Singapore Day 6: Merlion Park & Departure

We love SG! ^_^

     This day concludes our Singapore - Kuala Lumpur trip, but we promised ourselves that we would have photos at the Merlion Park during daytime so even if we were still tired and sleepy from jam-packed day 5, we went to go see the Merlion.

     From Bugis station, we went down City Hall interchange to the red line, alighted at Dhoby Ghaut station and transferred to the yellow line to Esplanade. From there, we walked to the Merlion Park.

City by day

Clear skies

     The morning was so calm and peaceful. The place was very clean and everywhere you looked was a testament to Singapore's beauty. We passed by a lot of skyscrapers and eye catching architecture like the Esplanade, the well-known Marina Bay Sands and the towering Singapore Flyer.

Singapore Flyer & Helix Bridge

The Esplanade

Marina Bay Sands

    After about 20 minutes of walking around the Marina Bay, we finally reached our destination and goal for that day -- photos with the Merlion at daytime. :p

Singapore Day 5: Little India, Sentosa & Singapore Flyer

Little India

     While others are still tired and asleep from our Malaysia trip, we got up early and went to Little India to see some famous temples. From Bugis station, we alighted at Outram Park interchange to the purple line and went down at Little India station.

    We went to see Mustafa Center first, a shopping center known for its affordable goods. We then walked to Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple which shows the different incarnations of Lord Vishnu. 

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

     The temple, adorned with images of Hindu dieties, was built as such so that it can be seen from afar and so that Hindus can pray from a distance. All entering the temple should remove their shoes.

Shrine

Hindu priest

     Inside the temple are smaller shrines for different Hindu dieties. Some had priests out front giving their blessings. The altars were colorful, filled with flower offering for their gods.

Singapore Day 3: Singapore Zoo

Ready for the wild :p

     First up in our itinerary for Day 3: Singapore Zoo! Agenda: To take good pictures of cool animals and to ride an elephant! :p 


     We took the MRT from Bugis to City Hall interchange, transferred to the red line to Ang Mio Ko Station. We then took the bus to Singapore Zoo. It took us about an hour and a half to get there. Whew!

Map and Admission Tickets

     We bought our tickets for 29sgd each. This came with a 5sgd unlimited tram ride ticket and a souvenir - a small, green towel. We should've just gotten the 20sgd admission ticket, 5sgd tram ride and bought a better souvenir. Hehe! :p

     Singapore Zoo, dubbed as the world's best rainforest zoo, is home to about 3,000 animals and is a part of Wildlife Reserves Singapore along with Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari. The zoo is open from 8:30am to 6pm daily. 

Happy birds :D

     First up on the map, to the left of the entrance is the Treetops Trail, an wooden path a few meters above the forest floor. Animals around here include a golden pheasant, mouse deer, siamang (a type of gibbon) and a false gharial (cross between an alligator and a croc) down below.

Singapore Day 2: Universal Studios Singapore, Chinatown and Clarke Quay

Welcome to Universal Studios Singapore! ^_^

     Before heading out, we had complimentary breakfast at the hotel. You can choose from Continental (toast with butter and jelly, with orange juice or tea) or Chinese buffet (fried carrot cake, siopao, noodles, fried rice, with coffee or tea). Serving time is from 8:30 - 10:30am -- that's why we leave a little late hehe!

     From Bugis station, we went down Outram Park interchange and transferred to the purple line and alighted at Harbourfront Station. We then took the Sentosa Express for 3sgd each inside VivoCity shopping mall at the 3rd level.

USS tickets

     We bought our Universal Studios Singapore (USS) tickets online for fear that we wouldn't get any. Hehe! It's a good thing that we already have our tickets -- we skipped the long queue, especially since it was a peak day (students are on their break). Our tickets cost 72sgd, 8sgd more than the usual price.

At the famous globe :)

     We got so excited upon seeing  this well known landmark. It was like the feeling we got when we went to Disneyland Hong Kong. ^_^

     After getting the park map, we decided to go left first, where we saw the photo op with the stars of Madagscar! We had to line up but it was worth it! :)

Cast of Madagascar

     We then went on our first ride, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure. Good thing the queue wasn't that long even if it was a peak day. :)

Singapore Day 1: Arrival and Marina Bay Tour

Merlion at Night

     We were planning to go to Singapore for a long time now and were just waiting for promo fares. We were able to book our 50% off tickets from Cebu Pacific last July. We then researched about where and when to go, how to get there and where to stay. Finding the most affordable yet comfortable and nice hotel was the hardest -- they were all expensive! And speaking of expensive, fixing our budget was the last. Hehe! :p

     We arrived at the airport about 2-3 hours before our flight. We paid the Airport Tax (1650php) then checked-in our baggage. We passed through immigration after paying the Terminal Fee (750php) then it was time to wait for boarding. 

Dark skies

     After 3 hours in the air, we landed at Changi Airport, Budget Terminal. Dark, cloudy skies greeted us but that didn't dampen our moods! We're excited to see what Singapore has in store for us! :)

Just landed :)

     Sir Markie greeted us and went with us to our hotel. It was raining hard when we got out and were deciding whether to take a cab or the MRT. We chose to take the MRT so we could learn and get used to it. We didn't get the EZlink Card considering the 5sgd non-refundable fee.

     
    Their MRT consisted of 4 lines with easy to find interchanges. Going around was easy thanks to the efficient train lines. 

South East Asia Hotel

     From the airport, we took the MRT from Changi MRT Station to Tanah Merah and went down Bugis Station. We then walked  to get to South East Asia Hotel at Waterloo Street. Checking-in was a breeze. We just showed the receipt (Sir Markie paid for the down payment for our rooms) and the kind and accommodating receptionist gave us the keys to our rooms.