Saturday, December 1, 2012

SINGAPORE and a little of MALAYSIA: Everything New to Me

Going out of the country is totally new to me and I was so excited! Enthusiasm is all into me to share to you all my firsts and the unusual things to me; my best and worst experiences!

My Favorites

Bills and Coins. SGD & RM. Counting ones and cents made me a little doubtful with my math.
 
It feels like a child giving much value on every cent in my hand.


Ice Cream on a Bread for 1.20 SGD; it tastes so good, it must be branded;Comes with lots of flavors; We tried Mango, Coffee, and Chocolate! 
 
Hot Coffee; it tastes good actually but what’s unusual (but cute) is that they use straw when they take a sip;
This is how they take out (take away—how they call it) hot coffee…with straws!
 
Fruits; Colorful Fruits are Healthy! 
½ kg of Grapes for 2 SGD, bigger than Pinoy Grapes but tastes equally sweet!
 
Cucumber with catsup; who would have thought they match!
 
Chicken Rice; a meal for only 2SGD!
 
60 minute foot reflexology for 29SGD, Pricey but it was worth it! They first soaked my feet in warm water in a basin then they do the foot reflexology with lotion.
 
Vegetable Pens! 3 for 10SGD to own these cuties!
 
EZ Link Card. The Ticket to Singapore.
 Bean curd Pudding in Chocolate for SGD1.70
Cream-O in Strawberry and Blueberry Flavor for sale in Malaysia 

The Nightmare

This trip was planned a year before the date of flight. I took advantage of the 11PHP fare-seat sale of Cebu Pacific Air last year; it was 11/11/11. I only paid less than 2,500 per person for a Manila-Singapore-Manila ticket. I felt like a champ that time!

Our flight going to SG went smooth. We did not encounter any problems with our baggage and with the Immigration. From there, we went straight to our hostel and set out what’s in the itinerary I’ve made a year ago until our last hours in SG.  I was at my happiest state when, though not all, we almost managed to do all what’s planned.

…and I will be sharing to you what we had there in my next posts.

So our 4 days in SG had to end; we utilized our EZLink Card and made use of SMRT to go to Changi Airport. At the Changi Airport Terminal in SMRT, a Flight Information Board is readily available for our reference. I immediately searched for our flight which was at 1:30pm. To my surprise, there were only two flights for CebuPac in the Board for that afternoon; one took the flight past 30 minutes already and the other will be at 2:40pm. Being confused, we had no choice but to ask someone from SMRT. Though communication is a bit hard for us, I managed to understand that she is directing us to Terminal 2 of Changi Airport. …So we went there.

Along our way to CebuPac’s Check in Counter, there was another Flight Information Board. We stopped. I took my time waiting for our flight to be flashed on the board. I also gave another look on our CebuPac Itinerary Receipt Print Out. Unexpectedly, a feeling of cold rush was all over me to realize that our plane took its flight at 1:30AM. Oh my God. The feeling was totally unexplainable. I have prepared for this for a year, and months passed without me realizing that I am overlooking on something. I admit I neglected on some parts of planning due to excitement and stress from scheduling and buying tickets. Well, reality and nightmare mixed up in front of me.

…and oh, we bought the ticket going back to Manila for the 2:40pm flight and it costs us around 7,000.00 per person. Aw.

The Lesson: Always double check all your plans for a trip, because if you don’t, it will charge you not just to experience. But if things like this are unavoidable to happen, just remember what little things made you delightful before it all took place.


AN ATTRACTION: Changi Airport

Moving on from the worst experience, we tried to make ourselves busy around Changi Airport since our flight will be at 2:40PM. I can generally say, maybe, Changi Airport is one of the best Airport all over the world…I don’t know since this is my first International Airport I’ve landed.

Why?

- Themed Gardens. Strolling on the various gardens all over the Airport is just plain relaxing.

- I’m not sure when it was built, but the construction is barely new or newly renovated. Or maybe it is old but well maintained. Just dirt free.

- Children's Play Area; Time can never be wasted even for kids.

- There are Water Stations and Comfort Rooms everywhere. By the time you get thirsty or feel the need to pee, you’ll be standing next to it!

- Brochures about going around SG are all over the place. First timers like me don’t have to worry much; flyers are very informative and easy to understand.

- E-Postcards! Computers with cam are located at the center of the floor, near the cafes. It’s easy to navigate. In three simple steps, you can send the photos to anyone in the world to their emails! (Or send it to yourself like I did!)
I’m sorry had to blur the photos, we are at our most haggard looks! (You know why---7,000.00/pax?)

- Free Wifi! Free use of Computers! Gotta post a stat on my FB!

- Flat Screens and Lazy Boy Look Alike Seats. There are lots of them with TV Screens in front, playing different shows. It’s up for you to choose where to seat and what to watch.

- Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and LAN Gaming; Big and little boys have their own area at the Entertainment Deck at Terminal 2

- Tracing with Colors. It is an Art Station for kids. It is a large wooden carved table with papers on the side. I’m tempted to try it but I was so shy because people might see me and it’s not meant for adults like me. Hehe.

- Two-hour Free Singapore Tour. Whoa! This is something we regretfully missed. We could have lessen our budget on going around the city, if we only knew.

-Foot and Calf Massage Stations. This is where  we stayed most of the waiting time we had.
 
 It was just perfect for our aching feet.

I might be missing on some great things to do in Changi Airport but in the Massage Station, I need not to look for other things to kill our waiting time.


I’ll be posting more of our SG and Malaysia Trip soon! And please follow me!

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