Learning to use the train in Singapore

In a recent trip to Singapore, we took advantage of their excellent public transportation system to teach our daughter about commuting using public transport. It will be useful for future travels especially in countries we plan to visit that also have similar transit systems.

Descending to the subway station near our hotel

At the station level, one needs some sense of direction and the layout of the station to know where to get a card or tickets and where to enter the station towards the platforms.

Station and train information are available and very visible in SMRT stations

Network maps help one plan a trip including determining where you can transfer from one line to another. While there can be many transfer stations, the key is to determine the least number of stations as presumably this will lead to less travel time. Offhand, a familiarity with stations may also be useful to determine where it is easier to transfer (i.e., same platform for two lines rather than having to walk, ascend or descend to transfer).

Singapore’s transit system employs ezlink cards for the convenience of commuters. We got one each and its nice that we got these cards with the Doraemon design. EZLink cards regulary have many nice and attractive designs that help popularize its use. These have already become collectibles among commuters and visitors.

It took only a couple of rides for our daughter to learn how to commute in Singapore. That’s how easy it was and it should be very similar if we’re traveling to Japan or Korea, even Europe at some point. The public transportation in cities in those countries are really good and easy to figure out and use. Hopefully, we can soon take her to learn how to use the LRT in Metro Manila and perhaps also the bus and jeepney. That will be an interesting experience.

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Back at Singapore Zoo

The last time we were at the Singapore Zoo was more than 10 years ago when we were residents of the city. There were many attractions being planned at the time but we weren't able to visit again until recently. There are a lot of construction ongoing in the area so I guess its a continuing project for the zoo.

Map of the zoo.

The elephants were among the biggest (literally and figuratively) attractions of the zoo.

Our daughter was most interested in the insects and spiders in the zoo. Here she is with a volunteer 'uncle' talking about the stages in the life of a butterfly.

 

I kind of like going to the zoo. I have nice memories of going to the Manila Zoo during my childhood years. Since then, I've been to the zoos in Nagoya, Ueno and San Diego. I planned to go to other zoos when I was abroad but my itinerary didn't allow me to go.

More photos at the Singapore Zoo in future posts!

Back in Singapore after more than 3 years

Our last overseas trip prior to the lockdown due to COVID-19 was to Singapore in late November to early December in 2019. We went to Singapore to watch the U2 concert there. We had plans to travel abroad in 2020 particularly to Japan (it was supposed to be an Olympic year but we would have gone sometime in the Autumn) but those plans were derailed by the pandemic. We were supposed to travel to Singapore during the Undas holidays last year but unfortunately, a typhoon got in the way. We could not just change our schedule mainly due to travel restrictions on my part (I need to have authority to travel as I work in government.). The wife was the first to travel abroad again as she traveled to the US for business meetings earlier this year. We finally got to travel as a family last week and were fortunate for the nice weather in the city-state during our entire stay. We were informed by friends there that it was raining heavily the past days before we arrived.

The view from our hotel room was spectacular. In one photo, you can see the Marina Bay Sands, the Art Science Museum, the Esplanade Theaters, the Merlion, the Fullerton and the new buildings of the business district. The Singapore Flyer and the War Memorial could have been in the photo but I have them in others that I will share later.

It was the first overseas trip for our daughter so we made sure that we got to stay at a good hotel. We stayed at the Fairmont, which was very near the SMRT City Hall Station. You can easily walk to the nearby Esplanade and Promenade areas as well as take the train to other destinations. Part of the experience for our daughter, which I will write about in another post, is to learn how to use the train including purchasing a card and topping up to make sure the card is loaded for trips.

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Travel interrupted - canceled trip due to Typhoon Paeng

I was supposed to be traveling with my family to Singapore over the Undas long weekend. That did not push through due to the circumstances brought about by Typhoon Paeng. What could have been our daughter's first travel abroad did not materialize and we were left with sunk costs from the tickets we had already bought online for Universal Studios and the Singapore Zoo. We also had to cancel meet-ups with friends in Singapore.

That trip was supposed to be the first time I would be traveling with this world timer - a collab of Seiko and ANA.

The weather was really terrible but somehow some airlines were able to arrive and depart from the airport including this Cathay Pacific flight to/from Hong Kong. We were wondering why ours wasn't able to do so considering we were supposed to be on a big plane that can handle the turbulence.

After being delayed for a couple of hours, this ANA flight arrived from Narita. Our Singapore Airline plane was nowhere in sight. So was the next SIA flight. Flight tracker apps showed these to have been diverted to Clark and we thought there was still a chance to travel that night even though severely delayed, but that was not to be.

