Fresh From Singapore: Day 1

And now, I am back from my 4-day Singapore trip with V and my Big Sis.

Singapore is a rather small country but I have to say, four days was a bit short a vacation there. We did manage to cover a lot of areas, but totally missed the more famous tourist spots like the Merlion and the Esplanade. Maybe we'll do that the next time we visit SG.

We booked our flights with Jetstar last December, because they had a promo then. Cheaper flights (with baggage) than Cebu Pacific, which I usually take. Of course, it didn't include the meals, so Big Sis and I bought overpriced cup noodles during the flight. V opted to catch some sleep while we finished our noodles.

After the three-hour flight, we finally landed at Changi Terminal 1. V, Big Sis and I were already quite hungry, so as soon as we exited the immigration-baggage-customs area, we grabbed some subs at Quiznos. Yeah, first food we had in Singapore was from Quiznos, how very Singaporean. LOL. After we had our sustenance, Day 1 commenced.


DAY 1: Settle at Hotel, then Dinner with Friends at Orchard Road

The initial plan was to take a bus from Changi to Fragrance Hotel Sapphire, our modest accommodation in the red-light district, Geylang. But since Big Sis still didn't have an EZ Link card, we all agreed to just take a regular cab. There are different types of taxis in Singapore, and fares vary depending on the type (regular cabs, Mercedes Benz cabs, Chrysler, big cabs). Our taxi ride fare total was 17.30 SGD, inclusive of surcharges and other extras.

tunnel view from the taxi 

The taxi meter. They accept payment via credit cards! 

Fragrance Hotel Sapphire was a decent enough hotel, even if the location was at the red-light district. We got a family room, with one double bed and a single bed. The room size was enough for the three of us, plus our luggage. The beds were a bit hard, but still okay, and the soft pillows made up for the firmness of the mattress.



The bathroom was small, and the main issue we had was that there were no shower curtains and gutters. Hence, the whole floor got wet every time we took showers. The good thing about the bathroom was, there was hot water for taking baths.

There isn't a cafe in the hotel, but we were given free drinking water and packets of instant coffee everyday during our stay. There was also an electric kettle available in the room. A number of food centers and restaurants lined our street (Lorong 10), so getting food wasn't a problem.

After about an hour of rest in the hotel, we made a quick stop at a nearby money changer and a 7-Eleven for Big Sis's EZ Link card. Then, we took a bus to Orchard Road for some shopping. Commuting in Singapore is easy, because they have an effective public transport system. We only had a couple of hours for shopping before we met with my friends for dinner, so we headed for Sephora right away. Then we checked out this novelty store called Kikki K.

We wanted to check out H&M and all the other stores that aren't in Manila, but my friend was already texting me. So, V, Big Sis and I walked to the other end of Orchard Road towards Somerset.

We arrived at this well-lit hawker center along Cavenagh Road with my friend. The servers handed us their menu, and we ordered sizzling beef, some veggies, cereal prawns and a bottle of Guinness. My friend ordered some local fare for us to taste: black and white carrot cakes.

the only group shot we had with our friends

The rest of my friends arrived soon after our food were served. The rain poured as we ate dinner. Good thing was, we were all enjoying the conversations and the food. After dinner, my friends treated us to Cold Stone ice cream. I got the German chocolate cake ice cream, which was delish, and V and Big Sis both got the Coffee Cake (?) ice cream. The fun thing about Cold Stone Creamery is that they throw scoops of ice cream and let you catch them.

German chcolate cake ice cream

After having ice cream, we walked to this rooftop garden inside one of the malls. As it was getting late already, we all decided it was time to go back to the hotel. Our friends live in Geylang, so they took us to our hotel first, then just rode a cab to their flat.

what a tall lady!

cute outdoor garden sculpture, with dotty doggies

another sculpture: a staircase above another staircase

We were pooped by the end of Day 1, but we still had to prepare for the following day's activities: Universal Studios Singapore, here we come!