My First Singapore Experience Part 1

Last June 28 to July 5, 2011, my Mom, sister, niece and bro-in-law had the opportunity to visit my elder sister who is a nurse in Singapore. At first, I didn't really like Singapore. For me back then, it was OK even if I don't step onto Singaporean soil. I was more excited going to places like Beijing, Hong Kong, or other beaches in the Philippines. In short, I didn't care. But all of that changed when I set foot on Singapore. But first let me tell you about our itenarery. It got exciting with each passing day.

Day 1, June 28, 2011, Tuesday

At around 2 PM, we were already at NAIA Terminal 3. We were waiting for Maya, my sister who would come straight from work from NAIA terminal 1. Killing time wasn't a problem. I was playing with Chloe, my niece, with one of the games she invented right then and there. We were slumped on the floor playing and it was a bit embarrassing with other people looking at us. Our flight was 4:50 PM onboard Airphil Express Flight 2P 800.


We were aboard an Airbus A320-200. It can accomodate 140 passengers. Since the plane was not full, I had the freedom to occupy a window seat. The crews were a mix of male and female attendants. And I could say the stewardesses are at par or even prettier than that of Cebu Pacific's. The flight was over 2 hours. While airborne, I checked my watch. It was exactly 7:00 PM. But wait! The sun was still up! It was an amazing sight. The sun was yet to set in the horizon. It was so serene and very relaxing. I loved the feeling.

7:20 PM, touchdown Singapore! Lo and behold! I was expecting to land at the Budget Terminal since Airphil Express is a budget airline. And whadayaknow. We landed on classier Changi Airport Terminal 2. Nice. Changi Airport is huuugggee! We were met by Ate Yvonne, my sister. Since there were 6 of us, we couldn't fit into a taxi. We were hesitant to hire 2 taxis and none of us (except my sister) was familiar with the MRT system yet. So we decided to hire an Audi van (Yes, you heard it right. Audi!) for S$50 . At 8:00 we were already at Ate Yvonne's apartment in Bishan.

Day 2, June 29, 2011, Wednesday

The plan was to go around Sentosa Island. We stopped by Vivo City Mall where the Sentosa Express, a monorail, was located. But first we went around Vivo City to enjoy the awesome view in the harbor. After picture taking, we boarded the monorail toward Sentosa Island. We just arrived at Sentosa Island when Chloe started to have her never-miss tantrums. She wanted to go home already. All of our blood pressure started to rise because of her whining. We bought advance tickets for Universal Studios for S$66 each and S$48 for Chloe.

We had fun posing in front of the marvelous fountains of Sentosa and the Lake of Dreams which didn't have water coming out at that time. Then we went up the stairs until we were in front of the giant Merlion statue. We bought Slurpees at a nearby 7-11 store and Chloe stopped her tantrums immediately. Still up the stairs and we found ourselves ourselves in front of Tiger Sky Tower, a lift that goes up 110 meters above the ground and offers a scenic view of the whole Singapore. But we didn't take that ride bacause we were more interested in the Luge (pronounced as LUZH), a kind of go-kart which goes down a 650-meter jungle trail. It ends by the beach and in order to get back to the starting point, we had to go up via Skyride, an open air, cable-driven chairlift where you can have a breathtaking panoramic view of Singapore. The experience with the Luge and the Skyride was amazing. I loved it. Then we had dinner at Tastes of Asia, a restaurant that serves delicious Asian cuisine. After dinner, we fell in line for Songs of the Sea and the rain started to pour. The line was soooo long. Even if we were soaking wet, we were mesmerized by the spectacular water and lights show Songs of the Sea. Who would enjoy it better than Chloe?










Day 3, June 30, 2011, Thursday

We were supposed to go to Universal Studios. The plan was put on hold when it rained very hard. We just stayed indoors for most of the day. When twilight came and the rain subsided, we went to Orchard Road. We checked out the Filipino hangout, Lucky Plaza. There we exchanged our money to Singapore currency. We did some shopping at the malls in Orchard Road strip, had an ice cream sandwich in the sidewalk, and tacos, burritos and fried squids in a food festival inside a mall. Some of the sales ladies in the food festival were Filipinos and they were very accomodating. When I was posing for the camera, Chloe kept pushing me and ruining my pictures. Then, Chloe was pissed of me when I did the same to her. She cried, my goodness.












Day 4, July 1, 2011, Friday

It was Ate Yvonne's birthday and we were happy spending it overseas with her. And to celebrate her birthday, we went to Universal Studios! This place is awesome. Just when we entered the theme park, it was like we were teleported to a different yet familiar world. We realized we were in Hollywood! There we met Alex, the lion, Gloria, the hippo and the penguins of Madagascar.


Next, we headed for Shrek 4-D Adventure. The line was super long it took us hours before we had our turn. Shrek 4-D Adventure is a 17-minute 3D film where guests can see, hear and feel the action right from their seats. Chloe had to move her feet up to her seat because she didn't like something"creeping" on her feet.

Then, we watched a live performance in Waterworld based on the film with the same title. The show didn't start immediately. The cast entertained the people with their comedic acts which included getting the audience wet by spraying and splashing water at them. The main act consisted of stunts, and pyrotechnics. I can't believe they could maneuver a jetski in such a limited space. The submerging jetski was jaw-dropping. And a seaplane emerged! That was freaking awesome.

Next stop...Egypt. Maya and I longed for adrenalin rush. We tried Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride. Again, we had to endure another super long line of people. But the wait was worth it. It is a rollercoaster ride with sharp turns and reverse run with stunning visuals and real fire. All of that in total darkness. Well of course when there's fire it is not totally dark. A rollercoaster in the dark was new to me. That was why I enjoyed that very much. After the ride, we searched for the others. And we found them at the most boring ride of all, the Treasure Hunters. It was like a vintage car ride in slow motion. That was it. Nothing enjoyable.

The adrelin wasn't enough and we looked for more... the Battlestar Gallactica: Human vs. Cyclon. It consists of 2 rollercoaster launched simultaneously, the Human and the Cylon. The Human is a sit-down rollercoater which has a drop of almost 14-storey high and can run up to 90 kph. That is fast. But we liked the Cylon better. It is a suspended rollercoaster with the riders' legs hanging in midair. It has 5 360-degree turns and a near miss with the ground. That was the most extreme ride I had in my life. That was wicked!

We went to the New York zone where we witnessed street dancing with ex-Streetboys members. We passed by the new York Public Library and Gotham City's cobblestone streets. We saw awesome vintage cars.

We went back to Far far Away to meet Puss in Boots and the unlikely loveteam of Shrek and Princess Fiona.

Our last ride was the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure where guests were boarded on a raft and then pushed into river rapids. Along the way, dynosaurs could be seen and heard (Yeah, they are moving). The highlight of the ride is when the raft is lifted in an elevator with a T-Rex head waiting in the ceiling snapping its powerful jaws as the raft comes near it. Before the T-Rex could tear the guests apart, a door opens and the raft falls a 40 feet high splashdown. And I was the first man to hit the water so naturally I was the wettest among the 9 riders on the raft. I didn't have spare clothes so I had to endure my soaking wet clothes until we got home.

It was nearly closing time so we did some souvenir shopping. And the finale... the fireworks display.

When you plan to visit Singapore, don't dare not coming to Universal Studios. It is the ultimate getaway in Singapore. Kids will love it as well as the young-at-hearts. Ticket prices are S$ 66 for adults and S$ 48 for kids.

To be continued....