Rui at the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum

I suppose it is something like a parting — me parting with my much loved youth and heading towards a new phase in life. Eeew.

The sunrise found me buried under the covers in Melaka, while the sunset caught me walking towards my brother’s flat in Singapore. This is a novelty that I particularly love about these two countries, that I can just hop on a bus and be in a different country. Having lived in the Philippines all this time, going overseas has always been associated with airplanes, not buses.

This trip to Malacca is in some ways a huge relief. I’ve been so stressed and exhausted in the days leading up to my trip, that the only thing I was looking forward to was sleep. And sleep I did. It was goooooood. Of course, the town is lovely and all, but the sleep was the highlight of the trip.

The trip home, however, was something else. I was so engrossed watching Queer as Folk in my laptop, that when the bus stopped and everybody started piling out with their luggages, I followed suit. I only realized when I’ve walked away from the bus that I got off at the Larkin bus station, and not at the immigration check point. *facepalm* Never thought I could lose a bus. Then again, a lot of things that happen are never what you expect.

That woke me up from my reverie. The short and sweet bus ride back to Singapore became the hop on and hop off tour of Johor, Woodlands and Sengkang. I guess the birthday lesson for this year is that even when you think you’ve lost your way (or your bus), you’d still find a way to get back home.

I’m going to miss this view

The day after my last blog entry, I went out to the city, to have some Hokkien mee, check out some stores and basically just enjoy my last couple of hours before work starts. I went out, with just my phone in my pocket, along with my ez-link card and a couple of dollars. I love how there’s no more pressure to do things just so I’d have something to write about. I walked slowly down Orchard road, amused by the people rushing all around me, hurrying to catch a bus or see as many things as they can in their limited stay in the country.

Marche crepe: sweet crepe with mascarpone cheese, fresh strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate

It also helped that my Paypal problems are inching towards resolution. After one e-mail and two calls to the Paypal contact center, my account limitation has been lifted, and the payment I issued was cleared. As soon as the payment went through, I went to Geylang to pick up the dolls I ordered from Magma Heritage. If you’re into 1/6 scale dolls, a visit to Magma Heritage is a must, even if you’re not buying something. It’s a gallery and a store, and admission costs SG$5, which is refunded if you bought something from the store. Madison has a gorgeous collection of Pullips, Taeyangs, Dals, and even Barbie and other fashion dolls. The nondescript entrance leaves no clue as to what you will see inside, but once the doors open, you’ll be surprised at how beautifully the dolls are exhibited.

Hort Park

In the last couple of days, I was able to meet up with some friends. I met up with Mayti, a former co-worker from the travel magazine I used to work for, at Vivo City for dinner last Thursday. She introduced me to Marche, a restaurant that I’ve only heard about, but never tried. I’m kicking myself now for not trying it sooner.

Meet up with Singaporean Pullip colletors

On Saturday, I met up with some Singaporean Pullip collectors. I met Sharon through the Pinky Street forums, and she invited me to join the local get together at Hort Park. As with all dolls meets, it’s always a joy to see different dolls with personalities as varied as the clothes and wigs they wear. It was also great to hang out with people who share the same interest, because they don’t give you that judgmental look when you tell them how much you bought your doll’s outfit.

Sigrid modeling the devil horns and wings I bought in Bangkok

After taking several hundred photos in Hort Park, we went back to Harbourfront. They were going to Marche for dinner, while I had to rush back home for a Filipino dinner. It was a joint birthday celebration for my sister-in-law and her brother’s mother-in-law who’s also in Singapore visiting family. We feasted on inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly), lechon manok (roast chicken), kare-kare (beef cooked in peanut sauce and eaten with shrimp paste), wonton mee, mee goreng, leche flan (crème caramel) and carrot cake. What a lovely dinner that was.

