Kampong sa Singapore

Pulau Ubin - ang huling Kampong sa bansang Singgapur. 

Welcome!

Ano ba ang Kampong? Marami tayo nito sa Pilipinas, ngunit dito, ito ay maituturing kahuli hulihang tipo nito sa lungsod ng mga leon (lungsod {pura} ng leon {singa}) . 

Ito ang mga iilang larawan para matukoy ang isang kampong.

Kampong Style 1

Kampong Style 2

Kampong Style 3

Kapag ikaw ay nasa 1^st world country tulad ng Singapore, iilan na lamang ang makikita mong ganito. Ito ay maituturing na probinsiya o baryo sa atin, sa Pilipinas.

Unang beses kong nakapunta dito. Sumakay kami ng bumboat galing Changi Point Ferry terminal. Ang pamasahe ay nagkakahalagang SGD 2.50/pax = PHP 85/ pax.  

naglalaman ng doseng pasahero

Pagdating sa Ubin Jetty, may nag abot samin ng flyer ng isang resort – Celestial Resort (SGD 10 = PHP 340) para sa bike rental at 1 hour na fish spa o kayak. Pinili naming ang bike rental at 1 hour fish spa, na hindi ko pa din nagagawa :)
 

Take your pick!

Marami pang ibang parentahan ng bisikleta sa lugar na ito at mga kainan ngunit hindi na namin ito inurirat pa dahil excited na kami magbisikleta!.

Hindi madali ang mga trails dito para sa katulad kong sanay sa patag na kalsada lang nagbibisiketa. May mga ilang uphills,mga rough road at off road, idagdag mo pa ang matinding sikat ng araw at basic function lang ng bisikleta. Kaya sa susunod kong bisita dito ay magrerenta na ako ng medyo advanced type ng bisikleta ngunit ito ay medyo mas mataas sa S$10.

Napunta kami sa isang lake na ito na maituturing kong parang Mt Pinatubo Crater. Hindi ito madaling mapuntahan dahil sa mabatong daan pero it's worth it naman. :)

Pahinga muna.
Bumili ng inuming pampalamig.
Magkwentuhan.
Damhin ang simoy ng hangin sa kampong.



Softdrinks - SGD 1.5/can = PHP 51/can
Island Coconut - SGD 2.5 (kung matigas na ang laman) = PHP 85/buko
SGD 3 (kung pang buko salad ang laman) = PHP 102/buko

Si Nem po, ang galit na galit sa buko!

 Kadalasang pumupunta dito ang mga tao upang mag bisikleta, mag roller blades o maglakad sa napakalaking park. Ito ang pinakamalapit na escape sa main city. Panandaliang tumakas sa mataong lugar, matataas na gusali at marangyang kapaligiran ng Singapore (ngunit nasa Singapore ka pa din. hehe).

Pulau Ubin, October 2012

My journey to Legoland, Malaysia

Are you a fan of lego?

As for me, I’m not. Maybe because I was not able to play them when I was a kid. 

I don’t have lego toys. haha (poor baby)

Anyway, Legoland Malaysia was launched last September. Before they officially opened, they invited travel agents to join them on their soft opening which we were not able to attend. And so, we have requested for another day of inspection and they were very accommodating to give us ONE PERFECT & FREE SUNDAY.

Excited?. Mmm, not much. As I mentioned, I’m not a fan and not fond of legos.

But I like going to theme parks - the adrenaline rush of taking the rides. Kaya, pwede na din.  

Anyway, how to go there? I asked my housemate who just went there a week earlier and I overheard that there was a FREE bus from JB Central which is 15-20mins away from the theme park. So, this was one of the options.

Another was to ask one of our officemates to go along with him as he would be bringing his own car.

Option 2 won!
Singapore to Legoland Transfer  - Check :)

It was still early (10:00 am) when we arrived at Medini Mall , which is infront of Legoland. The group decided to have breakfast at KFC while waiting for our boss. Unexpectedly, our Malaysian officemate offered me and Kuya Ronald, my colleague, a FREE breakfast. Maybe to show Malaysian hospitality. Hehe

Breakfast – Check :)
When our boss arrived, we met the Legoland Sales Representative who gave us a briefing/ introduction of the place and handed to us the theme park map and the admission ticket.

