Singapore - Gardens By the Bay

Everyone in my family agreed that the Singapore trip last August was nothing but a disaster. In fact, there was an unspoken rule in the house that we pretended this dreadful trip did not happen at all and I have no problem adhering to it. There is no holiday that manage to give me a nightmare like this.

The first thing you'll see at the Garden by the Bay

Bridge connecting to the Supertrees

The only thing worth talking about the trip is the fact that we went to Singapore's new attraction, Gardens By the Bay. Located at Marina Bays, this beautiful park is a relief to the eyes from a constant attack of metallic skyscrapers dominating the cityscape. It is a place to relax and slow down the rapid pace of life Singaporeans seem to lead.

OCBC Skywalk where you can go up for a breath-taking view

The main appeal of the park has to be the Supertrees. These man-made trees are the first thing you will notice once you're in the garden and rightly so. At the range of height between 25 to 50 metres, these Supertrees serve more than just to amaze. Their functions include planting, shading, and are the main environmental system to the whole Gardens.

By night time, these Supertrees are the performers of the light and music show. Known as the OCBC Garden Rhapsody, it is something like the Hong Kong's A Symphony of Lights, replacing the skycrapers of Hong Kong with these Supertrees and eliminating the light beams. A good 15 minutes of entertainment. Not to be missed when you are in the island.

All lit up

Not a good shot unfortunately...

The beautiful view of Singapore

Reviewing 2012

Happy 2013! 2012 had ended its run (that was fast!) and now we are in the brand new year, which means, all new travelling to be done. But, before we rush ahead, let's me count back to my extensive travelling that I had done since the commencement of this travel blog of mine (April 2011).

So, here goes:

Countries I've Visited (number of times):

Thailand (3), Cambodia, Macau (S.A.R. of China), Hong Kong (S.A.R. of China), Singapore (2), Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar

Cities/Islands I've Been To:

Hat Yai (Thailand); Phnom Penh & Siem Reap (Cambodia); Bangkok (Thailand); Macau; Hong Kong; Kuching (Malaysia); Singapore; Langkawi (Malaysia); Semarang (Indonesia); Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An & Hue (Vietnam); Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei); Labuan (Malaysia); Johor Bharu (Malaysia); Malacca (Malaysia); Yangon, Bagan & Inle Lake (Myanmar)

Cities/Islands that I've Visited Countless Times that it's Almost Like My Home:

Penang & Genting Highland

Numbers of Airports (excluding LCCT and KLIA): 7

Phnom Penh International Airport (Phnom Penh), Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok), Macau International Airport (Macau), Achmad Yani International Airport (Semarang), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang International Airport (Da Nang), Brunei International Airport (Brunei), Yangon International Airport (Yangon)

Numbers of Ferry Terminals: 6

Taipa Ferry Terminal - Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal - Langkawi Jetty Point, Serasa Ferry Terminal - Labuan International Ferry Terminal

Numbers of UNESCO World Heritage Sites I've Been To: 7

Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia), Angkor (Cambodia), Historic Centre of Macau (Macau, SAR of China), Borobudur Temple Compounds (Indonesia), Hoi An Ancient Town (Vietnam), My Son Sanctuary (Vietnam) & Complex of Hue Monument (Vietnam)

Top 5 Most Memorable Trips:

5. Wicked in Singapore

My first live musical and it was amazing! Wicked is simply great. Worth every single pennies. Read about it here.

4. Hong Kong (Ocean Park, The Peak, etc)

Growing up with TVB series on regular staples, Hong Kong feels very familiar yet strange to me. It is like you can't believe you are actually in the island for real. Ocean Park, The Peak, Symposium of Light; all these Hong Kong attractions are must-do activities. All I can say is 4 days in Hong Kong is NOT enough. See for yourself what I have to say about Hong Kong.

3. Cycling to My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An

As I had blogged about recently, this adventure of mine is seriously mind blowing for me. 40 - 50 km in distance and I actually cycled to the place itself? In a foreign land with no knowledge of the language itself? Damn, I now know my limit is pretty non-existence.

2. Going to Cambodia with my University coursemates

4D/3N trip with late arrival and morning departure flights, and still manage to cover both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap? That's a feat that can't be defeated. No doubt it was all in a rush (we spent less than 4 hours in Angkor Wat!) but it was nothing but fun, fun, fun! A worthy farewell to our university years. Click here for my entries on Cambodia.

