Singapore Adventures 2011: Day 2 - Shopping at Little India, Chinatown and Orchard Road

     I went to Singapore not to shop.  Really. I went there to treat my family and to celebrate my birthday with them. It was my third time to visit Singapore, whereas it was only the first time for my sister and mother so I had to bring them to the tourist attractions.  However, my friend had another purpose in going to Singapore: to shop.  Doing touristy stuff and shopping, though not incompatible, should have separate agenda.  Shopping takes a lot of time, and shopping in Singapore takes longer since there are a lot of shopping malls to roam .  So, which one should prevail?

     In order to placate the feelings of my family, who wanted to see what Singapore has to offer, aside from shopping, and of my friend who wanted to max out her credit card, we decided to just shop first.  And that turned out to be an endless shopping spree from morning till past midnight.  No kidding.

     Since for the first night we stayed at a budget hotel in Little India, just a block or two away from Mustafa Center and in front of a small mall, we all went shopping, first thing in the morning.  We shopped at Cotton On which had items on sale.  Then we went to Mustafa and bought some trinkets, goodies like tea (I love tea more than coffee) and chocolates for my younger relatives.

 Little India

     Afterwards, we went to Chinatown to buy souvenirs.  And mind you, it was only technically our first day since we arrived in Singapore quite late the night before.  Just enough to go to the hotel, rest, and sleep.  We haven't seen anything yet, but we're already buying souvenirs!  And the worst part?  My family clearly enjoyed souvenir shopping even if they have not yet seen and thoroughly immersed themselves into the Uniquely Singapore experience.

MRT Station Exit

     Why go to Chinatown?  Because the souvenirs are cheap, really, really cheap.  But just don't be too picky about the quality, okay?  Also, food is cheap, too. And buildings there are colorful and quite lovely.

     After spending considerable amount of time in Chinatown, we went back to Little India to change hotels.  For our second and third night, I booked a room at Festive Hotel in Sentosa.  When we got to the Festive Hotel, it was past 4 pm already.  I was too tired by then.  But we just can't lie in bed and chillax.  My friend wanted to shop some more.  So I just told my family to just roam around Sentosa and I gave them money for dinner.  And then, my friend and I went to Singapore's premiere shopping district, the Orchard Road.  To go there, we walked along the Boardwalk considering that there was an unbelievably long line for the monorail to Vivo City and we weren't able to use our free ride passes given by the Festive Hotel concierge.  Or course we took the MTR from Harbourfront station to Dhouby Gaut to reach Orchard Road.

Ticket Cube at Orchard! It changes its color! So cool!

     So, my friend shopped, shopped and shopped.  Well, window-shopped, that is.  We went from one shop to the other.  She didn't buy anything because there weren't too many sale or discount items although it was the Great Singapore Sale.  My feet hurt, my toe was bleeding because some girl stepped on it and scraped the skin of my toe, and worse, I was hungry.  What a day!  

     We almost went home empty-handed but my friend wanted to return to Mustafa Center which we visited the night before and the morning after, to buy luggage.  And by golly.  It was a Friday night and it was really hard to get a cab.  It took us about an hour to get one.  We could have ridden the MTR but it was already closed.  It was a disastrous night.  I was too tired and my feet were in agony.  If they could talk, they would curse me for sure.  

     

Thoughts: So Lazy

Lately, I have not been feeling well which led me to fall into a deep hole called procrastination. I know I have not been able to update my travel entries for Singapore and Malaysia. But I'll make up for that this weekend. Hopefully.

Thoughts: I'm Sick!

     For the past two weeks, I've been feeling under the weather, primarily because of the weather.  Well, let's just say that I am not a fan of changing temperatures: summer hot and sunny in the morning and afternoon then rain showers late afternoon or at night.  This roller coaster of a weather is bad for my allergies, thus, for two weeks now, I have colds that would not go away.  I was even absent for work this Monday because of my unrelenting allergies.  

     And, worse, I am feeling under the weather, figuratively.  Well, let's just say that I want to go to some other places other than those I've already visited but there's no one who wants to come with me.  Yay, not. I've never been the popular one, so I guess, I just reap what I sow.  And mind you, travelling alone is more expensive than say, travelling with someone, unless I pay for the both of us.  At least for me.  

     I know, I know, I could travel by myself, but I don't want to get used to it, and I don't want to do it in say, South Korea.  Drop me somewhere in Japan and I'd probably survive since I am a little used to their culture, food and language.  But in South Korea?  I'd manage but still...oh well.  And I really, really want to go there early next year.  I guess, I'd just go there alone.  Anyway, I don't think Korean immigration would detain me being single, a lady and travelling alone.  After all, I can always wave around a certain identification card and they'd let me be, for sure.  But still, I must muster enough resources and courage, yet again.   