Legoland Admission Ticket – Check :)



with the Legoland Sales Rep 


 

1 Day Legoland pass
Published Rate - SGD 69/pax (adult)= PHP 2346/pax (ROE as 34)
OUR PROMO RATE - SGD 42/pax (adult)= PHP 1428/pax (ROE as 34)

Seems like we were having a perfect start.

Let’s check out what Legoland Malaysia offers us. 

 

LEGO! real big LEGO structures

I got excited when I saw that there was a diorama of the Philippines but I was also disappointed. Malaysia had Petronas Tower, Singapore had Merlion, India had Taj Mahal, China had the Great Wall, so why have they decided to feature Bolinao? No offense but they should have put the highlight of the country or the famous landmark like Luneta among others.

Philippines, my own native land

 

Putrajaya for Malaysia. Petronas Tower is also featured but I didn't take photo of it. hehe


 

Angkor Wat for Cambodia and Great Wall of China for China of course :p


  

Taj Mahal for India


 

Merlion Park, Singapore Flyer, Clarke Quay are for Singapore

 I have seen the biggest lego structures such as the dioramas of the country’s highlights in Asia (South and South east mainly). We also tried the rides which I think is more suited for young kids. But what I like most were the queues for the rides. Not that long compared to Universal Studios. They were tolerable. But one thing I didn't like was the extreme heat. Be sure to bring umbrella, hat or fan to avoid heat stroke. hehe

11:30 am came, our boss sent us SMS to meet them.  They asked us if we want to join them for a Korean BBQ lunch in JB city center and go with them to Singapore after. But, we chose to stay. Surprisingly, they gave each of us MYR 50/ pax = PHP 750/pax for our lunch.

Not bad :) Not bad at all! :)

Yahoo!
Lunch – Check :)

After checking out the place, me and Ronald decided to take our lunch outside the park to have more restaurant selection. We told Michael, our colleague who gave us the free SIN/ LEGOLAND transfer that we will not go back with him and his family to Singapore. I thought of taking the FREE bus going back to JB Central.

We had our lunch at Manhattan Fish Market and ordered the Grill gala platter (if I remember it right), Cala Cala for me and the Citrus Mint for Kuya Ronald.

Chow



Total of RM 52 with the drinks = PHP 780



Burp burp!

Now, how to go back to Singapore?
There' a free bus right?. Let’s go and find that bus.

We asked the traffic enforcer at the Coach Bay but he said there was none. We can just wait instead for the Causeway Link bus going to JB Central which is RM 4.50/ pax = PHP 68/pax. And so we waited for it. There were also cabs on standby which is offer RM 50/ car = PHP 750/car for a trip back to JB Central. We didn’t take it. We opted to wait for the Causeway Link bus.

15mins passed.

20mins passed.

We decided to ask around some more and observe the flow of people. We went to the bus parking lot/ coach bay and saw the "Resorts World Singapore Bus". 

Maybe this was the Free bus.
We tried our luck.

We smiled at the driver, hop in, sit and relax.
It's fine. Hindi kami sinita.
Maybe this was really the Free Bus that my housemate told me, or if it's not, we can just pay on the spot. We will just wait for the driver/ conductor to ask us the bus fare. But we settled with the idea that this is a FREE Resorts World bus. They would probably drop us in the Resorts World Area Singapore to attract more tourist to visit the place.

Then suddenly the bus driver stood up,  started to count the passengers. Sigh! Not to collect our fare. hehehe

We were giggling along the way until we reach the Golden Mile Terminal where the bus stopped. 

Legoland to Singapore - check :) and :(

We were surprised why did it stop in GMT and not in RWS. Looking closely at at the bus, it was a Transtar Bus painted with the Resorts World Singapore. So it was not a free ride afterall. But honest to goodness, we didn't know.

