Friday, September 9, 2016

How To Spend 4D & 3N In Singapore

I just came back from a fruitful and very lovely trip from Singapore!
No doubt that Singapore is one of the best city in the world and I totally agree with any other articles that rated Singapore as one of the best country in the world.

The trip was decided a month ago, kinda last minute decision you can tell.
So I quickly made some research online to see what are the attractions that can attract me.
I always thought that Singapore is not my place of interest because of the exchange rate and also because it is a big city.
I'm kind of a boring person, what attracts me most are those ancient and exotic places like Cambodia, Chiang Mai and etc. I love to visit those temples, ancient ruins or museums to understand about the local culture and religion, to see how people live in the past and how was the country in the past.

Never I have thought that Singapore is so interesting and I got pretty excited after my visit. 
Below is my own journey that I planned for the 4days and 3nights, do enjoy reading and feel free to ask me any questions on the comment section, I will answer them if I know the answers. 

Day 1
I flew direct from Penang to Singapore (Changi Airport Terminal 2). I bought my flight at below RM100 only, I got this cheap deal during their promo period. You may book your flights direct from http://www.tigerair.com/ or you can also compare with Airasia(http://www.airasia.com/) or Jetstar(http://www.jetstar.com/)

I arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 2 and took the MRT(Downtown Line) to Bugis station, the journey was $2.30.
You will be given a card that you can reload and reuse it, u can also get $0.10 discount for the 6th trip with MRT too. Alternatively, you can grab a piece of Ez-link Card at $12(with value of $7) and all your trips with public transports can be cheaper. (Note: Every minimum reload is $10)
The MRT & LRT System in Singapore is very systematic and all the trains are very punctual. The trains are clean, fast and secured as they are well equipped with CCTVs all around. Singapore is also one of the safest countries on earth that the crime rate is very low. 
(click to enlarge)

Once I arrived at Bugis MRT Station, which was the Bugis Junction Mall. Almost every MRT stations are linked to malls to make it easy for the locals. Pretty convenient I shall say. 

National Museum of Singapore
Entrance fee: $10(Adult) | $5(Child), FREE for PRs and Singaporeans.
Opens daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm
I'm the kind of person that loves to explore about the history, culture and blend into the locals wherever I visit. So first thing I will add into my itinerary would be those iconic museums and temples.
I'm really impressed by how well Singapore can take care of their museums. The moment I step into the museum I was welcomed by the receptionist and started to give me more information before I purchase the ticket.
 
There are even guided tours during certain hours but I've missed it. The building went through major renovation and reopened in year 2006 to showcase the history of Singapore all the way from 12th century until today.
The museum exhibits numerous antiques as well as well preserved artefacts. I'm amazed how well they were taken care of and how well they were protected under then hand of Singapore government. P/S: Photography is allowed without flash as it will destroy the artifacts and antiques. 
More info: http://www.yoursingapore.com/en_my/see-do-singapore/history/history-museums/national-museum-of-singapore.html
The museum is fully furnished with history, culture, religions and all the past stories that made Singapore so tough and strong today.  I'm also surprised to find many similarities in between Singapore and Malaysia. There museum is also very interactive and well furnished with some past videos, audios and many more. You will be surrounded by darkened areas that filled with many videos from the past or story telling videos that gives you a brief about all the Singapore history including the influences of Malay, Indian and Chinese community as well as the colonial era from British.
You can walk around the 3 storey buildings to visit all the different galleries with different theme.
More photos of National Museum of Singapore please refer to my Photobucket album below:


Tour around in Haji Lane

Haji Lane is located near Bugis area.
To get there you can get down from the Bugis station with MRT (Downtown Line) and walk from Bugis Junction for about 10 minutes to get there.
This place is pretty popular among tourists and locals as the whole area is full of art & craft stuff, fashion, cafes, restaurants and many more. Haji Lane is kinda art influenced as you can see a lot of streets arts around the area.