1. Bagan Archaeological Zone, Myanmar

Maybe it was my last trip of the year, hence, making it more memorable, but the vast landscape of Bagan is stunning. I spent 2D/2N there and still wasn't enough. Definitely not to be missed, sunrise and sunset in Bagan. You won't regret waking up super early for the view. More on Myanmar soon.

2012 has been a wonderful year for me with my travel resolution of visiting all ASEAN countries about to be realized comes this July 2013 (last on the list, Laos). For 2013, I'm expanding my Asia coverage to include either North Asia or South Asia into the itinerary. Plus, there will be one epic 2013 trip that I'm planning right now. Details are still fuzzy but one thing for sure, it will be LEGENDARY!

Singapore - Chunks of Family Dramas

My recent trip to Singapore with my family has been nothing short of memorable experiences and first times. The first time I was constantly in agitated mood while on vacation. The first time I felt relieved and happy that the trip was over. The first time having a heated discussion in public, in a foreign soil no less. In short, one hell of a trip it was.

Bugis Junction, a shopping district

The main reason for such an adventure is that there is little plan as to what to do when in Singapore. They did not do any research on what they want to do, where they want to go, and so on. They just pushed all the planning to me. Not that I mind doing that but the truth about my family is that none of them are the easygoing kind. They are not the “whatever, up to you.” sort of people.

Singapore's waterfront view

With such a sort period of time, I ruled out Universal Studio Singapore from the itinerary (the fact that it was not cheap factored in as well) and opted for some city self tour. But they did not go well with the weather which was a typical sunny day of Southeast Asia (this crossed out Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, and so on) and they can’t walk much (again, scratched off zoo and any city tour). Shopping bored them and they kept complaining about wanting to go to those famous tourist attractions in the island. I mean, shopping IS one of the main tourist attractions in the country.

The latest attraction, Garden by the Bay

Indeed, it was such a tense trip and everyone was not in their best selves, especially my parents. Their faces were as if they had eaten sour lemons, no excitement whatsoever, just contortion of misery. Travelling is indeed a painful business when with my family. Luckily, this was not my maiden voyage to the neighbour country. My first visit was end of last year with a bunch of good friends, sharing similar interests, enjoying each other’s companion. We watched Wicked!, we shopped, we enjoyed art exhibitions, wecity-toured, we ate; those were the memories that defined Singapore for me. 

Clarke Quay

This, I hope it will not give me any nightmares, that’s all. 

Me and my baby sister

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Friday's Newsflash - Win Trips to Paris from Accor Hotels

Fancy yourself a 4 day/3 night trip to Paris for free? Well, all you have to do is check into one of the 20 participating Accor hotels in Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Lombok and stand a chance in becoming one of the two lucky winners getting a trip of the lifetime absolutely free.

Simply go to this website and make a booking from 1 August 2012 until 31 December 2012 for stay up to 31 January 2013 to be qualified for the lucky draw. There are other monthly prizes up for grab as well such as Samsung Galaxy SIII, iPad3 and free stays at Accor hotels in these three countries. Grand prize would be the trip to Paris with accommodation in an Accor hotel and flight courtesy from KLM airline or Garuda Indonesia.

For guests in the Malaysia hotels chains, they are entitled for a 25% discount on rooms with free breakfasts as well as 24 hours WiFi access. Other than that, they will also receive a RM 50 dining voucher (for minimum spending of RM 100) or a spa voucher at any one of its hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya or Kuching.

Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside

Meanwhile, guests in the Singapore hotels will get, besides free breakfasts and 24 hours Internet access, a free city tour. As for the Bali and Lombok packages, guests will receive free breakfasts, airport transfers, and a one-time dinner experience for two for a minimum of two night stay.

