"I Have Been There"

This is a very delayed and long overdue post but it's just now that I found the time to "write" about it. I had  a  very quick vacation in Singapore with my sister and my guy friend, JV. We were there for just about 3 days (including travel)- super quick trip but a very memorable one since it was a first time for me and my sister to go out of the country!

I have been wanting to go outside of the country and to finally be able to do it was super special to me albeit it may be short. My desire to travel have been fueled by many travel posts on the web, especially my friends on facebook who have been posting travel photos (local or abroad) that makes me itch to just go somewhere foreign! LOL Don't get me wrong, I love living here in the Philippines especially in my hometown Iloilo City. There is just something about traveling that is so appealing to me. It's not something to boast about, no. Although it's uplifting or it might give you confidence to say "I've been there". Traveling offers you lessons. You get to immerse yourself in to the culture of that tow, city, state, whatever it may be. You get to understand why they do what they do and how they're doing it.

For some, traveling is expensive and exhausting- i agree. But that is already given. As they say, travel is the only thing you pay for to get richer. You get richer by witnessing a new culture, lifestyle and understanding; plus points also if you gain new friends along the way! I promised myself to travel more this year- locally or internationally.

Since I am not a daughter of a wealthy businessman, I always choose to travel cheap. I wait for good airline deals and I find hotels/inns/bed and breakfasts that are budget friendly. I have been working for a total of around 4 years with different employers (and going for 1 for Avida) and I know how hard it is to earn money! That's why when traveling, find a place that is worth your hard earned money. Just because you're on a budget, it doesn't mean you'll settle in a filthy hotel room!

For our trip to Singapore, I was blessed with a lot of help from my dad and my not so big savings. My sister and I booked our trip 5 months before our travel date hence the cheap round-trip fare. We got a little help from her close friend who works for a travel agency to secure our tickets. I also had one of my closest friends, who is a resident in Singapore help me with my letter for the immigration. I booked our hotel 2 to 3 months before our departure. Months before our trip, I was not getting "butterflies in my stomach" yet since I was thinking that it was a long way to go. On the day of our departure though, I was so excited and was inexplicably happy. To me, it was a realization of a dream. It was just a motivation/mantra to myself that "I will travel. I will go places." The flight was awesome and I super enjoyed it because my guy friend, JV, kept on entertaining me with music and we even got to act crazy on the plane with our cheesy dance moves which I think embarrassed my sister! Haha!  Touchdown, Singapore! I seriously wanted to kiss the ground but I begged off- I might have people think I'm a lunatic or something! Hehe  Good thing my dad was also in Singapore that day, he picked us up at the airport with his friend and they drove us to our hotel.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, we were all so tired that we just had to change clothes and go to sleep. We woke up around 8 or 9 the following morning. We bought breakfast at the Cheers store, which is like 7eleven or mini stop here in the Philippines. Our agenda for the day? Shopping at Orchard, of course! Well, not the high end stuff. Just a few affordable thingamajigs at Takashimaya mall, which is located at Orchard Street. After the tiring day, we went back to the hotel and rested for a while since my sister had planned for us to go see Marina Bay Sands and she was insisting on seeing the "Merlion" which I agree since it's an iconic symbol for Singapore. Only thing wrong about it was it was drizzling! We were not able to bring umbrellas! So we had to brave the "rain" so we could just go and sight see the bay at night. We met up with my friend and had dinner at Marina Bay Sands. The structure alone is gorgeous as it is but the inside is much better and they have a variety of shops and restaurants. After dinner, we went to Sephora because I really really wanted to buy a few beauty loot but I begged off and we bought perfumes instead. After our stroll along Marina Bay Sands, we finally decided to go back to the hotel at around 10PM or 11PM so we could rest.

The following morning, my sister and I woke up earlier to buy "pasalubongs" (treats/gifts) for our loved ones at home. We came back to the hotel before 10AM and packed our stuff to check out. We went straight to the airport after check out so we could have our things checked-in at the baggage drop in or something. It's actually a cool way so if you still have a few hours to spare, you can just leave your luggage there, pay for it and claim it when you get back before you check in. We looked around the airport and found a stall selling tickets to Universal Studios which we got at a cheaper price! After buying the tickets, we headed straight to the Universal Studios and it was the best experience ever! It was a great way to end my Singapore trip. I really had a lot of fun. I did not expect to really have fun in the Transformers ride but it was THE BEST RIDE EVER! We also tried Madagascar, we got in the Steven Spielberg sound studio, we saw the Monster Rock, got to see the Jurassic Park set up as well as the lost world; we also witnessed the drama/play/excerpt of the movie water world by Kevin Costner;  we even got to see Shrek 4D! Too cool! BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. The kid in me was super rejoicing, I'm sure of that. The whole day we got to roam around Resorts World Sentosa, unfortunately we weren't able to see the whole of Sentosa. Maybe in the future, when I go back there. ;) We left around 8 or 9PM and went straight to the airport and waited for our early morning flight. I guess the whole day we spent on USS took a toll on us that we slept all throughout the three-hour flight! LOL 

It has been a dream of mine to visit and see Singapore now I can cross it off my bucket list, but I will definitely come back. It is such a livable place and the people are so well-disciplined! I wish to experience Sentosa more and of course, more shopping! It's the best there. I can now officially say "I have been there" or "I have been to Singapore!". Now thinking of which place to visit next...


How about you, where are you headed to next? :)

P.S.
Will post photos soon! xx