The airport announced all flights were canceled just before 6:30 PM. This was a late announcement that some airlines were waiting for. Cebu Pacific apparently had advance information as they canceled all their international flights one after the other around 6:00PM (probably to manage the crowds that would file out of the departure area to reclaim their luggage). We were disappointed that Singapore Airlines did not act immediately and decisively on the matter. We were expecting at least an announcement of when we could expect to be on the next flight. For an airline of their stature, I was also expecting that they could have made arrangements for accommodations due to the great inconvenience brought upon passengers. That was the least they could do if they intended to put us in the next available flight (planes were cleared to operate at 10:00PM that night). Apparently, the typhoon (and its implied acts of nature/acts of God aspect) was also a convenient excuse for the airline (and others, too) to practically abandon their passengers. 

Of course, we later received a series of emails from the airline informing us that we were rebooked to flights the following day. I say 'flights' here because these the first email informed us of a flight at 10:00AM. A subsequent email then said we were to be in a 12:00 flight. A third then said that we were to be on a 2:00 PM flight. We got to read these emails around 7:00 AM the following day as they were sent overnight when we were already occupied in finding accommodations during inclement weather. Flabbergasted, we decided to request a refund instead of re-booking and rescheduling our trip. It was already difficult to reschedule as there weren't any weekends long enough remaining this 2022 and this Undas was the ideal time for a getaway. We'll try again another time.

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Bakkwa in Manila

One of the stores we "discovered" while in Robinsons Manila was a familiar one that we usually saw in Singapore - Bee Cheng Hiang. The store sells the very popular bakkwa, which my relatives fondly call Singapore's version of tocino. I wasn't able to take a photo of the shop as I thought I would look like a tourist but we did purchase some to take home including a pack of pork floss.

I made small talk with the vendor and asked him if they had any other branches in Manila. When he replied they didn't, I asked about the store in Binondo that was supposed to be located at a popular discount mall there (I had read about this previously and thought that was the branch in Manila.). I was informed that that was not a legit branch and that the only one is really this store in Robinsons Manila. We'll soon be traveling to Singapore, which would be our first travel overseas since December 2019. We'll probably purchase bakkwa at Changi prior to our return flight.

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Tea time: Salvador Dali souvenir cup

There's this rather unusual cup in our collection at home. The 'disfigured' form is in theme with special exhibit featuring Salvador Dali that we went to in Singapore many years ago.

The cup is deformed for a reason - it is a Salvador Dali souvenir after all. :)

We currently use it for paintbrushes, pencils and pens used mainly for artwork

You must have notice by now that "DALI" is printed around the cup and below it is "MIND OF A GENIUS".

This was purchased from the Singapore Art Science Museum where we viewed a collection of works by Salvador Dali.

More posts on souvenir cups and mugs soon!

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Mug Shots: Starbucks Singapore

The Starbucks part of our collection also includes this mug from Singapore. We lived there for almost 2 years so it was just fitting we also had a Starbucks mug aside from the other souvenir and novelty mugs from the city-state.

Landmarks such as the Singapore Flyer and the National Museum of Singapore are on the mug. 'Singapore' is also on the inside of the rim.

This won't be a Singapore souvenir without the Merlion. There is also the Singapore Flyer in the background.

Colorful buildings of Chinatown on this side of the mug

The handle does not have anything on it.

The price tag is still at the bottom of the mug (showing this to be unused). That's 22.90 SGD and not in USD. The mug is made in China and it is microwave and dishwasher safe.

 

I remember I still have one more Singapore mug in my collection that is in my office. It's a novelty mug about how Singapore is a 'fine' city.

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Mug shots: Singapore Sling Beer Mug

Another mug I got from Singapore is this souvenir from the airport that I think I got while on stopover between Manila and Colombo. It is a big mug that you probably would use for beer instead of your coffee or chocolate.

The recipe for the famous Singapore Sling is engraved/printed on the mug.

The handle

The rest of the mug was plain

The price tag is still on the mug. I got this for 16 SGD at the Discover Singapore store at Changi. Also indicated on the price tag is this being a beer mug.

I have other novelty mugs like this that I will also write about soon. There are those, however, that were gifted to me that I quickly got rid of (not re-gifted but thrown away) as they are either ugly or contained material or images that were not wholesome.

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Mug shots: Singapore Art Museum

We lived in Singapore for almost 2 years. Among the places we liked to visit were the museums there. The National Museum of Singapore had a collection that included artwork from Southeast Asian countries and they had some nice paintings from the Philippines. Another museum we liked to visit was the Singapore Art Museum, where we got this nice souvenir mug. There's a unique feature to the mug that I show in the following photos.

Floral art work on the mug

The design of the handle caught our attention and was among the reasons for getting this souvenir.