Kare-kare, liempo, wonton mee and lechon manok

Early the following morning, I was out of the house again to meet with Marvin and Babes for a trip to Pulau Ubin. The meeting place was at the Tanah Merah interchange. The easiest and cheapest way to go there from where I’m staying is to take the North-East line of the MRT, then change to the East-West line. However, that would mean changing trains three times, and over an hour’s travel. I took the easiest, though most expensive way: taxi. I like to think that was a SG$11.60 well spent. We were joined by his high school friend Diana and her Chinese classmate, Aran.

Yes, that is a potty.

Unlike the previous day’s weather where it was very hot and sunny, it was overcast that morning and the clouds threatened rain any moment. The weather managed to hold on until after lunch, when there was a sudden downpour. Still, we managed to walk through the Chek Jawa wetlands, taking plenty of pictures. Pulau Ubin is a place that you really wouldn’t think is still part of Singapore. There are no tall buildings and everywhere you turn, you see only trees or the sea. The best spot to relax in Chek Jawa would be the abandoned English cottage at the end of one trail. The house is empty, but there’s more than enough room outside facing the sea to sit and watch airplanes descending to land at Changi airport.

Chek Jawa Wetlands

The bumboat ride between the small island and the mainland takes only 12 minutes. It’s interesting how big a change that 12 minutes can bring. We hopped on a double decker bus for the long ride back to the city. I was exhausted; the changing of timezones in such a short span of time is taking its toll on me. Still, the day wasn’t over yet, and I met up with my brother and his family, as well as my other brother at the nearby mall for dinner. While waiting, I went crazy buying different kinds of Pocky. I wanted nothing more than to sleep when I got home, but ended up online (damn Internet addiction!). I managed to log off fairly early, but still had a bit of a problem falling asleep. I guess I’m just too excited about coming home today.

One of the five photos from the entire trip with me in it. With Aran, Marvin, Babes and Diana at Pulau Ubin.

I initially planned on going to the city this morning, but I decided to just rest and finish packing. It’s really ironic that while I managed to travel around Southeast Asia with only a 6.5kg backpack, I end up leaving a bagful of clothes because my suitcases are already bursting at the seams. I fail as a suitcaser.

Emo kitty

I’m leaving the flat in an hour, and leaving the country at 5pm. Singapore has always been a great country to explore, but I just can’t wait to be back in Manila again.

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Hokkien mee!

From Orchard road, I rode the North-South MRT line to Raffles Place interchange. The thing I love most about Singapore’s MRT is that at each station, there’s a map of the area, so you get an idea where you are and how to go to where you want to go. My destination was the Starbucks under the bridge near the Fullerton hotel. I was able to find it without getting lost (whee).

Way to go, backpacker

I was there to meet Marvin, a reader who turns out to be Mikoy’s brother, who I met during the CS tour of Manila cemeteries and met up with in Bangkok two weeks ago. He’s currently working and living in Singapore with his girlfriend, and they’re taking advantage of the cheap travel options from the city state. Travel stories and plans were shared, and my god, they have four more trips lined up these coming months! Envy!

The Merlion and Singapore’s skyscrapers

After the brief meet, I walked over to the Merlion to take photos. As I was checking the angles around the boardwalk, I noticed the kiosk for the Singapore River cruise. In all my trips to the country, I’ve yet to try this tour. I walked over and ended up buying a ticket, since the boat was about to leave. It was a traditional bum boat, though modified to carry passengers, rather than cargo. The boat is also equipped with a recorded commentary on the sights along the Singapore River.

Singapore River Cruise

It was a pleasant ride upstream, and as always, looking and hearing the water relaxed me. Unfortunately, the only way to go up and down the river is through the organizes tours, and at SG$18 per person, it be pretty expensive if you want to do it often. Still, it’s a pleasant way to spend 45 minutes.