 

This is our story.
My story of my Legoland Experience.

For discounted Legoland Tickets, you may drop me an email or leave a comment below.
You can book your roundtrip transfer through Transtar - SGD 20/ pax (SIN/ Legoland/ SIN).

Legoland Malaysia, Sep 2012

A walk to remember...

Walking tour. Walking around Kuala Lumpur.

That was not our original plan but then again, me and my boyfriend are always on the go. Saying "NO" to an adventure is a BIG NO NO.

What really happened?

We took the 1st flight out from Singapore and the last flight out from KL of Jetstar on the same day. It means we only had a couple of hours to see the city. Approximately 10 hours.

We decided to take the KLIA Express from airport to the city as this is the fastest way.

KLIA Express

It's RM 35/ pax = PHP 525/pax for a 28mins non stop ride to KL Sentral which is the transit hub of the city. Taxi is RM 50/taxi/way =PHP 750/taxi for an hour journey (depends on traffic condition).

Looks like Eurail (haven't tried that yet, seen in picts only)

We were like in the Amazing Race. We need to maximize our time but at the same time, enjoy the fun and adventure and go to the last pit stop after. We plot the itinerary beforehand based on the readings we have done. I have been to KL twice but that was the 1st time that there was no Hop On Hop Off bus to bring us around. We did not take the Hop On Hop Off bus to cut cost  (RM 38/pax = PHP 570/pax) . hehe

OUTside view of the museum

First stop was the National Museum of Malaysia or the Muzium Negara (Suggested by Chito, my artsy fartsy boyfriend).   It is just behind the KL Sentral, 5-8 mins walk, crossing the Express way without pedestrian lane. Try this secret way behind the Hilton Hotel KL :) That is adventure!

After the museum, next to our itinerary was the Masjid Negara. According to the receptionist (let's call her Ate) in the museum, it is just NEAR the area. Walking distance. It was just 10am anyway and we were still starting the tour, so, we WALKED. All we had for logistics were our map from the airport and our street smart skills :)

Along the way, we saw this beautiful building which is the KTM Berhad, one of the KL's train service providers.

before reaching the Masjid Negara

Across the KTM building is the Masjid Negara. After 2.5km of walking (Ate's definition of near) is the Masjid Negara.

All visitors must remove their shoes before entering the mosque.  And remember, visitors are not allowed to put down anything on their holy ground like tripod.


Women are required to cover their hair and obviously, the whole body :)

The Holy Ground. Off limits to us

 Next stop was the Dataran Merdeka Square which is their Independence Square. It is where the tallest flagpole in the world is located (which we were not able to take picture).

Thanks to auntie who took this picture perfect shot of us! :)

Kuala Lumpur City Gallery was the next stop which houses the KL arch (which I don't know what it is) and collectibles/ souvenirs made of wooden veneer but, I din't see any model of the Philippines.

made of wooden veneers

We love EO (each other) haha

650 m away (if you know the way, which we didn't. So the it was stretched to 800m. hehe )  is the Masjid Jamek MRT.  We took this MRT going to Plaza Rakyat station and walked to Petaling Jaya which is the Chinatown area.

Rapid KL touched screen ticket vendo machine

 

MRT chips

We had our late lunch here as we were famished. That was the best lunch we ever had (or, were we just very hungry that time?) We ordered fried noodles, golden prawn, seafood fried rice, watermerlon juice, iced tea and beer for Chito (happy kid).

RM 52 = PHP 780

We realized that we were tired and hungry when we started eating.  Galit galit!

Power and energy shoot to 100% again.

We had leisurely walk around Chinatown area and went to the KL Central Market where Chito drooled.

Peataling Jaya area

Ayun oh! May bandila ang Pinas! :)

Pasilio 1

Pasilio 2 among others

Works of art around the area

Too sad that we cannot stay for long here because we have to rush to the Petronas tower and to the airport after. We only have few hours left before our departure flight at 9pm. We took the MRT going to KLCC station where the Petronas Twin Towers are located.

