After landing my first job, I became more fond of going places and traveling. Since I now had my own money to spend, I decided to treat my mom (and myself of course) with a trip to Singapore.

We spent 3 days at the Lion City filled with shopping and sight-seeing. I would have to say though that three days aren't enough to explore this small city. Singapore might be a tiny city-state as compared to others but there's just a lot to do and try and explore in this beautiful place. Not to mention, the cost of living is also kind of expensive.

Our first day was dedicated to touring the entire city. We first went to Little India to see Tekka Mall, Little India Arcade and the famous Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Little India's oldest. There we also saw Serangoon Plaza and Mustafa Center which sells basically anything imaginable.

One of the few temples we saw during our walking tour

At my back is my favorite street in SG

Chinese ornaments everywhere

Lovely street <3

One of the most famous temples in SG

We then proceeded to SG's Chinatown where we tried the different food being sold along Pagoda Street. Southbridge Road brought us to Sri Mariamman Temple where we observed the intricately carved gate statuary called gopuram and all the many cow statues perched on the temple's roof. Admission is free for most of the temples in Singapore but donations are welcome. Further down Southbridge Road is where the Buddha Relic Temple is located. I have never seen that much buddhas in my entire life which according to some people there numbers to 10,000.

Here's my mom with a tiangge supot in hand

Humongooous

Inside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Doing what the locals do

After seeing the old and traditional part of Singapore, we then went to the more modern part of the city. We went to Raffles Place then walked until we got to the Singapore River. There we saw the dainty Cavenaugh Bridge which is the oldest bridge in SG that is still standing. From we were standing, we also saw the massive, white colonnaded buiding which was Singapore's former post office, now more commonly known as the Fullerton Hotel. After quite a long walk, we were finally able to see the Merlion, the half-lion, half-fish, where we took photos from the observation deck just opposite it. This spot is also perfect to get a stunning view of the central business district's skyscrapers. On the other side of the river, we spotted the two oddly-shaped buildings which seemed like durian for me. This is the Esplanade, a complex devoted to SG's fine arts. From here, we walked all the way to the Marina Bay Sands passing by my favorite Helix Bridge. We also got a view of the Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer.

Right in the middle of SG's CBD

The Cavenaugh Bridge and Fullerton Hotel at my back

SG's 1 dollar ice cream!!!

So pretty!

MBS from afar

Esplanade

Our photo with the merlion

Lol getting too touristy at the Helix Bridge

Everything in one photo

Since our time was very limited, our second day was a choice to be spent either at Sentosa Park or Universal Studios + Sea Aquarium. I chose the latter since I haven't been to any Universal Studios theme park before and I believe my Mom would enjoy it more as compared to the Sentosa Park. It was a struggle though since there were a loooooot of people there so we had to queue for almost 2 hours just to be able to ride the attractions. Unfortunately, Battlestar Galactica was being renovated during that time but my Mom loved the Transformers ride and she got crazy seeing all the chocolates and candies being sold at Candylicious.

Mandatory photo with the globe

Told you she'd like it here HAHA

She's cute, no?

First things first

One of my favorites rides

Napagod si Madame!

My mom went gaga seeing this wall of candies

We spent our third and last day scouting for the best buys along Orchard Road since it was also the last stretch of their Great Singapore Sale season. We were able to buy A LOT of clothes at a quarter of their original price with brands ranging from Zara, Cotton On, Uniqlo, Forever 21, H&M and a loooot more. I actually wished we stayed longer just to shop since there are so many malls along Orchard and a day surely isn't enough to check all of them. We also went to Bugis Mall since it was the one nearest our hotel and we even got free scoops of ice cream!

Thanks, Marble Slab!

Find happiness within.

Taken inside Changi airport

Like what I've said earlier, Singapore is a small city but it definitely has a lot to offer everyone whose interested. 5-7 days, I believe, should be enough to explore all the sights. I hope my Mom and I can come back again especially because she easily fell in love with the city and I hope to tag along my Dad also. Til the next Asian adventure!

My first out of the country experience was way back in 2012. My tita gave me an offer anyone wouldn't resist - an all-expense-paid trip to Hong Kong. Back then, I have no idea what good going outside the country (or traveling, in general) would bring me. I don't even own a luggage to bring. Haha! I honestly don't remember why and how I said yes despite the fact that I was taking ES1 at that time. I assume it was the thought of being able to go to the "happiest place on earth" which made me agree to it.

We spent four days at Kowloon doing basically what first-timers in Hong Kong do. Oh and btw, I went with of course, my tita, three of my cousins, and a nephew. We left in the morning and got there around lunchtime.

