after malls, shop till our wallets dropped.

Marche restaurant at 313@Somerset

Shopping may be fun, but it was the food at Marche for dinner that truly stuck out the most. I still remembered the fantastic rosti or the crunchiness of the succulent pork knuckle. I even finally had a taste of what I considered an authentic paella there. All of the food were simply fabulous and nothing but high praises for the restaurant. I even recommended it on News Strait Times. More photos after the jump.

Langkawi - 3D/2N Itinerary

The long weekend break last week (4 - 7 February 2012) was the week where I went to Langkawi with few of my school friends. It was hectic and occasionally rushed throughout the trip and we did not manage to satisfy everyone’s to-do list. However, it goes without saying that we had a blast and a blast is what everyone should get out of a trip.

It will be long before I start writing about my trip to Langkawi but let me share with you our itinerary for the 3D/2N stay in the island.

Singapore - Universal Studio (Or So You Think)

The next day, after the magical hours of Wicked, we went to have a quickie at Universal Studio. The quickie in reference here means nothing but a hi-bye sort of visit to the theme park, a tease of what to come should we decide to go the next time to Singapore. Yup, we were there just to take photos and soak in the excitement.

The famous Universal globe

In all honesty, it sucked to stand outside taking pictures with that famous rotating globe, not being able to join the fun guarantee inside it. While everyone was anxious to enter Universal Studio, we were just there doing nothing but playing with our cameras, revolving around that landmark. Being on a strict budget sucks big time!

The many candies decorating Candylicious

Well, at least we did buy some candies from Candylicious to cheer ourselves up. I ended up buying two packs of Hershey’s kisses for myself as well as for my colleagues as souvenirs. Not sure if it’s cheap or not but screw it. When all the glamour of sightseeing was over, we headed back to the city.

So delicious you just can't get enough of it

With our purchases and the globe

*TO BE CONTINUED*