Seat Sale: Cebu Pacific's PINAsaya!

     If you don't know it by now, Cebu Pacific usually features seat sales every week, and this week is no exception.  Check out their website for further details.

     Happy trip planning!

Seat Sale Promo 

PINASaya! Domestic & International Seat Sale Pick your favourite seat from as low as P200 Supersize your baggage! Pre-book and SAVE up to 50% Get insured in travel insurance. Choose from available domestic and international rooms with Hotels Get exclusive deals! Sign up for SeatSaleAlert!.

Domestic Flights

Cebu to Bacolod, Boracay (Caticlan), Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Davao,Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban or Zamboanga Cagayan de Oro to Iloilo NEW! *Only available online or through travel agents on Amadeus P0.88* Davao to Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo or Zamboanga Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi NEW! P288 Manila to Calbayog, Catarman, Cauayan (Isabela), Coron (Busuanga), Laoag, Legazpi, Naga, Puerto Princesa, San Jose (Mindoro), Tuguegarao or Virac P488 Manila to Bacolod, Boracay (Caticlan), Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Kalibo, Tacloban, Tagbilaran or Roxas P688 Manila to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, General Santos, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Surigao or Zamboanga P888

Sale Period: Up to Sep. 21, 2011 or until seats last     Travel Period: Oct. 15 - Jan. 31, 2012

International Flights

Manila to Kota Kinabalu* Clark to Macau *Travel Period: Oct. 15, 2011 - Feb. 29, 2012 For as low as 488 Manila to Macau or Taipei Cebu to Hong Kong P888 Manila to Busan, Incheon or Osaka Cebu to Busan or Incheon **Travel Period: Mar. 1 - May 31, 2012 P988** Manila to Beijing, Brunei, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai or Singapore Clark to Singapore P1,488 Cebu to Singapore P1,688

Sale Period: Up to Sep. 21, 2011 or until seats last     Travel Period: Oct. 15 - Dec. 31, 2011

• Quoted fares are one way. Limited availability. Fares are non-refundable.
• Fares are exclusive of government fees, taxes and fuel surcharges.
• Flight changes must be made more than 24 hours before scheduled time of departure.
• At time of booking, pre-purchase your baggage allowance to save time and money at check-in.
• CAB approved terms and conditions of carriage apply and are available online.

Seat Sale: Air Asia's Big Sale [21 September to 25 September 2011]

     Save the date!  In a couple of hours, at exactly 00:00 GMT +8 on 21 September 2011, Air Asia will be having its BIG SALE promo! However, I think it's only for its Asian destinations.  Travel period is from 03 May 2012 to 27 October 2012.  See the promo poster below and check out Air Asia's website for details.

     Happy trip planning!

Tagaytay Adventures - Overnight Stay

I took this photo using my iPhone.  Guess having an iPhone is not so bad after all.

     Today, my family and I are in Tagaytay, and we're going to stay here overnight, the best accommodation I could find in Tagaytay, at a friend's vacation home!  Yipee!

     My cousins told me we're going to Calaruega church later.  So, I better prepare now. 

     Till then!

     EDT:

We passed by a number of cyclists going to Tagaytay.  We took the Cavite route, the one which passes by Gen. Trias and Amadeo, but I was not so happy about it.  I am more comfortable taking the usual route, SLEX to Tagaytay.  But when I saw those cyclists, I thanked the heavens and almost went down the road to kiss the ground.  I mean, those cyclists are all handsome, trim, tall and fit!  Well, save for a few who look like regular joes.  But the pretty ones are real eye candies; they look like celebrities.  There were some foreigners, too. Gosh.  I wish I was holding my camera then.  Oh well.    

Thoughts: Succumbing to the iPhone Generation

I've always been a fan of not following the latest trends in technology. I am not particularly fond of texting and calling someone over the phone. I always feel I'm a bother. I don't have an iPod because I'm not particularly fond of pop music and I don't even listen to the radio or buy CDs or download music from iTunes. I think I'm just too absorbed with my own little world to think about having an iPhone. I mean, I won't be using it much anyway. But yesterday, I bought an iPhone. Yes, I finally gave in even though I am not a person who lives by texting and calling all day and night.

So why did I buy an iPhone though it's so expensive and overrated? It's simple. So I won't have to bring my laptop with me when I travel abroad. I could use the iPhone for better phone web browsing and since Blogger just had this new app, I could use my phone to blog about my latest travel adventures. Why not buy an iPad instead? I've seriously thought about it but I have 2 laptops already so I don't think it'll be of much use when I'm not traveling.

At the end of the day, I succumbed to the iPhone generation almost against my will and out of necessity and convenience. I just hope this purchase would really make a difference.