The mug and its handle looks like a face with a long nose from this view.

The other side view showing the form of the mug

Not much info here like whether the mug is microwave-safe or where it was manufactured.

More souvenir mugs from other museums or institutions in future posts!

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Derwish Turkish Restaurant

A place we always return to for a good meal in Singapore is Derwish, a Turkish restaurant along Bussorah Street in the Arab Quarter. We went here once in a while when we were residents of the city state. At the time, we were fond of window shopping as there were lots of shops selling carpets from Iran (Persian carpets) and other parts of the Middle East. There were also shops selling lamps and other items of interest for tourists and residents alike. The area also hosts many restaurants, cafes and eateries for people of various tastes, preferences or budgets. We've eaten at and had coffee at some of these but have come to prefer eating at Derwish. Aside from the food and staff, the owner-manager is quite engaging and is never a boring conversation even on a busy day.

The menu cover

Naan and Hummus

"Balloon" bread

You can't go wrong with their kebabs

A photo with the owner of the restaurant. Do you know he's married to a Filipina from Bulacan, Philippines?

We are already looking forward to the next visit to Singapore...maybe after the proverbial coast is clear of the corona virus?

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Turkish lamps from the Arab Quarter, SG

The recent trip to Singapore allowed us to go back to some of our haunts including the Arab Quarter. Among the shops we went to were those selling Persian carpets and rugs from that region including Afghanistan. But the objective was really to pick up one or two lamps from the Turkish lantern shops in the area.

An assortment of lamps - it was quite a challenge to choose lamps among those on display but we were able to get a couple.

One of the lamps we bought was installed at our lanai. This one was a glass mosaic.

The other lamp is beneath one of our balconies and above a favorite seating area. The glass panels are brought together by a decorative brass case. When lighted, the design gives off that burst on top.

Our only regret was not being able to get a couple more lamps as well as a rug or two. We almost got one rug but thought the purchase would hurt our budget. We were also shopping for Christmas presents and the really nice rugs cost a lot. More on this in a future post.

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Arab Quarter in Singapore

I begin the year not with a chocolate review nor a watch feature but with some travel photos. These are from our recent trip to Singapore, trips that we always consider as sentimental journeys. Despite living in the city-state for almost 2 years, we have not really explored as much as we wanted to. We do have our favorite haunts and almost always go to one or some of them whenever we are in SG. One of the places we had planned to go to for the weekend trip was the Arab Quarter. We wanted to have another look at the carpets and lamps

The buildings evoke the Singapore of old times. Shops and restaurants (businesses) were usually at the ground floor and residential space on the second.

Contrary to what some think or imagine Singapore to be, there are actually a lot of cars here but many are used on the weekends and for leisurely drives or trips. Most Singaporeans and foreign workers take public transport any day of the week.

There is a good view of the grand mosque from the pedestrian-only street. The street is lined with restaurants, cafes and shops. 

Turkish restaurant - we have a favorite where we always have a great meal and enjoy Turkish coffee afterwards.

Malay-Singaporean cuisine themed restaurants are also along the street

There are also Lebanese, Indonesian and Indian cuisine themed restaurants but the central attraction is the mosque.

The mosque attracts both religious (Muslims) and non-religious (tourists) people. Singapore is a model in terms of tolerance and understanding among peoples of various religions and cultures. There is respect here among them and that is reinforced by the rule of law in the city state.

I will post about the lamps we got soon!
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Teppanyaki at Somerset 313

Part of our itinerary in Singapore was to eat at the teppanyaki restaurant at the top of Somerset 313. We used to eat there a lot when we were staying in Singapore 7 years ago. It was among what we considered as comfort food while living abroad.

Our set orders being prepared for the frier

Surf and turf - our set included wagyu beef, prawns, scallops and salmon, with a generous serving of veggies (yasai itame) on the side

Here's the entire set with miso soup and rice

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Street ice cream in Orchard Road

Only a week ago, we were walking along Orchard Road and on the way to a late lunch at the Somerset 313 when we passed by a popular ice cream stand. A lot of people were getting their cold refreshments from a couple of 'uncles' and there were photos on the stand of some celebrities who enjoyed an ice cream sandwich or cone there. We had ours, too, for the price of 2.50 SGD each. That seemed expensive in the Philippines but it's quite cheap in Singapore considering the serving size.

Popular ice cream stand that looks as if it were informal like the 'dirty' ice cream we have in the Philippines

You have choices of ice cream flavors including vanilla, yam (ube) and chocolate. And you can have them in a variety of cones or bread. The ice cream were a hit on that hot day and a lot of us enjoyed eating at Orchard. I wouldn't mind coming back for second or even third servings.

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