Celebrating Decades in Singapore and Malaysia

Why do people travel, leave the comforts of home and of all-too-familiar things and space, to tread unwittingly on foreign shores and sleep on hotel beds where thousand others have slept before? For me, it is the beauty of discovering and of tasting other cultures, much like experiencing how others' backyards and gardens look, feel, and smell like notwithstanding our complete satisfaction with our own. My recent travel destinations were Singapore and Malaysia. This time I brought along my two children, aged 14 and 10, with me so they may join me in my thirst for discovery. The choice of a city state and a country that have completely transformed themselves in recent decades was perfect as I celebrated and cheered turning decades knowing that I have exceedingly transformed myself, too.

We arrived five hours early at the NAIA on Saturday, May 21st, but the hours quickly passed as we relentlessly self-indulged in photo-booth and self-portraits. I've always known and believed that when you pay less, it's less that you shall get. But for this trip, my first realization was that as you travel (and age) more, you start to crave more for comfort, and it becomes less of a consideration if you pay more, provided you are comfortable. As soon as we seated ourselves in the Tiger Airways aircraft, I knew this would be a difficult four-hour flight. The seats very uncomfortable and worn-out. There were no food or water served. In fact, we had to pay S$3/P130 for a teeny-weeny bottle of mineral water. I expected the no-food service, but didn't expect and found it absurd that even water had to be paid for. We landed in Changi International Airport's budget terminal for budget flights. The taxi queue was organized, but we had to pay S$5 more for budget flights on cab fare. There was also an added charge for cab use if you traveled on the weekday and at midnight. The cab fare was S$22 from the airport to Bencoolen.

We stayed at the Ibis Hotel on Bencoolen. It was very clean with none of that queer hotel odor, and furnitures were new. The room was compact and space-efficient. I also loved that there were enough space and container in the shower for my bath and beauty essentials. There was a 7-11 just beside the hotel, rows of restaurants nearby serving local cuisine, a bus stop right in front, some shopping areas nearby, a Chinese temple in the back, but best of all there were no seedy-looking characters occupying the hotel or frequenting its premises.

After catching on our sleep, we first headed to the Botanic Garden on Nassim and Clumny roads on Sunday, May 22nd. The garden was well worth the visit. It was a refreshing side to Singapore known for its expensive shopping malls and high-end hotels. There were many locals at the Botanic Garden; it was a favorite picnic place. Children skated and biked, and there were a few runners I saw, too. We then headed to the Liang Court for the late afternoon river cruise of Singapore's three quays: boat quay, Clark quay, and Marina quay. We bought our tickets on site, and waited for a few minutes for the boat to arrive. The river cruise was appealing. Parks, restaurants, and hotels lined up the riverside. Singapore's architecture is something to behold and admiring it from the boat was a lovely experience. The Marina Bay Sands, the Esplanade, and the Singapore Flyer stood out from among the tall buildings and structures. After the river cruise, we walked by the riverside. My girls didn't appreciate all the walking, and before long, we just had to dine in the first Italian resto that caught our fancy. It was an expensive meal at the Bella Pasta, but like my daughter said, you simply ignore the price because the food was really good and service was efficient. It was amusing to realize that there was a Filipino in every nook and corner of Singapore: the staff at the river boat cruise, a waitress or waiter here and there, and every now and then you would overhear conversations in Filipino among locals and tourists alike. We slept well and soundly as we did on our first night. The sheets and pillows were extremely comfortable as well as clean and pleasant-smelling.