Other than that, if you are Le Club Accorhotels or Accor Advantage Plus members, you are entitled for triple points on stay before 31 December 2012 as well as double the chances of winning that free trip to Paris for every booking of the Fly Me To Paris promotion. Continue reading to find out the list of participating hotels in these three countries:

My 7 Super Shots

I was tagged by Diana here about this 7 Super Shots game initiated by Hostel Bookers. I'm not sure if there's a prize at the end of it (or whether it has already ended) but who cares! I just want to share the photos I had taken in my travels. I have yet to explore outside of Asia yet (I initiated the globetrotter program of my life mid last year) but still have a lot of fond memories exploring the continent (especially Southeast Asia which I can only afford at the moment).

So, here's my take on photos best described as followed:

Uno
Takes my breath away...

Hong Kong

On top of The Peak, overlooking the night views of Hong Kong, I realized this is it. After years of watching TVB series growing up, I finally had the opportunity of witnessing the marvellous creation that is Hong Kong. Skyscrapers graced the scenery and by the time it was 8pm, the spectacular light show took place. Simply stunning.

Dos
Makes me laugh or smile

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cambodia was our graduation trip and being a graduation trip, there cannot be no jumping shots of us crazy kids. Thanks to the kind tourist who took this photo for us, we now have this leaping moment to look at, remembering all the wonderful moments and smiling at each one of them.

Tres
Makes me dream

Marina Sand Theatre, Singapore

It was my first musical by an international production and it was none other than the "best musical in the decade" Wicked. The scale of the production was massive and the performances of the actors in the musical were simply astounding. I found myself lip-syncing along (I was told by my friends that if I burst into songs, I will be smacked in the face) most of the songs especially the epic moment when "Defying Gravity" was belted out by Elphaba. Now that I had experienced my first musical, next stop, Broadway in New York!

Cuatro
Makes me think

A school outside Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

We often took our education system for granted. There is no doubt how flawed the system is but at least we are getting the education we deserved, equipping us with knowledge and strong command of languages. I was told that English is not part of the syllabus for the primary school and there are university graduates who cannot speak a proper sentence in English. It makes me think how privilege we are, being able to call ourselves multilingual.

Cinco
Makes my mouth water

Tom yam in Hat Yai, Thailand

I always have a carving for all things spicy. If you tell me there's some delicious spicy delights, you can count me in. Hence, there's no way tom yam koong would not make my mouth watering and of all the tom yams I had (to be fair, not that much in Thailand), the most memorable one has to be this particular tom yam in a restaurant in Hat Yai. It was my first overseas trip and after I did some digging, I found this restaurant and there is no going back now. It was the perfect mix of sweet, sour and spicy, only made available in Thailand.

Seis
Tells a story

Atop Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia

This trip up Penang Hill was taken during the last few weeks of my university years. Three years had gone by with a blink of an eye and we found ourselves having to bide each other goodbyes soon. Before going back to our separate home towns, we decided to explore Penang for the last time. Penang will always hold a dear spot in my heart as it was where the three adventurous years took place. I made many lasting friends whose friendships I hold dearly.

Siete
I am most proud of (my National Geographic shot)

Borobudur, Indonesia

Equipped with a better camera (though ain't any better in capturing many beautiful moments passed by), this picture was one of my favourites on my recent trip to the UNESCO heritage site. While sunrise eclipsed us (misty and cloudy day it was), we still had a great time being enlightened in this Buddhist monument. This shot of the Buddha statue overlooking the mountains at the background was something I took by accident.

~

Now, I'm supposed to tag others to join in the fun but I'm skipping that part. If you think you would like to give it a go, just do it. I get to relive my memories of these wonderful trips I had over the past year and a half and am anticipating more to come. Where are you, July???

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.

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*

Singapore - Dreams and Reality Exhibition at National Museum of Singapore

OK, back to the Singapore trip after the excitement I had of me winning the NST contest. Right after the seven hours of train ride and before the greatness that is Wicked the Musical at night, we did went to places around Singapore. After all, there was an afternoon to spend and we can't possible spend the whole time preparing for the night event.

National Museum of Singapore

After checking in at the Five Foot Way Inn which I think is quite nice and worth the penny, we went straight to the National Museum of Singapore for the Dream and Reality Exhibition where some of the most beautifully painted and drawn arts are put on display. All these paintings came from Musee d'Orsay, Paris, for a short duration of time so that people of this region will get to see some of these paintings and arts. 

