Anniversary Trip to Singapore!

WooHoo! It was me and my girlfriend’s second anniversary, and we decided to go for a trip for this anniversary, and so we went to Singapore for 3 days 2 nights! This was actually the first time I planed the whole vacation and went for a vacation on my own. Including flight tickets, map, tourist spots research and etc. Luckily I have a friend Wesley who is now working in Singapore and he guided us on our second day of our trip.

We departed at 8th January 2010 morning from Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia of course, couldn’t afford more :P, at only RM25 per person! Believe it or not, believe it! Then we reach Singapore at around 12pm. The first thing we arrived in Changi Airport, we went to the tourist information and double confirm the correct way to go to our hotel, Value Hotel Thomson.

Our journey going to our hotel was little bit stupid. We have heard that Singapore MRT is very very very convenience but we didn’t know it is THAT convenience! It make us looks like stupid.

First, when purchasing MRT tickets with the machine, we were still confused with the Sing Dolar so it took us awhile and there were people queuing behind us.

Second, when we took the MRT interchange, we didn’t know their “interchange” really means “interchange”! Unlike Singapore, in Kuala Lumpur LRT, when we need to make “interchange” we have to get down from the train, get out from the station, go to the opposite or some took 5-10 minutes walking distance to the next station under the hot whether, buy another tickets and get on the train. BUT THERE IS NO NEED IN SINGAPORE! You just have to buy the tickets directly to your destination no matter how many interchange, then at the interchange station, you get out from the train, the next train arrived in front of you just right after you get out from the previous train. There is no need to go out to the station and re-buy tickets to your next destination. Both of us looks like ape-man from the jungle cause we went out from the station and bought another tickets on each interchange for 2 times =.=”

Value Hotel Thomson
(MRT route: Changi Airpot -> City Hall -> Novena)

It looked high class from this photo right? Well actually, it was cheap! I’ve search through the net for Hotel in Singapore and realized most of the “liveable” hotel in Singapore are very expensive! Those that “unliveable” mostly located at Geylang, which is the place where people find hooker. Hotel in Geylang only around RM100 – RM200. My early budget for accommodation was actually not more than RM200, but then after search through I increase my budget to not more than RM300 🙁

Right before I gave up and decided to go for a hotel cost RM280++ per night, I found this hotel! It was only S$89(RM215 approximately). Check out the photos..

Small, but clean, neat, and nice interior! Saw high review online before we went for it. Although there was a distance between the nearest MRT station to the hotel (about 15 minutes walking distance), but it was still acceptable cause there were still buses to the MRT station (S$1 per person, 5 minutes distance). It only cost S$7 per person for breakfast, but we didn’t take it.

Bugis Street Market

Our first stop was this Bugis Street Market. It was a waste of time!!!! My friend recommended me to go shopping there. There was a banner wrote “The Biggest Street Market in Singapore”, but this street market have nothing to shop =.= Maybe because the things there doesn’t suitable for us. They mostly sell those cloths we saw online before. And also some pirated branded shoes, cloths and etc. It looks not much different like Malaysia Pasar Malam. The only difference is it was indoor. So it wasn’t as hot as street market in Malaysia. **sigh**
We reach there around 3pm and leave there around 5pm =.=”

Singapore Night Safari

Our second destination was this Night Safari. In order to get to the Singapore Zoo, you can take MRT to Ang Mo Kio station, and then walk opposite the airport-alike bus station to take bus number 138. Really amazed by their bus station, it was so clean and convenience. People like me who don’t like to take bus also amazed, imagine LOL.

In Singapore Zoo there were 3 sections which are the Singapore Zoo, the Bird Park, and the Night Safari. I was doubted to visit there at first when we were planing our schedule because it sounded so like primary school trip to zoo and feel that it was kind of lame. Not to mention the entry tickets was so expensive! S$22 per person + tram to round the safari S$10 per person!! However my girlfriend like to see animals so, okay we decided to go there.