Steve McCurry exhibition

Back on dry land, I made my way to the Asian Civilization Museum. Marvin and Del told me that there’s an exhibit of Steve McCurry’s works in the museum, and that was motivation enough to go. It was spectacular. The pictures on display were beyond impressive. Each one evoke different kinds of emotion. Simply amazing. If you’re interested to view the photos, they will be on exhibit until July 19th. Admission to the museum is SG$8 for adults.

Machines have feelings too.

After looking at the other galleries, I make my way back to the street and to Raffles Hotel to catch my bus. I love how I can check the bus’ arrival on my phone (via mobile Internet), and time my own arrival at the bus stop so I wouldn’t have to wait too long. I had thirty minutes to spare, so I killed some time at the Marketplace at Raffles Place. There were a couple of interesting food kiosks, but the one that caught my fancy was this stall selling taiyaki, Japanese fish-shaped cake with filling. They sell the traditional red bean, with other sweet options like kaya, chocolate, and even durian. I bought one red bean and one kaya to take home (or take away).

Taiyaki!

I’ve been home for more than three hours already, and have spent most of that time trying to write this entry. Damn those picspams, such a distraction! I was supposed to research where to go tomorrow, but eh. I’ll just figure that out in the morning.

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Oh the irony.

There was breakfast and then there was lunch. I haven’t eaten so much in a such a short span of time. My sister-in-law and her kids are checking in at the hotel, and I walked them down to the taxi. It was rather surreal that this time, I’m the one outside the taxi waving at them.

Tina wearing the Takara Jenny clothing set I bought from Siam Paragon

I didn’t really have anything planned today, and that’s really how I wanted it. Most of the day was spent indoors — fangirling online and trying out the doll clothes I bought in Bangkok. I did went out today, but the farthest I got was the nearby shopping complex, where I bought a pack of multi-flavored Yakult.

Yakult!

It was dinner time when I got back, and I set off to prepare my dinner. While I was traveling, the fried rice I always find have vegetable and meat in them — a meal on its own. I loved it, but I was hankering for something that reminds me of home. And what can be more Filipino than a silog meal? Silog is short for sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (egg), and it’s usually paired of with some kind of fried meat. There’s no tapa (cured beef) in the freezer, but there was bacon, so bacon-silog it is.

Mmmm, bacon.

It felt good cooking again. One thing I really missed while backpacking is cooking. The only time I had a kitchen to work in was in HI Sukhumvit, but really, why trouble yourself cooking when there’s yummy and cheap Thai food just around the corner?

Dinner was glorious. Bacon was good, egg was cooked just right, and the fried rice? YUM! Unlike the fried rice I’ve had in te past three weeks, this one just had salt and lots of garlic. Nothing better than a having a great breakfast meal for dinner.

American Choppers in the TV, flickr in my computer

I plonk down before the TV, catching up on shows that I haven’t watched since Cambodia and trying to work in between commercials. I loved how slow this day was, but yeah, I’m itching to go out again tomorrow.

Something tells me I shouldn’t have hit that snooze button…

It was travel fatigue, Wei said. I was uninspired when I was in Kuala Lumpur. I hardly even took out my camera to take photos; not even my camera phone. I did try to do some touristy things. I went to the Petronas Towers early this morning to try to get a ticket for the morning tour. Even on a weekday, the place was packed. By the time I got to the ticket counter, they were all out of the morning tours, and the earliest they have was the 4:15pm. Instead, I just took photos of the dolls outside, with the twin towers in the background.

Sayuri and Yuiichiro with the Petronas Towers

I didn’t really feel like doing anything after that. I just went back to the hostel. packed up my things and checked out. I didn’t feel any regrets as I boarded the Aeroline bus to Singapore. I was actually kinda excited. Instead of dragging my feet, I found myself walking excitedly towards the trains in Harbourfront, and I was walking even faster walking to my brother’s apartment. I guess it really was time to go home.

Something I’ve been looking foward to in the past three weeks

Now I’m sitting here, wearing clothes that I haven’t worn in the past three weeks, and I’ve just finished a delicious home cooked dinner. This feels right.

