Singapore Day 1

As promised, I am back.

Allow me to narrate my recent adventures - my Singapore trip.

Recently, there was a rumor (I can now call it a rumor because it has been disproven.) that there would be a major earthquake in the Philippines on the 18th of July. Being the only family member left in Manila, my mother was concerned that I might get hurt if I stayed here. So.... off I went to Singapore where my sister is currently residing. As an afternote, June 18 came and went but no earthquake hit Manila, thereby, proving the prediction to be a hoax.

Originally, I planned on riding Cebu Pacific, knowing it would be cheaper however, their only available flight would be 6:20AM and that would mean I would have to be halfday at work. Being the end of the week, I needed to do and submit all my reports especially since I won't be in during the weekend. Philippine Air Lines (PAL) allowed me to travel at 2:45PM, providing me leeway to finish all I need to do before the trip.

As suggested by my sister, I had a heavy breakfast then left the office at around 10:00AM to head to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to check in. The night before, I worried that I may forget to pack everything I need but as it turns out, of all things to forget, I did not bring a pen with me. A pen! I had to borrow one from a fellow traveller in order to fill out the paperwork needed by immigration at NAIA. Later on, at the end of my flight, I would need to borrow another one from the steward to fill up the immigration form before we get to Singapore. (I forgot his name but his pen sure was handy even during the return trip.) I was early at the airport, eagerly awaiting my flight. I was a bit bored because I did not bring a book, I did not bring my earphones to use on my phone to listen to music and I did not own a PSP to play with. I roamed the waiting area, I played with my phone / camera and just texted my sister to keep me busy.

At 2:00PM, PR501 started boarding. We did not get directly on board the plane, but instead walked a flight of starirs to a waiting bus. We were then transported to the plane. No sooner that we boarded the plane, that we were made to settle down as we were ready to take off.

It was not my first time to fly but it is the first one that I am doing all by myself. I chose the aisle seat because I can get claustrophobic on a limited space. The in-flight movie was 21 - a movie I had already watched a few weeks previous. Nevertheless, I tried to keep awake for most of it. We were made to choose between chicken and fish - of course, I chose fish. And it was indeed a delightful choice. The fish was steamed but it's sauce was for sweet and sour. The trip was not eventful but we had a lot of turbulence.

We arrived in Changi Airport a little after 6:00PM of July 17th, earlier than expected. Upon arrival, I was surprised to see that Changi has not changed and it was as spacious and confusing as my first to get there 9 years ago. I didn't know where to go - where to get my baggage or where to exit. While lost, I was keeping busy by collecting all the pamphlets available. Singapore sure knows how to sell their tourist attractions, providing materials that would keep any traveller wanting to visit all that they can offer. If you were there for the shopping - brochures and magazines abound that tell you where the shops are and what bargains they can offer especially since it was the Singapore Sale. If you were attracted with the sights and sounds that the city had to offer, free maps and amazing tour packages would be your cup of tea. And since it was also the Singapore Food Festival, brochures abound that tell you where best to eat and what cuisines Singapore has to offer.

Well, my sister came in a little late, but that was ok. I was already lined up for the Singapore Food Festival Food Sampler. Once I had that on hand, we were off to dinner. We headed for the Suntec Mall. I was already acquainted with the mall, having roamed it on my last visit. That time around, I got to attend a Book Convention (I was disappointed because most of the books available then were in Chinese.) and visit the Fountain and just window shop really. On this trip, our real purpose was to eat. So, off to Food Republic we go. With the food sampler on hand, we browsed throught the different shops. When we settled down, we each had our meals. We made our plans for the next day as we finished what we were eating then headed home to her apartment.

That was my first day in Singapore.