My first view of the city after checking in at our hotel

We had a quick lunch and rested for a few hours at the hotel. Before the sun sets, we decided to go and see Victoria Harbour and get a view of Tsim Sha Tsui. Tsim Sha Tsui is a favorite tourist attraction because it showcases the city skyline at night. The Symphony of Lights display is an entertaining way to learn about the buildings in Hong Kong. This light show basically calls out the names of Hong Kong's giants alongside a spectacle of lights whenever each one is introduced to the audience. This is also where you can ride the infamous Star Ferry Cruises, which we didn't get the chance to try.

Tsim Sha Tsui with the Star Cruise

Near the Victoria Harbour is Hong Kong's clocktower which stands tall at 44 meters. I vividly remember having a hard time taking a photo of it since it started raining at that time. Haha! What a bummer. Anyhoo, this clocktower reminded me of London's Big Ben.

The Hong Kong Clock Tower, formerly known as the Kowloon - Canton Railway Clock Tower

Near the area is the Avenue of Stars were we got to see Hong Kong's very own version of walk of fame. There we saw (allow me to enumerate only those I know) Bruce Lee's, Jet Li's and Jackie Chan's statues and their handprints left on the ground. We took photos of the different film-related statues around the area since it is basically the only thing you can do there aside from appreciating the wonderful view. Now bear with our faces in the photos below. Teehee!

Back when I was still sporting a short hair

Uhm, okay. Sorry I just had to.

This was during the Symphony of Lights

Hong Kong's Cultural Arts Center

Caught this photo while walking back to our hotel

We had dinner along Temple Street that night, went shopping for a few items and called it a day after.

For our second day, the only item in our itinerary was.. Hong Kong Disneyland!

EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Mickey Train <3

Got my Minnie ears on as soon as I got in!

To tell you honestly, I didn't expect Hong Kong Disneyland to be that much for kids. I was expecting some rides to be a little more thrilling because obviously, they're guests aren't all kids. To my surprise, there wasn't even a single ride that gave me an adrenaline rush but nonetheless, the experience was still magical. All the sights, light and sound effects, and the costumes seemed like they were pulled out right from our well-loved fairy tale books. Having said that, my favorite ride would have to be the "It's A Small World" ride showcasing the different Asian countries and languages. Very uniting, indeed.

Minnie!!!! My heart was screaming when I saw her.

Believe it or not, I didn't know Winnie the Pooh was under Disney until I saw him there.

The guy knows where to look, ha.

Of course, this is mandatory.

Inside my favorite ride!

And of course, who would not love the parade and the magical fireworks at the end <3

Fangirling when I saw this float

OMG my favorite Disney princess just waved at me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol they got me and this cutie to be a part of the dance. HAHAHAHA!

Too bad I didn't have any photo or video recorded of the majestic fireworks display at the end (but I'm pretty sure there's one in Youtube). Can't exactly remember what time we were able to go back to our hotel for our second day. Must be because of the Disneyland high!

For our third day, we spend the entire day at Ocean Park. I'm not really a fan of zoos and seeing marine animals in big aquariums but pandas are a different story. Pandas can do nothing and still be adorbs unlike all the other animals we usually see in zoos. It was my first time to see not one, but two of these creatures so imagine how happy I was during that day.

Reminds me of the one we have in Subic

A bird show which I wasn't too thrilled to see. (I still believe that these birds are supposed to be in their natural aviary.)

AND THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS ZOO!!!!

Huhuhu let me hug you and bring you home!!!

Oh and penguins <3

Aside from all these animals, Ocean Park is also home to some of the wildest rides I have ever rode on. Okay so remember my previous rant regarding Disneyland lacking some action? I FOUND THAT HERE IN OCEAN PARK. Just look at this rides and see (or try them) for yourself.

Not in photo: their wild roller coaster ride

We ended our Ocean Park trip with a cable car ride, which was also my first time. After that, we went back to Temple Street for the night market to shop.

On our fourth and last day, we spent the remaining hours still shopping at Nathan Road and went back to Manila in the afternoon.

Our Hong Kong crew

Hong Kong, I must say, is a good choice of country to visit for someone who wants to experience traveling out-of-the-country for the first time. The cost of living is relatively cheaper as compared to it's neighboring countries amidst getting a first-world country experience. Also, Pinoys are everywhere in the area making it easy to ask for directions when you feel like you are lost. Haha! With all the seat sales going on, I'm pretty sure that a budget of Php 15,000.00 would go a long waaaay in Hong Kong.

Now I'm getting thoughts of going back after writing this blog post. Oh, well. Gotta go and check how much a flight would cost now. Anyway, CebuPac is having a father's day seat sale. The odds!!! Til the next! ;)