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Selamat Datang

Like my previous trips here, I’m staying with my brother and his family. What’s different this time though, is their new place. My brother has lived in his previous flat for almost 10 years. It was just last year that they finally decided to get a place of their own and moved farther from their previous flat. Since this is Singapore, taking the public transportation is a breeze, and in no time, I’m going out on my own.

I’ll never tire of photographing this scene

Saturday night, we had dinner at the much touted Makansutra’s Glutton Bay. This is an open air dining place right beside the Esplanade and like most kopitiam, you can order any of Singapore’s signature dishes. We feasted on char kway teow, cereal prawns, yang chow fried rice and chicken and beef satay. YUM! Definitely a great way to start any trip. To burn off the calories, we took a walk along the river, and crossed over to the Merlion side, where there’s a performance right at the riverside.

Let’s go to the Pernakan Museum

Sunday I went off on my own to take advantage of the International Museum Day. In celebration of this day, museums in Singapore have free admission. Despite coming here for several times in the past, I’ve never been to ANY of Singapore’s museums, and was glad to have the opportunity to visit them for free. I went to the Peranakan Museum, which showcases the history and culture of the Peranakans in Singapore, and to the National Museum, where the Verner Panton and the Christian Lacroix exhibit is on display. Admission to the National Museum costs $10 for adults, while admission to the Peranakan Museum costs $6. The SG$16 I saved though went to the toys I bought from China Square Central (CSC). *^*

Christian Lacroix the costumier

I was so exhausted when I came home Sunday evening. I walked a lot that afternoon, and it felt good to just lie down in bed and read my latest Peter Moore book (Swahili for the Broken Hearted — the last book missing from my collection). I enjoyed my rest a little too much, because the next thing I know, it was already 10am! Much lollygagging and Plurking was done until 3pm, when I decided to go out and check out the nearby mall. However, just as the bus pulled out of the bus stop, I receive a text from my brother asking me to buy him the iPod Touch being offered at a special price for the Great Singapore Sale. This is a promo limited to tourists at the Epicentre in Wheelock Place. Since I knew it was limited, I asked him to call the store to ask if they still have it in stock. I didn’t want to go all the way to Orchard for something that might not be available anymore! He said he couldn’t get through the phone, so I made my way to Orchard Road.

FAIL.

Construction never stops in Singapore. Everytime I visit, there’s always some road improvements going on or another skyscraper being built. There were some construction at the corner of Orchard and Cross street, which led to the closure of the underground passage from Orchard road station to Wistma Atria (which resulted to me taking the wrong exit the day before, ending up ACROSS Wistma Atria). The exit took me to the surface, right at the corner of the two streets, facing Tangs and the Marriot hotel. Wheelock Place was just across the road. I went inside the mall, not knowing where Epicentre was. Somehow, I made it there on the first try, but unfortunately, they were already out of the SG$194 8GB iPod Touch. Dejectedly, I wandered around the mall, wondering where Dollz Inc was. I was told of this dolls store inside Wheelock place, and I’m excited about it, since it’s so much easier to get to than CSC. It turns out that the store was in the same corridor that I passed through going to Epicentre, and I missed it because I was so engrossed in one of the stores (there was a t-shirt that says “I &heart; Roti Prata”!)

Another Bishan sunset

It was a store specializing in Blythe dolls and accessories, but there are plenty of other cute stuff you can buy for Pullips and Pinkies. Like Re-ment! Evil, evil super cute Re-ment miniature toys. I couldn’t resist, and ended up buying another box. I stopped myself from buying more stuff, so I went outside to head back home. I decided to take the long way home, since it was rush hour and the trains would probably be full. I took the bus from Scott road that passes through my brother’s old place. I felt nostalgic taking that bus, even though it’s a fairly new route. I got off at Junction 8, a mall that I frequented since it was so near my brother’s place. The mall is also where the Bishan MRT station was. During my last visit here in March 2007, they were constructing the Circle line of the Singapore MRT system. A portion of the line is already finished, and just last week, it has started operations. Bishan Station is now Bishan Interchange, serving both the North-South line and the new Circle Line. I took the Circle line to Serangoon, where I changed to the North East line to Seng Kang. From Seng Kang, it was another LRT ride to my brother’s apartment block. It was a pretty long ride — took me about an hour and a half.