When we arrived there, my doubt goes away immediately! The interior were nice! It was really Safari feel! The main theme was like we went into the minority village. Looks old yet high class! So with no doubt, bought 2 tickets! Here are some photos..

Glow in the dark gift shop which feels like Planet Pandora!!

Then We were told that there will be a night animal show at their arena called Creatures of the Night Show, which was included in the entry tickets so we went for it. I didn’t expect much from the show, as I thought, animal show were all almost the same. However, I got excited when I went into the arena! Amazed by this..

After the show started, it amazed me more when we saw a full grown adult size wolf walked on the cliff howling!! This behavior was just like what we saw in the movie or discovery channel! I never imagined that I could actually saw that with my own eyes! Not to mention the dangerous striped hyena was walking around the stage!! It really looks dangerous and fierce! In case you guys don’t know what hyena is, this is it..

Unlike normal animal show, their show was so much fun! Even the trainer hosting the show, an indian women, were so funny and and so active! 20 minutes passed so fast and I hope there was more cause it was really interesting! Besides, there were also many interactive with the audiences like, they faking they have animals escaped and make it as thought there were some emergencies and they searching for the animal within the audiences. Some naughty trainer scared the audiences on purpose by screaming out loud! Guess what they found in the end from the floor, a giant snake! Python! Luckily the snake wasn’t search out from the place we seat, imagine a giant snake on the floor and you were seated there for about 10 minutes and never realized! But of course, it was caged. LOL

Okay, I’ll stop describing all the details of the show so that you won’t be spoiled 😛 Go see for it yourselves! It was the best animal show I’ve ever watched! Sorry because I couldn’t took photos there as it was dark and we were not allowed to use flash light.

After the show we went for our dinner in Night Safari! Bongo Burgers.

Desing’s Fish & Chips (zebra plate)

My Pasta (with zebra table ^^)

While we were enjoying our dinner, there were show to watch too! Some aboriginal were messing around with fire!

After we filled our stomach, we proceed to the tram to round the whole safari! It was really huge! You can actually choose to not taking the tram and walk around yourself, but believe me, you’ll need the tram. You don’t even have enough time to finish the whole safari as it is only open after 7pm. I’m not sure what time they close but, really you need the tram! S$10 T.T

The tram was just normal, there was a tram guide explaining along the way. Their English were nice to listen, not those broken English but very proper English, with some humors added along the explanation. Along the way we can see the wild animals on the run, some herbivores even walked around us freely and uncaged. I wonder how they keep them in that area.

After about half an hour journey, the tram came to the pit stop. Where this is one of the walking trail that is available in the Singapore Night Safari, the Leopard Trail. They have the Leopard Trail, Fishing Cat Trail, and a Forest Giant Trail. However, and sadly, we don’t have enough time for all the trails especially the Forest Giant Trail were huge 🙁 Because, the Leopard Trail already can see a lot of things! Leopard for sure you can see here! And also Cheetah, one of the most memorable was the Flying Squirrel!!! They build a huge cage, where visitors have to walk through a lot of chain curtain to avoid the flying squirrel flew out from the cage, then at the inside, you can actually see the flying squirrel flew around! They “jump” or “fly” from one side to another side, you can say that they were jumping, but it was like fly-alike jumping LOL. Also, same concepts applies to the Bats! A cage with a lot of doors we have to go through, then we can see a real live HUGE bats flying around! Although I saw one in Bali before, but these bats in Singapore, they flew! XD The one in Bali were just hanging there upside down waiting to be fed. You know what reminds me from these cage they used? If you guys watch Jurrasic Park III, the huge cage they built to cage the flying dinosaurs, yes that. But not as huge as that of course that was for dinosaurs!