I've also sat down at a local cafe named Stateland Cafe that was apparently kinda popular among the locals. A decent cup of latte is only selling at only $5.00 and the waffle with additional scoop is at $16.00 + $4.00
S'mores Waffle
with home-made chocolate sorbet, liquid marshmallow and caramelized biscuit crumbs.

Then we also settled our dinner at Bugis Junction in Menya Musashi Takatora that is famous for their ramen. The price is normal restaurant price at about $18 - $25 depending on what you order. Look at the portion of the ramen and the size of the meats!
Yakibuta Ramen $19.90,

Day 2
It was a lovely day with lovely weather that I started my day with full itinerary.
I walked to Bugis Junction MRT[DT14] and took the Downtown Line to Chinatown[DT19]. It took me only about 10 minutes to get there and I really like MRT in Singapore, so punctual, so clean and very convenient, accessible to all areas.
It is near Mid Autumn Festival hence why there were beautiful set ups.

I got down from the station and walked to the Chinatown which was just right in front of the station. This place is kind of a touristy place with lots of stalls selling food, goodies and many more.

Try the Michelin Starred Hawker - Liao Fan
I took a quick around the area and headed straight to my destination, the Michelin Starred hawker in Chinatown, Liao Fan that is located at Chinatown Complex.

Too bad it was closed during my vist and I was greatly disappointed as the uncle went back to hometown for a week. I heard that the queue was crazily long so if you plan to visit, please be here at 8:00am to 9:00am just to queue up.


Anyway I've tried the Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle from another stall(02-165) behind Liao Fan and find that it wasn't bad too. The chicken was really tender and juicy together with the delicious char siew. This plate of noodle is only at $4 and portion is quite big. Totally pocket-friendly.


See The Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic (佛牙)
Free Entrance, shorts & caps/hats are not allowed. 
Then I went visit the grand Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum which was located right in front of Chinatown Complex. Honestly this was one of the best temple and museum that I've ever visited.
More info: http://www.yoursingapore.com/see-do-singapore/culture-heritage/places-of-worship/buddha-tooth-relic-temple-museum.html


The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum is a 4-storey Tang Dynasty architectural style building that houses one of the  sacred Buddha tooth relics that was found in a collapse stupa in Myanmar in year 1800 then delivered all the way to Singapore in year 2007.
Every floor of this building exhibits different stuff from wax statues, artefacts, relics and many more.
There are also history about Buddha, the Buddhist religion itself, and also a relic gallery that exhibits different types of relics in this building. This place is well maintained and very beautiful I shall say.
More photos please refer to the below


I've also added Chinatown Heritage Centre into my itinerary but in the end I didn't go into that museum because I was running short of time and also I find that museum kinda similar to all the old houses in Penang that basically talks about Unesco Heritage Houses like those houses in Penang.
Also, the admission is not cheap, $15 for admission with Multimedia Guide and $20 for admission with guided tour, opens daily from 9:00am to 8:00pm(Closed on every 1st Monday of the month).
More info: http://chinatownheritagecentre.com.sg/
So in the end I gave up and proceeded with my next plan.

MUST VISIT: Gardens By The Bay Singapore
Entrance fee: $28.00(Adult) | $15.00(Child) [For 2 conservatories]
I've purchased my tickets from www.sgskyline.com that my friend introduced to me, I got my tickets for 2 conservatories at only $17.00 and got my e-ticket on the same day I purchased the ticket.
When I was first planning my itinerary, the first thing I added to my list was Gardens By The Bay Singapore. I'm someone who is very much into gardening hence I would never want to miss visiting this kind of places. Gardens By The Bay Singapore has been added into my "Places To Travel Before I Die" list long ago.

The 2 conservatories were kinda chilly that was perfect for a walk and to counter the heat outside. The Flower Dome has won the titled of "The World's Largest In-door Dome" in 2015 Guinness World Record.