Off to explore Southeast Asia. BRB.

Now, I’m packing yet again, because backpacking officially begins tomorrow. I’m leaving my comfort zone, and I feel rather unprepared. I can’t wait

Photos that didn’t make it to this entry can be viewd at my flickr.

Great deals on Singapore Hotels via Agoda

This week, we don’t blame you if you need to take a second look at our fares. Starting from S$0.99*, they’re so low that it’s hard to believe it the first time! And that’s not all – this offer is valid for travel between June and September, which means you can even start planning for two holidays instead of one! So snap them up quickly at www.tigerairways.com now!

Source: TigerAirways mailing list email

Ticket sales starts today, March 3, 2008, and end on March 10, or until the seats run out. Sale fares are valid only for flights to and from Singapore.

With this promo, round trip tickets to Bangkok only costs SG$ 147.98, or approximately Php 4,327.19. Fares from Clark to Singapore has also been lowered to SG$19.99 or US$12.83, bringing the round trip fares down to US$100.34 (Php 4,079.98).

As with all airline seat sales, read the fine print carefully! These tickets are usually non-refundable and can cost an extra for re-booking.

Grab these fantastic deals and be on your way to fabulous locations!

Now that we have a hub in Davao, fly direct from Davao to Hong Kong and Singapore for only 999 PESOS or to Iloilo for as low as 98 PESOS!

Direct services from Davao to Singapore and Iloilo will commence on May 8, 2008 while the service to Hong Kong will start on May 9, 2008. The seat sale wil l run from November 13 to 20, 2007 only.

Fly from Cebu to Bacolod and Manila to Laoag for only 1.00 PESO!

The seat sale will run from November 13, 2007 to February 29, 2008, and is good for travel for the same period. There are more than 20,000 seats available for this promotional sale so hurry!

Source: Cebupacificair.com

The first flight out of Melbourne on November 23 is flight TT 7402 Melbourne – Gold Coast at 7:00 am. Other scheduled flights for the day are two other flights to Queensland from Melbourne: Rockhampton & Mackay.

Other Australian domestic destinations include Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Launceston in Tasmania, and Perth in Western Australia. Gee, I wonder why they aren’t flying into Sydney.

How much would flying via Tiger Airways to Australia cost?

I tried a test booking departing Singapore on November 30, and flying back from Melbourne on December 18. Both flights are via Darwin. On the flight out of Singapore, the fare I got was SG$239.99 plus SG$140.30 tax. The flight back to Singapore is SG$199.99, and taxes are SG$185.81. My total fare is SG$766.09. That’s about Php23,046.38 (based on xe.com’s exchange for July 28, 2007). Not bad, eh?

So say you’re flying to Singapore via Tiger Airways or Cebu Pacific, that’s another Php8,000+, bringing your grand total to Php31,046.38. That’s four different flight segments, totaling to approximately 12 hours one way.

On the other hand, you can take PAL, pay the same amount for an 8-hour flight.

Australian domestic flights are terribly cheap though. Return tickets for Melbourne-Gold Cost can be as cheap as AU$99 (Php3,800) inclusive of taxes. That’s a far cry from the AU$342.00 I paid for the same flight I took last March.

Melbourne-Perth-Melbourne is also terribly cheap: AU$269.90 (Php10,200). The same flight costs AU$378 via Jetstar and AU$458 via Virgin Blue. The biggest difference though is that Tiger Airways’ Melbourne-Perth route is a red-eye flight. But still, not bad, eh?

I am back in Singapore. Whee.