There were so much more animals that you can see from the Leopard Trail, I only mention those that are interesting. So we continue to our next half of the tram’s journey. The next half of the journey we can see lions, tigers and lucky us saw the tiger roar! XD And there were elephants too, with huge teeth! We passed through the Forest Giant Trail but we have no time for that, it was already 10pm and we have to get back before the MRT close 🙁 sad. And that is all of our journey, really really really memorable, unforgetable, worth the tickets price. The next time I go to Singapore, I want to visit their Singapore Zoo and the Bird Park as well, which are located at the same place but in different section.

Sentosa Island – The Underwater World

On the second day of our trip, we went to the Sentosa Island, where we heard there was an Underwater World which is nice to visit! And so I asked ex-colleague of mine, Wesley, who is now working in Singapore to go there along with us. He has been working there for about half a year but he never went to the Sentosa Island =.=” And the GREAT NEWS he brought us that day was, “hey you know, I have a friend working in Hard Rock Hotel in Sentosa and it is now open for their staff’s family and friends for testing purposes, and you know how much per night? S$38!!!!!!!!” OH MY GOD!!!!! HARD ROCK HOTEL WITH S$38!! It was too late, it was then fully booked and I’ve already paid for my hotel 🙁 It’s even cheaper than my hotel S$89 T.T

Okay, so the Underwater World. After we visited the Night Safari, I’ve high expectation in the Underwater World, but it disappointed me a little. The interior was so so, the dolphin show was kind of boring, you know just dolphin jumping around. Although their dolphin were little bit different, their so called “the pink dolphin”. However we think that the pink dolphin wasn’t pretty, their skin were gray in color but here little bit pink there a little big pink, looks like sick dolphin. LOL

However, the underwater tunnel was impressive! the water wasn’t deep, but the tunnel was long. They even build the automatic walkway in the tunnel so that visitors doesn’t have to walk when they wanted to see the underwater animals. They have a lot of sharks. Their animals was more grayish. Lack of colorful fishes. Here are the photos.

After we came out from the Underwater World, both of us bought some souvenir there. A very nice Underwater World bookmark. And then we went to see their beach in Sentosa Island. Our friend told us that the whole Sentosa Island were built! It wasn’t natural island! Impressive how they build an island. And the sand were imported from Indonesia. On our way leaving the Sentosa Island, we saw the Universal Studio were under constructions! Woohoo.. Next time I come here I wanted to go Universal Studio. However my final target is the Universal Studio in Orlando, because there is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park!!!! XD

Chinatown

My friend told us that the Hainan Chicken Rice in Chinatown were very nice! So he brought us there to taste the Hainan Chicken Rice!

It didn’t disappoint us! The chicken rice were really nice!! Even my girlfriend who didn’t like steam chicken because of the “chicken smell” said that it was nice! Haha 😛

Esplanade Theater, Merlion Park, and Clarke Quey

Our next station was the Merlion Park. So we went to City Hall MRT station and walk to Merlion Park. Although it was quite far walking from the MRT station to our destination, however, they built an underground tunnel! And the tunnel have air conditional! Impressive, doesn’t felt hot at all. The tunnel linked to the Esplanade Theater, or the Durian Theater. XD

Compare to our own KLCC Philharmonic Orchestra, this Esplanade Theater was impressive! Huge, high class, high standard. Wish I can watch an Orchestra performance here one day. ^^

Then the Merlion Park was just 10 minutes walk from the theater. So we walked there and here we are. The Singapore landmark, we saw the mermaid + lion statue.

Beside the statue there were Coffee Bean and Starbucks, so we went to the Coffee Bean and chit chatting awhile there. Their drinks prices of their Coffee Bean were around S$6. Although it was almost same with the prices in Malaysia, but think again, example if we earn RM2000 in Malaysia, we pay for the drinks for RM14, and Singaporean earn S$2000, and they pay for the drinks for S$6!! So their Coffee Bean and Starbucks were actually a very normal cafe and not the ‘high class’ or ‘expensive coffee’. What we can do, all I can say is same people, different fate. **sigh**

And then, right before we departed to our next destination, the riverside Clarke Quey, it was already went into dark and we have a different view of the Merlion Park and Esplanade Theater!!