There was a free buffet breakfast for two at the Ibis Hotel, which the girls took. Not being big on breakfast, I simply had the free coffee in the hotel room and munched on hash browns the girls took as take-away. On our second morning in Singapore, we took our time preparing ourselves and enjoying breakfast. While in the cab, the driver suggested we take the cable car from Mount Faber instead of from the Harbourfront Center on Maritime Square because the cable car ride would be longer and the scenery more interesting. We followed his advice, and the road to Mount Faber, as well as Mount Faber itself, were as clean, fresh, and beautiful as I'd seen them on the internet. I soon realized we did the right thing because the cable car ride fare was the same if we had took it from Harbourfront. And indeed, the ride was longer and the sight wonderful. The three of us had a wonderful few minutes during the cable car ride. We hopped off on the Imbiah Lookout Point in Sentosa where we also found a free bus service that took us to the Universal Studios. I purposely scheduled our visit on a Monday because it was very crowded on weekends and much time would have been lost queueing. It was extremely sunny that day, and still pretty much crowded on a weekday. After some time, we had to cool down in yet another Italian ristorrante. I was so itching to try out local cuisine but couldn't because there was none anyway that I saw at the Universal Studio grounds. Soon the kids were hopping from one roller coaster ride to the next, unmindful of the queue, and shrieking with stories of the rides they took as soon as they got off them. I didn't mind waiting for them, and I always stood ready with the camera as soon as they got out to capture the expressions on their faces after each ride. They begged me to come with them to the River Rapids and I gave in. It was the longest queue, I think, because it was not a very scary ride so the queue was composed of children, teens, adults, parents, and grandparents. You only had to be drenched in water afterwards. The ride was short and quick, but it was fun, and everyone in our raft was laughing at me as I shrieked at the slightest jerk or movement of the raft.

The Universal Studios in Singapore opens at 10am and closes at 7pm, and that is a shame because I personally think that it should extend until 9 or 10 pm. It was extremely hot and humid during the day, and it would have been less draining if the place was open well into the evening. We felt so tired and hot at the end of the day that we simply decided to leave as soon as the park closed fearing we would be left behind by the cable car ride back to the Harbourfront Tower. It was still bright and sunny at 7:30 p.m., but while we were inside the cable car the sun was just setting, so we got to enjoy the beautiful sunset from inside the cable car. As soon as we hopped off the Harbourfront Tower and out onto the street to find a cab, the driver asked why we left so early and missed out on the laser show before the park closed. We didn't know about the laser show! We were so exhausted and hungry, anyway, and decided to have dinner at Ibis Hotel. There was a dinner promo going on that cost S$15 for three dishes with 25% discount for hotel guests. It was a very good deal considering how expensive everything was in Singapore. But it was a pleasant surprise that the food was simply an amazing culinary experience. Since I was too full, I walked around after dinner while the girls enjoyed the cozy bed and watched TV.

We took the free hop-on hop-off tour of Singapore on Tuesday, May 24th, which came for free with our hotel occupancy. We didn't need to rush out so early so we took the 11 a.m. tour, just in time after the girls had breakfast. The hop-on hop-off tour with the Funvee Tours was a let-down. It was too quick and too impersonal. The tour guide talked way too fast, and the driver drove too fast for us to even appreciate each site as we zoomed past them. We felt as if we just went through all the motions out of obligation and not because the tour guides wanted to show us the beauty of their city state. The tour ended at the Singapore Flyer, which was crowded with tourists with the same anxious faces undecided which local attraction to go to. We decided to explore the Marina Bay Sands after the boring hop-on hop-off tour. The place was massive and filled to the brim with tourists, local businessmen and women, and expensive everything. I was stressed out the whole time because the girls would always find something so interesting and I was always fearful they would drop or break something. They also had a habit of playing with the escalator, like using the descending stairs if we were going up. In a city state as Singapore, where chewing gum was prohibited, this kind of behavior which would have been normal in my country and in my home, always nearly gave me massive heart attack. This was why I thought long and hard and eventually decided against going inside the Marina's ArtScience Museum, and simply took photos of the brilliant structure from outside. I didn't want to end up with the Marina Bay Sands' security personnel. What surprised me about the place was its food court. As soon as we stepped in the immaculate food court, the wonderful aroma of culinary dishes from different Asian countries, including the Philippines, simply filled your senses. This, and the efficient movement of the chefs and cooks in each stall as they prepared the ramen or the mee mak or the spicy crab, was like an art form unveiling itself before you. It was magical. Needless to say, I had a wonderful rendezvous with my food, and was even more thrilled that the girls had a similar experience with their choice of cuisine.

