Monday, September 22, 2014

Fernandezes in Singapore Day 1

After my sister in law's beautiful wedding (Fernandez-Barbara) the newlyweds flew over to their honeymoon the next day. On the other hand, Alan and I, went over to the moon as well :)  We flew over to the land of chicken rice, chili crabs, cereal prawns, milo dinosaur, and home of Merlion, Singapore!

We landed in Singapore's main airport, the Changi International Airport. This was recognized the world's best airport and I couldn't agree more! Since we arrived pretty early, we spent a couple of hours and explored what this airport had in store. They showcased multiple gardens perfect for snapping selfies because of their beautiful landscaping. One of them which I liked most was the Sunflower garden. On the other hand, my husband was thrilled like a little boy to hang out in their gaming lounge. We played Xbox Kinect, Call of Duty, Prince of Persia, and Naruto fighting game on PS3. They also have an entertainment area where they cater a mini movie theatre. If you're looking for a R&R after an exhausting flight, they have a spa, gym, pool, prayer room, and napping area! I wish Korea and Japan airports where I usually stop over when I go home to Manila, provide these kind of facilities as they will definitely come in handy. One thing that can be quite a problem having such great facilities is missing a flight. haha.

After touring Changi airport, we picked up our luggages and took the MRT going to our hotel. You can pretty much tour the whole country using their efficient and reliable trains and buses. I love Singapore's public transportation. It's so clean, spacious, and did I mention they are efficient and reliable? hehe. I could only wish MRT and buses in Manila would be as good as Singapore's.         


For 2 nights, we stayed at an artsy, boutique hotel called, The Ardennes, located in Bugis which we booked via agoda.com. It was also convenient as it was only a few minutes walk from Lavender MRT Station. 


At first, I was a bit disappointed to find out that our room has no window. But to my delight, Alan showed me that what we had was better than a window. He grabbed a remote, pointed it towards the ceiling, and suddenly the sky was above my head. We had a moon roof in our room! It was perfect especially at night because we were able to lie down in the bed while gazing underneath the stars. Can't deny that my hubby is a hopeless romantic! :)

photo from agoda.com
Off we went to Singapore's shopping hub, Orchard Road after we checked in. 

Since it was lunch time and we were starving, we hurriedly grabbed a bite in Takashimaya food court and had my first chicken rice! The one I had was sweet and spicy Thai sesame chicken rice. So good!   

After a sumptuous lunch, we wasted no time and went straight to Gardens by the Bay.

Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden". The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city. -Wikipedia

There were multiple attractions in the Garden but we chose what was closest to our hearts, the Flower Dome. If Alan and I will have a chance to renew our vows, I want our reception held here! hahaha. Like the flowers, our love continue to blossom each day. 


Next to our list was Marina Bay. We were in a jungle earlier and in one minute we found ourselves standing in concrete. Sorry Alicia Keys because Singapore is the real "Concrete Jungle" for me! hehehe :)

Located at the Southern tip of Singapore, Marina Bay is a 360ha development designed to seamlessly extend Singapore's downtown district and further support the city-state's continuing growth as a major business and financial hub in Asia. For more info. check out their website at: http://www.marina-bay.sg/vision.html


All that sight seeing made us so hungry! Luckily, we found this famous restaurant, Jumbo Seafood, around the area. My hubby also found this highly recommended restaurant from Wikitravel and we had to put this in our itinerary. When traveling, we like to immerse ourselves in local cuisines so we just rock exploring food like Anthony Bourdain . hehe. Back to the restaurant, there was a long queue which just showed that this place was the bomb. Their specialties were chili crabs and cereal prawns. It's kind of a splurge but it's worth it! My hubby doesn't normally eat crabs because he's too lazy to peel the shell off but to my surprise, he showed no mercy to the crabs. On the other hand, my favorite was the cereal prawns. I liked how they made the prawns so crunchy and sweet. Both perfect with a bowl of steamed white rice. Nom nom nom.  

THE HIGHLIGHT FOR DAY 1! LOL :D

xoxo,
Joselle

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