Gala Pinoy Redux

Story behind the photo: I was walking around the Esplanade area in Singapore when this store caught my eye. The sign was pretty straightforward, so you can never be wrong with it. Just make sure you have at least SG$1.20 to buy a drink. :)

The GoThere.Sg interface.

Probably one of the most challenging things about going to a new place and a different country in particular is figuring out how to get around it. The great thing is that Singapore has a well-organized public transportation system, which makes traveling around the country a lot easier.

But that’s just part of the story.
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We all have our quirks, be it at how we do certain things, or how we travel. In my case, I don’t really feel like I’m traveling when I ride an airplane to a local destination. I feel like I cheated my way to my destination by choosing a fast, cozy, and pricey mode of transport. That’s why I still love riding provincial jeepneys and buses whenever I could. No airconditioning, just the breeze coming from the outside.

But that’s just me.

How about you, what are your travel quirks? Share them on the comment box below!

With Puss in Boots, Universal Studios.

Last week, I told you how I stupidly booked a flight to Singapore that left us (me actually) scrambling how to cram all the essential activities in the country in just 48 hours. Now, I’m going to talk about our second day there.

Day 2 – It’s All About Entertainment, Baby!

Day 2 was all about theme parks in Singapore. Good thing that they are all concentrated in Sentosa Island, so we didn’t waste any time going from one theme park to another.

Universal Studios

Tourists Entering Universal Studios.

While writing our itinerary, the common request that I received next to visiting Orchard Road was that we also had to visit Universal Studios. So the first order of Day 2 was to go to Universal Studios Singapore.

We already booked our tickets online, so we didn’t really have to deal with long lines to get in, though there weren’t any long lines to start with when we got there.

You could already find tons of information about what to do at the Universal Studios so I wouldn’t bore you with the details of our trip there. But I would recommend that you bring your own supply of water, since water inside the park costs SGD2, more if you want to drink Evian.

Tiger Sky Tower

View from Below. Tiger sky Tower.

The Tiger Sky Tower provides you with a fantastic view of Sentosa Island. Although the whole trip from the ground to the top and back only lasts a few minutes, every minute you spend there is well worth it, especially when you go there around sunset as we did.

Singapore Sunset. Taken from the Tiger Sky Tower.

Jewel Cable Car Ride

Sentosa Skyline as taken from the Jewel Cable Car.

I didn’t originally have this in our itinerary since I thought that the cost of the ride was quite expensive (yeah, that’s the cheapo me talking). But then again, we decided to check it out, and I’m glad that we did. And here’s one useful tip if you’re cheapo like me: go there after 7, since the tickets are already discounted by then. I’m not sure though if the same thing applies during peak periods, so just inquire there. The ticket price already includes your own personal bucket of popcorn and a choice of canned soda or tea drink.

Riding the cable car at around 7pm also gives you the perfect light if you want to add some drama to your photos. The deep blues of the sky contrasts nicely with the amber of the street lights below.

Back to Orchard Road

Gossip Girls. Taken at Orchard Road.

After all the fun day we had at Sentosa, our group decided to return to Orchard Road and finally check out Cotton On, Forever 21, and the nearby shops. Us guys only sat by the sidewalk while waiting for the gals to do their shopping. When asked if I wanted to buy anything, I answered yes, but unfortunately didn’t have the money to buy the new iPad. So I just remained at the sidewalk and kept on shooting photos of passersby.

We then concluded our day with dinner. Most of us still wanted to go out after that, but unfortunately, I fell asleep when I was only supposed to rest and only woke up the morning after.

We had an early morning flight, due to my booking mistake. So you could understand that I was secretly hoping that Cebu Pacific would contact me and tell me that our flight was being moved to a later time. It didn’t happen.

Anyhoo, I’m still kicking my butt over that stupid mistake in booking our flights, but at least I’ve a reason to go back and check out the rest of Singapore.

Next week, I’ll show you how to become an instant travel and transportation expert on Singapore even if you haven’t been there yet!

About the Photo: A bad layout, that’s all it takes to ruin a poster, as shown in this photo. Close ups of shoes placed below the photos of a local celebrity makes one think, “does this actress really have short legs and huge feet?” Taken somewhere in Cubao, Quezon City.