That is what I called a successful city. Not to mention 2 upcoming Casino opening in Singapore, impressed.

It was about 15 minutes walking distance, we were now here at the riverside Clarke Quey, Singapore night life is here! Although we didn’t go into their club, both of us don’t like clubbing so much, some more the head charge were expensive (we guessed cause we never asked :P) so we were just take a walk and have a look. It was so lively and there were a lot of ‘ang mo’ tourist.

Sorry cause I couldn’t get a clearer photos because my camera were out of battery! Forgot to recharge the night before this. These were just taken by my iPhone 😛
So we went back hotel after that. That was our second day in Singapore, saw more stuff compare to the first day cause wasted time in that Bugis Street Market! Urgh!

Orchard Road

Our third and the last day in Singapore, our flight departed at 6pm, so we estimated we have to reach the airport at 4pm. And so, after we checked out from the hotel at about 11am, we went to shopping in Orchard Road, with the luggage!!! It was suffering, shopping with 2 heavy luggage. Because after we consider for awhile, we really don’t have much time go shopping then go back to the hotel to get our luggage. So, we were forced to shop with our luggage 🙁 Really spoiled our shopping mood. Although the shopping mall in Orchard were all high class and impressive buildings!

So we were just shop shop shop then bought some cloths. And starting to depart to the airport at 3pm. So sad that we couldn’t really enjoy shopping there 🙁

The Changi Airport

After we checked in our luggage and get our boarding passes, we still have more than one hour in the airport. So we were walking around and try to find something to eat. On our way to the restaurants section, we pass by a butterfly garden! Yes they have a butterfly garden in the Changi Airport! Never imagined that they have a butterfly garden in the airport! So sweet of them, tourist couldn’t get bored in the airport while waiting for their flight!

Then we took our lunch in Ajisan Ramen. And Desing went to Chales & Keith to have a quick look of the high heels she saw back in Orchard Road. But she didn’t buy because we didn’t really have much time for her to try to shoe properly. Lucky her cause she found the shoe back in Kuala Lumpur Pavillion LOL. Although the price were little bit higher in Malaysia.

Oh one thing I must mention in the airport. I want to put this on a big highlights so that if next time you guys go visit Singapore won’t make the same mistakes as we do.

KEEP ALL YOUR RECEIPTS FOR EVERYTHING YOU PAID IN SINGAPORE!!!

EVERYTHING! Like the receipts from the restaurant, the receipts when you shopping in Singapore. You know why? Because, TOURIST CAN CLAIM BACK THE GOVERNMENT TAX IN THE AIRPORT!!!!! It was too late when we found out because we have already checked in our luggage and the receipts were inside our luggage!!!! You know how much you can claim? 7%!!!! That is a lot!! Especially when it’s in Sing Dolar!!! SO SAD!! URGHHH!!~~

So, that was all of our Singapore Trip. Really happy and memorable. A success trip for us “beginners” of traveling. Although the time was short, only 3 days 2 nights, but for Singapore I think we have it enough. Because, for us Malaysians shopping in Singapore isn’t really that suitable cause of the currency. Some of the things were expensive and some have not much difference in Malaysia. Then what’s the point of shopping in Singapore right? China or Bangkok is still the nicest shopping heaven!! My next target would be Bangkok!! But my next trip is Gizwiz company trip to Macau & Hong Kong! 😛

There was a little bit accidents happened when we wanted to go back to Penang from Kuala Lumpur. We missed our flight!!!!!! We were 10 minutes late after the counter closed! We have a wrong estimation of time T.T Forced to purchase a new flight tickets that cost me RM344!! The flight we missed were only cost around RM120 T.T A sad ending of our trip 🙁

Total cost us about RM2000 for 2 person in this 3 days 2 nights trip.