We headed back to the hotel and decided to rest early. The girls were having such a beautiful relationship with the comfortable bed in front of the television that I simply got express food for them from 7-11 for late dinner, while I again indulged in Singapore's local cuisine for dinner at the hotel coupled with a good Australian white wine. This wasn't normal of me - to still have dinner despite a very fulfilling lunch. But I couldn't resist passing up on the local cuisine on our last night in Singapore. I was glad to have struck a conversation with caucasian tourists who said that the Night Safari was not too good and was overrated. This meant I made the right decision not to take it. Once again, I walked around in the evening, but this time reached as far as Orchard Road. The roads were safe and quiet, and every now and then you would see College students coming home from evening classes. I am not a big fan of massive shopping malls even if I do love fashion, so Singapore's trendy malls didn't appeal to me at all. What I found appealing while doing my evening walk were the carefully manicured parks, the clean sidewalks, the decent and fashionable locals walking past me, and the general feeling of order and security at 11 in the evening in this foreign place.

On May 25th as I turned decades in Singapore, we rose early and checked out of Ibis Hotel in Singapore to catch the 9:00 a.m. Aeroline Coach Bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For its price (almost P10,000.00 for the three of us), I expected so much of this trip especially since my google searches all turned up with positive remarks. But, not only was the bus late, it smelled funny as we stepped in. As if that weren't enough, we were seated right behind a big family, and the dad really smelled bad I concluded he must have had his last bath in 1983. Needless to say, the five-hour trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was a disaster even before it took off.

We were too excited when we reached Kuala Lumpur because it meant we will finally step out of our misery. And we knew it was Malaysia because everything was just enormous in this place '" the highways, the buildings, the structures. The Aeroline hop-off and hop-on station was at the Corus Hotel on Jalan Ampang. We simply ran out of the bus as soon as the door opened and got a cab for RM12 from Corus Hotel to the Pacific Regency Hotel. The hotel looked grand and we were greeted with friendly and very attentive staff, two or three from the lobby of which were Filipinos. I was also given discount vouchers for the hotel's spa service and dining halls. Our room on the 27th floor was just massive! Our Singapore hotel room looked like a closet in comparison. Our room had a kitchen with utensils, a dining area, a small living room area, and the bathroom not only had a bathtub (which the girls always look for in hotel rooms), but it had huge closets inside. The first thing I did was to lie down and thank the Lord I was sniffing and breathing in nice-smelling air, before we went swimming on the 33rd floor. The food on the menu sure cost a lot cheaper, plus we had the discount vouchers. So we had pizza at Luna Bar beside the pool, and for dinner we ordered in pizza (again!) and soda for the girls, and mee mamak for me. The girls just seemed to have a never-ending craving for food. I also decided against going to Ladies' Night at the Luna Bar that evening and simply rested early with the girls.

On May 26th, Thursday, my classmate from General Santos City, Charina, and her husband Ravi, picked us up from the hotel and graciously brought us sightseeing. First, we went to the Batu Caves, where we climbed 240 steps to reach the worship grounds of Hindus made of limestones. Along the steps there were monkeys that seemed so used to being with people. I forgot about not getting any food, and made the mistake of buying ice cream for my little girl at the top of the steps, and we slightly panicked when the monkeys stalked her to get it. She had to throw the unfinished ice cream in the trash bin to avoid being harassed by the monkeys. We then headed to the Genting Highlands. It was so hot in Singapore so we expected the same weather in Kuala Lumpur, but did not expect at all that it would be so cold at the Genting Highlands. Neither of us had any jacket or even a scarf on and in fact I was wearing a short sleeveless summer dress so I was simply shaking quite the entire time. My kids had no problem at all as they even opened the sunroof on our way to Genting and enjoyed the wind. For lunch, my hosts brought us to this Chinese restaurant that was among a row of restaurants right before you reach the Genting Highlands, which was a great idea because like the Universal Studios, the food outlets and restaurants at Genting served mostly Western or otherwise commercial food. The restaurant was not much to look at but the food was surprisingly delightful. I especially loved the noodles with very specially-made sauce, and the baby sitaw, which was simply sauteed but was very, very tasty. My friend joined us for the cable car ride from the entrance to the Highlands, which was a lot longer than the one we had in Singapore, while her husband met us at the Highlands. Genting's cable car ride was gently ascending for what seemed like endlessly, but it was very safe and we all had the time of our lives. We toured around the massive hotel with over 6,000 hotel rooms. Then my hosts bought tickets to the rides for the girls, and they excitedly went their way while we stayed behind at a Starbucks coffee shop, my friend and I catching up on all the years we've missed on each other. It is always wonderful to catch up with a friend you've known for ages. The ride back to Kuala Lumpur seemed longer, but the kids watched a dvd (Tron) inside the car all throughout the ride back into KL. We thought we were headed back to the hotel, but our hosts brought us, still, for dinner at Chili's at the KLCC, picking the place after observing that my younger one preferred Western food like pizza and the like, which was very thoughtful of them. We never frequented Chili's in Manila since we loved Burgoo a lot better, but in Kuala Lumpur, they had bottomless nachos (that my girls loved, and which was really pleasurable) apart from the bottomless soda. The quesadilla was lovely and so was the Asian salad. In conclusion, this was the nth time that we stuffed ourselves with just food and laughter and new culture in a matter of only 5 days into our foreign travel.

