Singapore - Gong Xi Fa Cai

"Gong Xi fa Cai" in Singapore is described as the ultimate family lakwatsa by par. The Waterina is my brother's humble abode in Singapore and became our official residence during our 10-day stay. Singapore is where the family celebrated Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year.

Singapore is such a small state but believe me when I say, it can not be toured in 3 days - that is if you want to see and enjoy all of its attractions. There are a lot of tourist spots to explore. Sentosa, alone, can not be fully explored in a day (for us, that is :P) The activities are numerous and the sites are beauties to behold.

Day 1: Late Late Late
Only a few hours were left for the day, since our flight was very much delayed. We arrived in Singapore 4-5 hours after our original ETA. Inspite of the long hold-out time at the airport, the wait was all worth it. The family spent dinner for the 1st time again after 6 months of being away from each other.

Day 2: Heart's Day at the Marina

We toured the city in our own way. We started dropping by Suntec and visiting the Giant wishing fountain. We all agreed, this is the best way to start the tour :P. After whispering to the fountain our ardent wishes, we went to the Koi Garden and had lunch at The Marina. We had fun taking snap shots as we walk towards Esplanade. The heat of the sun compelled us to try the 1SGD ice cream in a waffer. It was too refreshing that we each had another serving. The Merlion was our next stop after the sweet-binging. At the Merlion, we mingled with the Singaporean students and took "concept pics" with the Merlion. We crossed the street and started exploring the Zodiac sign park across the Raffles St. We wlaked and walked and walked... took snap shots in front of various museums, parks and buildings until we ended up crossing a very historical bridge near One Fullerton Hotel. We ended the day enjoying the night skyline of the city.

Day 3: A taste of Singapore's Cinema

It was date day for the family. We spent the morning having leisure time by the pool, the afternoon exploring Harbourfront and the evening watching a movie.


Day 4: First Time at Sentosa

Sentosa Day for the family. We bought Imbiah tour and maximize the day. We would like to bask in the sun and enjoy the beach but we were not prepared for that so we agreed it will be our next IT.
Day 5: The Aviary and Waterworld

We visited Jurong Bird Park in the morning and had lunch picnic style in one of its garden. Enjoyed the very educational bird show on the same day. In the afternoon, the family decided to visit the Underwater World. We enjoyed the Underwater World so much that we failed to watch the Dolphin Show. The evening was capped with a Water, Light and Laser show. My sister loved the show so much . Sadly, our digicams were empty batts, thus, we failed to capture in video the wonderful show.

Day 6: A Day at the Zoo and a Chinese Catholic Mass

We woke up alte and attended the next available mass at St. Francis. We went to hear mass there since according to its schedule the mass at 9AM will be in English- only to find out that the mass was in Chinese..Goodluck! Well, whatever language the mass is celebrated, the essence remains and everyone is welcome to attend.

After the mass, we headed straight to Singapore Zoo. We had the luxury of a front row seat for the Elepahant Show. Galing! We had leisure walks around the Zoo and just as we were about to leave the Outback, rain poured hard. Our trip was cut short; thus, we spend more time sitting in the resto than seeing animals in actions. By evening, we were feasting our eyes with the night creatures at Night Safari and indulged ina wonderful "creatures of the night show"... look out for the lost snake, people!

Day 7-8; Famila Day out to KL
Day 9: Shopping day at Mustafa and Luck Plaza ;p

Day 10: Making the most of the Last Day in SG

The family bonded and wade in the Waterina pool, making the most of the hours that were left for us until we depart for home.

Kuala Lumpur's One Fine Day

Walking through the streets of Kuala Lumpur gave a feeling that we were in a familiar place. Yup, my memory serves me right, for Filipinos out there, it was like walking through the streets of Sta Cruz.

We were adamant at first to push through with the trip. However, taking all factors into consideration, we went and took the 1st available train schedule going to KL. We slept most during the trip and woke up only twice, once was when the Malaysian Immigration stamped our passports and the next when we were to disembarked.

It was early morning when we arrived in Malaysia. We walked through its paved streets and find our way to the 1st Catholic Church that we can find. We did not had a hard time finding one, as if our feets were pre-instructed, in a few minutes we were right in front of St John the Baptist Church.

We can still feel the early morning dew; hence, it was too early to visit KL's pride. We leisurely walked KL streets until we reached Petalling Street. We stayed for a while and took snapshots before we proceeded to our next stop.

Merdeka Square and Sultan Abdul Samad building was next in our list of must-see. At the Independence Square, we rested and posed some more.

It was almost lunch time when we headed to Suria KLCC. We had our Malaysian cuisine and had a chance to see and adore the Petronas Tower- indeed a beauty to behold.







(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Feb 19, 2007)