Was it under maintenance? I was so disappointed to see ONE tower only. Where' s the other one? I felt sad for Chito as he will not be able to see the TWIN towers.

Until we went closer . I was very very wrong. hahaha

:p

We' re very proud of ourselves. We had fun and roamed around the city by public transport (NO TAXI) with our reliable walking capacity, and most of all, our street smart skills.

APIR!!

- KL, Malaysia (May 2012)

Lucky ME!

Have you win in a raffle draw?.. Me? not even once in my 25 years of existence.
During raffle draws, I always imagine myself claiming my Grand Prize winning or even just one of the consolation prizes.

But.... it's just my imagination.
Reality check?. Not my time yet I guess.

When I was in elementary, we always had this fund raising in school. Ticket price ranges from PHP 2- PHP 5 each. Grand prizes were electric fan, single burner gas stove,  spaghetti package and the like (I dont remember the Grand Prizes actually because I know, I won't be able to have them) . Anyway, what I am eyeing were the consolation prizes There were maybe 10-15 of them. So, there would be a higher chance for me to get one. EVEN ONE.

I am a daydreamer. I imagine myself going home and bragging my prizes - 3 sachettes of instant noodles or 3 cans of Young's Town Sardines or Miki Nnilatdit package. But again, expectedly, I go home with my empty bag of winnings :(

Those were during my elemntary days. Highschool days came, there were few raffles draws and Bingo Socials. But, Nada! No luck for me. College came and went, still, nothing on my Bag Of Winnings.

tsk tsk...
I am a fighter! I didn't lose hope. I still enjoy the the 3second breath taking announcement of winners during raffle draws that I attended. Actually, I still imagine myself that the emcee will call out my name but...of course, that is just my ever playful imagination.

Until one lazy Sunday here in Singapore ( where I am base for now ), my friends and I joined a Filipino community gathering called "Pinoy Ako". It was ponsored by Singapore Telrcommunications (Singtel), MRT yellow line and others. This is not a part of our plan. We decided to go home after a city tour and we passed by this ever joyful videoke sessions on our way to MRT. So one of my friends who is addicted with freebies tried to check what is in there for us. Since it was a lazy Sunday afternoon, me and my sister dragged our feet to the event.  FREE coke, FREE picnic matress, FREE cornic, FREE facial creams, FREE videoke, FREE fun with all the Kababayans and the standing comedian.

munching corniks

To cut it short, there was a raffle draw! Ahem ahem, you know what's next :)

After announcing all the consolation winners of Singtel S$10 prepaid load, here comes the Grand Winners of Samsung Galaxy Ace. First winner came from Leong Hin Bldg....(that's my adress) and poof you go! It was so my time to shine! I just won a smart phone! My 1st ever smart phone! My FIRST EVER RAFFLE PRIZE :) I jump with joy and run with excitement to claim it and put it in my Bag of Winnings!  It was really ecstatic!

Salamat, Pinoy Ako!

one of the Grand Prize winners! :)

That was the first time, and yes, not yet done for the year of 2012. LUCKY ME :)

I won twice this year, as of now, 1st week of November.

The second I had was when we joined the thanksgiving party of Ibis Novena. Again, it was out of my plan to go and its only my colleague who dragged me to the party. Finally I said yes because it was just few steps away from where I stay anyway.

Raffle draw came and I was not the first one to be called. But thank you to those who went ahead and didn't able to wait for the highlight of the party. I won a 2 Night Weekend stay for two in Ibis Novena.

Lucky ME!

Weekend stay for two :)

Sabi siguro ni Lord sa akin nung nasa Pilipinas pa ako," mas kailangan nila yan kaysa sa'yo".Ngunit ngayong nandito na ako sa Singapore, siguro ang sabi ni Lord, "Mas kailangan mo ito kaysa sa kanila".

Singapore, Nov 2012

miss na miss...

lagi kitang napapanaginipan.

nagtatawanan..

nagdadate..

masaya..

ngunit, bigla akong magigising.
malungkot.

panaginip lang pala.

 namimiss na kita!