On May 27th, a Friday, we only forced ourselves out of our king-sized uber comfortable bed because the girls, once again, were hungry, whereas I would have been happy not to even talk about food for the next 14 days. We walked to the KLCC, side by side with quite a number of tourists who, like us, were taking in the city's morning sights and sounds. We had lunch at Chili's consisting of quesadilla, bottomless nachos and soda, and Asian salad, the exact same dishes we had just the night before. Then we walked around, tempted to give in to the summer sale of a variety of apparel and fragrances, but I was glad I didn't because I found out later that shopping in Manila was still way cheaper although the choices may be less varied. We took several photos of the impressive Petronas Twin Towers, which was just nearby. That evening, I met up with another friend from General Santos City, a classmate of my sister's, who was with her adorable twins. We had a jovial dinner at Friday's, and we chose the place because it was near our hotel and the Friday night traffic in KL was pretty bad.

On May 28th, Saturday, we hoped and prayed that our Aeroline bus trip from KL to Singapore would not be as horrible as the first one. Our prayers were answered, and more. All travelers waited relaxedly for the bus at the Corus hotel lobby, the bus was prompt, and all the travelers smelled nice. The trip was very relaxing, service was impeccable, food was succulent, bus entertainment was impressive, immigration stops were fast and efficient. We were genuinely sad when we reached Singapore promptly, we almost wished the trip was delayed as we were not looking forward to flying via the budget airline back to Manila. We had a quick lunch at Vivo City before we flagged a cab to the budget terminal. The Kaya toast and white coffee at Hani's Cafe, my last meal in Singapore, was the only lovely thing for me at the crowded and disorganized budget terminal. I made sure to buy a bottle of mineral water before we went into the pre-departure area, which only cost S$1, but to my dismay, the immigration officers threw the content away upon inspection without even asking us if we wanted to drink it before we went inside pre-departure. My back endured another four hours of uncomfortable travel back to Manila. We entertained ourselves with stories and reading the in-flight magazines but it didn't help when we found out there were trash tucked away in the seat pockets, which meant that the budget Tiger Airways plane was not cleaned before we embarked on the 4-hour flight. In fairness to the airline, the flight pilots to and from Singapore were very skilled and experienced. While we were traveling, there was a typhoon in Luzon and on the day of our flight back to Manila, weather was pretty bad in the city. The pilot made sure we had as little discomfort during the flight as possible due to turbulence. That made up for the other discomforts we had in-flight especially the discomfort to my spinal column.

At 10 pm on May 28th, three days after I cheered my decades of living and laughing, I was back in Manila with my girls. We had been to three countries in one day '" Kuala Lumpur in the morning, Singapore in the afternoon, and Manila in the evening. And there's nothing better than sleeping in my own bed, smelling my familiar comfy pillows and blanket, and hearing the familiar sounds on our street. But of course, this definitely does not mean that I would not be traveling anytime soon.