I didn't grab much info about this place when I was first planning to visit. I plan to just explore this place by myself and to visit the 2 great conservatories (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest Dome). What I can tell you is, I didn't regret my decision to come here! I was so happy to be surrounded by all the greens and healthy plants.

To be honest, I'm really happy for all the healthy plants that well taken care at this place. There are a few themed gardens including Chinese Garden, India Garden, Super Trees and the amazing Cloud Forest Dome & Flower Dome that features different types of flower exhibitions throughout the year. For every different season, you will get to see different exhibitions at the Flower Dome.

I've spent about 4 hours at that place and I still think that it is not enough. If it wasn't for my own plan, I would have stayed longer until the night lights performance of the Super Trees.
This is a place that I will definitely come back! If you think that this is a place for people who loves Gardening only then you are definitely wrong! This place is more than what you could have ever imagine. It's been an award winning attraction since and became a MUST visit place in Singapore. Not only because of the exhibitions that they could offer, the best thing here is Gardens By The Bay Singapore encourages sustainable sources and they harvest rain water & uses solar energy to maintain their whole Garden including the lighting up the Super Trees with solar energy.
This place definitely live up to its reputation and could have deserve more awards for sure!

More photos below


More info: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/

Watch The Light & Water Show @ Marina Bay Sands
Daily 8:00pm & 9:30pm (additional 11:00pm show every Fridays & Saturdays)
Shopaholic must not miss this one of the best shopping malls in Singapore that houses a lot of luxury brands as well as the world's iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, several museums and many more.
Marina Bay Sands is directly connected to Gardens By The Bay hence it is reachable via walking(approximately 10 minutes) with linked bridge.

If you have time, please stay until late and walk around the area. The famous Singapore Merlion Statue is just right opposite Marina Bay Sands. Walk over to the opposite site in the evening time and wait for the breathtaking light & water show specially presented by Marina Bay Sands that runs every evening.

Trust me, below shots are not easy to take at all.
Please do not copy any of them, all rights reserved.





Visit The Famous Landmark Merlion 
A must in Singapore!
The grand Merlion statue is a well known icon in Singapore. It is a mystical creature that has a lion's head and fish's tail.


The body symbolises Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, meaning 'sea town' in Old Javanese.
Its head represents Singapore’s original name, Singapura, or ‘lion city’ in Malay.
Today, you can glimpse this legend at Merlion Park. Spouting water from its mouth, the Merlion statue stands tall at 8.6 metres and weighs 70 tonnes.
This icon is a ‘must-see’ for tourists visiting Singapore, similar to other significant landmarks around the world.
Built by local craftsman Lim Nang Seng, it was unveiled on 15 September 1972 by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the mouth of the Singapore River, to welcome all visitors to Singapore.
source: http://www.yoursingapore.com/see-do-singapore/recreation-leisure/viewpoints/merlion-park.html



Dinner @ Makan Sutra
Located at the same area around Marina Bay Sands, there's a food court named Makan Sutra that sells local food like Chili Crabs, Fried Radish Cake, Char Koay Teow and many more.
Honestly, the food here are not impressive at all. Then I was told by the locals that this place is usually visited by tourists and the food is not nice compared to a lot of local eateries.



Check Out All The Happenings In Singapore
I was pretty lucky that during my travel dates there were Singapore Night Festival happening around the city. Singapore Night Festival is something similar to George Town Festival where there will be several performances including theater shows, site specific play, music, arts and many more. But compare to Penang, you can definitely feel that Singaporeans has a much stronger appreciation towards arts than Malaysians.

The show we watched in front of National Museum of Singapore was pretty impressive!
Only we don't know what language they were speaking, hahahahahaha!!!

