Last January 23 to 27, I finally had the chance to visit my sister who's working in Singapore. I took the budget airline, Cebu Pacific for my Manila-Singapore flight. Almost everybody has heard about the elegant Changi International Airport, but for budget flights, planes land at Singapore's Budget Terminal. There were no carpeted floors or high-end boutiques, but it still offered the comfort and convenience that passengers need unlike Manila's airports.
On my first day, my sister took me to Holland Village, a popular hangout place for expatriates. Upon arriving, the first thing I noticed were the rows of high-rise and low-rise buildings. Tiny boutiques, cafes and restaurants also adorned the tree-lined streets.
For lunch, we ate at Pizza Bar. They had a wide array of salads, pastas and pizzas. I especially loved the wall designed as a wine cellar that spelled out the name of the restaurant.
After Holland Village, we went to Bugis Street, the largest shopping street in Singapore.
In front of Bugis Street is the Bugis Junction, a development complex consisting of a shopping mall, an office tower and the InterContinental Singapore Hotel.
We proceeded to Raffles District, which was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. We also passed by the National Library of Singapore. I wish libraries in the Philippines would look this good. Nearby was the colonial-style Raffles Hotel which has a shopping arcade housing boutique brands such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.
In the same vicinity is the Funan Digital Life Mall where we checked out some electronic products. I bought an extra battery pack and screen protector for my three-month old DSC-T77 camera. The weather was sweltering so my sister and I decided to go inside Raffles City Mall. Perfect timing! They were on sale because of the Chinese New Year festivities.
After freshening up a bit, we went to the City Hall of Singapore. People were prepping for the annual Chingay Parade.
After Raffles District, we went to Singapore's Chinatown, where a large part of the area has been declared national heritage sites by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Like Manila's Chinatown, it was crowded. But unlike Manila's Chinatown, it was very clean. This is the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore located in Chinatown.
As a first timer in Singapore, I was really impressed by the entire city. It was exceptionally clean and orderly. I am definitely not surprised why my sister preferred to live in Singapore than in Manila.
After Chinatown, we walked back to the City Hall area and went inside the luxurious hotel, Swissotel. Our purpose was to catch a panoramic view of the city from the 71st floor, where the New Asia Bar is located.
Swissotel indeed lived up to its five-star reputation because the hallways alone were already superb! At the 71st floor, my sister and I also went inside their washroom, complete with super classy, fully-carpeted powder room.
For dinner, we ate at Swensens in Suntec City. We tried their Banana Crumble Sizzling Pan. The caramelized fresh banana and vanilla ice cream were served on a sizzling skillet!
After dinner, we continued strolling around the city to burn some calories. We visited the Esplanade, said to be one of the world's busiest art centers. We also checked out the Fullerton Hotel and Merlion in Marina Bay.
Close to midnight, we headed to the airport to fetch Gibson who arrived via Cebu Pacific. Just when we thought our awesome day was already over, Singapore offered us one last surprise--a Limo Cab on our way home!
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