Dream and Reality Exhibition

I must say, the National Museum of Singapore is quite a piece of art by itself. The building gives off a colonial feel and I really like these kinds of buildings. There are a lot of these neo-colonial buildings in Malaysia as well but not all of them are well kept and some of them are left unattended or unused. How sad that the government does not put in enough money to maintain or reuse it. 

Anyway, back to the art exhibition. The entrance fee is SGD $11 but they let us enter for free since we were all 'students' with student cards. We were SGD $11 richer but even if we were to pay for the entrance fee, it is still worth it. 

There are a lot of Impressionist era paintings that we got to see, from masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh to Claude Monet. The exhibition is being categorized into eight categories in accordance to the themes these artists were fascinated throughout the era in chronological order. I'll let the pictures do the talking from here on.

News Strait Times Savvy Traveller

I just found out that my entry for the NST's Savvy Traveller was selected as the winner for last Thursday paper. I forgot to check the last Thursday's paper to see if I won or not and only remembered to do so today while in the office, staring at empty spaces.

Savvy Traveller is a weekly contest that features your holiday story. All you have to do is just share your holiday adventures in the following five categories: Must Do, Avoid, Good Eats, Top Shops, and Insider Tips. The winning entry will get a 2D/1N stay at the Hydro Hotel in Penang. Guess I'll be heading there soon and stay at a luxurious hotel (I haven't receive any e-mail or call informing me about this so maybe they just send the prize to my home...).

For my Savvy Traveller entry, I wrote about my recent trip to Singapore. I raved about the wonderful Wicked the Musical, the delicious foods they served at Marche and the good base Chinatown served for us throughout the trip. Read more about it here!

Singapore - Wicked the Musical

Here I am, listening to the Wicked soundtrack on my laptop while writing this entry on the fantastic night we had at the Grand Theatre Marina Bay Sands. This is the sole reason as to why all of us came to Singapore in the first place and it remained the best part of the trip, undefeated. As since this was the main attraction for us, I thought, why not recount back my Singapore trip with the best part of it first?

Wicked the Musical was and still is being staged here in Singapore and it was some sort of dream came true thing for us since we had been wanting to watch it after first getting hooked to the songs few years back. While we cannot watch the original cast of the Broadway production (starring the power duo of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth who you might know in Glee as Shelby and April Rhodes), the Australian cast that we went to see did an outstanding performance that truly worth all the money we spent on it.

Ticket to the greatest musical I ever watched!

We were dressed to the nines (in our formal wears) to give off the impression that we were some important guests for some functions or events. Important guests, I doubt we were, but the musical is definitely one grand thing. Our group was divided into two places in the theatre as three of us were willing to spend more to take the front seat and have a better viewing. The rest were at two floors up the theatre.

We still had time to take some photos before meeting up...

Singapore - Train Ride to the Lion City

It was late at night, about 9.30pm. Normally, I would be in my room, watching whatever series I'm following at the moment. But, not tonight. Tonight, I'm out on the KTM on my way to KL Sentral to meet up with the rest of the gangs for our trip to Singapore. We were to take the night train, reaching there about 7am the next day.

For some of us, Singapore is close to being their second country. For me, it was my maiden trip to the Lion City. Even it was just a bridge apart, I had never step my foot on Singapore's soil until now and it was all thanks to Wicked.

The sleeping capsule

11pm and we were all by our capsule-like beds. The train had been picking up speed as we chatted away. Tiredness were all over our faces as all of us (except a certain person) were working on that day itself. Not too soon, we were all sleeping amidst the slight bumpy ride.

*TO BE CONTINUED*


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

Train rides from KL Sentral to Singapore are quite frequent, with the latest time being 11pm. It takes about 7 hours to reach Woodlands, Singapore. For the seating couch, it is RM 35 per person and for the one with bed, the upper bunk would be RM 40 while the lower one is RM 46.

Singapore - Wicked, Here I Come!!!

Due to the fact that the damn connection at the mamak stall is superbly slow (plus, I'm preoccupied...), I have to continue the remaining few entries on Macau after I'm back from my vacation. In about 3 hours time, I will be on board on my train ride to the Lion City. The main attraction for this trip has to be the Wicked musical that I'm going tomorrow night! Can't wait the popular musical which is guaranteed to be a defying gravity experience, for good.

See you in a week time!

*TO BE CONTINUED*