Have Fun @ Universal Studios Singapore
Entrance fee: $74.00(Adult) | $56.00(Child)
http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Homepage/Attractions/UniversalStudiosSingapore
Express Pass @ additional $70.00 on top of entrance ticket(You can skip the queue)
Remember, you can always check online for cheaper tickets for such theme parks. I got my tickets much cheaper than the official website or buy on the spot. I got mine from www.klook.com at only $60.00(About RM180.00) which is much cheaper than the original price.
The one and only International theme park in Singapore is the Universal Studios Singapore that features a total of 7 theme parks within the ground. The theme parks are pretty impressive I should say, and I kinda like the how the parks were designed with all the little details.


There are a total of 7 theme parks at the Universal Studios Singapore (Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, Far Far Away, Lost World & Madagascar)
You will get to meet you favourite cartoon or movie characters at the park from time to time, and they also have certain shows that plays at specific time so don't miss out any of them! Oh and if you are lucky, you will get to see fireworks in the evening too!
More photos below:


How to get there?
Take the Circle Line or North East Line and get to station Harbour Front(NE1/CC29) and you will arrive at the Harbour Front Centre. Walk outside of the mall facing Sentosa and take the buses that come very often and it will get you to Sentosa, and from Sentosa you follow the signages around then you will reach the main gate within 10 minutes time.

Another Famous Michelin Star Hawker - Tai Hwa Pork Noodle(Mee Pok)
As a foodie, I wouldn't wanna miss all the nice eateries no matter where I travelled to. While doing research, I also found this place that is located not really far from the place when I was staying, which you also can get there by MRT and get down at the Lavender Station(ED11) with East West Line. The GPS location is 1.3052431,103.8625611 so take a short walk for about 5minutes and you can reach this hawker centre. I'm sure you will see a long queue in front of the place.

I've arrived at 10:45am and was told that I was quite late. I guess that justified my near 2 hours of queueing from hungry to VERY HUNGRY though the queue wasn't that bad. I was like the 15th customer on the queue but I guess all those people in front of me do ordered a lot though.
I was pretty surprised why the queue took so long to clear because what I can see was the stall owner never stop cooking and the speed was really fast.

We also ordered western food from the Happy Chef next stall as all the items on the menu look good and priced reasonable.


So I ordered the dried version and the soup version together with an extra bowl of Pork Balls. They are priced at $5 to $10. We also ordered the Happy Chef Chicken(Signature) from the next stall priced at $7 for a generous portion.
I must say that the Mee Pork was good, but I was a little bit disappointed with the texture of the noodle as well. The only thing that can give additional points to these noodles are the fried sole fish and the liver. The rest are just plain and the noodle was overcooked and the pork balls were soft and not as juicy as I thought it would be. I prefer the soup version more than the dried version though.
Surprisingly the western food that we tried was quite good and I will definitely go back for this if I were to visit Singapore again.


Cafe hopping @ Chye Seng Huat Hardware
Just like Penang do, cafe hopping is a must in Singapore too!
Singapore has got quite a number of famous cafes that were very popular among the locals and also well known to Malaysians. Thanks to my friend Marcus that came to met me and brought me to this nice cafe name Chye Seng Huat Hardware.

I know you must be curious why is this place called Chye Seng Huat Hardware a cafe like I do. Well this place was a hardware shop before the owner left and then the new owner made this place into a cafe, just like the Kim Haus Cafe in Penang. I can tell that Chye Seng Huat is a very popular cafe among the locals as when I walked in, the cafe was full house and there were a lot of people waiting for tables too.

I don't doubt why the cafe was so crowded as the place is kinda cozy but it was a bit too noisy and the tables were all too close to another. You can hear people all talking around you and I believe they can also hear our conversations too.
The coffee and food was quite decent, and I really like the Signature Toasted Banana Bread I ordered that served with espresso butter that was really smooth and delicious. The bread was served warm and the butter melted on top  of the bread when you spread it and it feels like heaven when you eat it.




MUST VISIT: National Gallery Of Singapore
So it was the last day of my holiday and I also wanted to visit another attraction before I fly back. In my itinerary, I've also added this gorgeous looking building that attracted me while I was doing my research.


[TO BE CONTINUED]