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Category: Going Places

My travelogue.

Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)

Posted on December 9, 2022 By sweet surrender No Comments on Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)
Gardens by the Bay

Everyone who has gone to Singapore will surely visit the Gardens by the Bay. This iconic Singapore destination is certainly one of the must-go otherwise your trip will not be complete. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. WOW! 10 years already! I thought it was only a few years old. They are doing very good maintenance to the place.

Gardens by the Bay

We bought our entrance ticket for the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest on Klook. Best to buy it online to skip the queue. By the way, the entrance ticket wasn’t cheap. However, if you get it from Klook, you’ll get a further discount.

Gardens by the Bay

There is plenty to see in the surroundings if you don’t want to pay money for the attractions. The waterfront gardens (Bay South, Bay East, and Bay Central) are free. It’s best to go before the sun goes down. You can catch the lighting with music at the Garden Rhapsody in the evening. No entrance ticket requires to watch it. You can watch it as long you are in the garden. It’s open to anyone unless you want to go up to the observatory.

Gardens by the Bay

I would suggest that you go in the afternoon after 3pm. You’ll need nice natural lighting to take photos in Flower Dome before the sun goes down. After that, you can proceed to Cloud Forest in the evening around 6pm to catch the sunset and the lighting.

Gardens by the Bay

It was cloudy that day and drizzled on and off. It’s a bit humid. Good thing that it wasn’t sunny and hot. The walk wasn’t too bad but I’m a mosquito magnet haha… Couldn’t avoid getting sucked by those suckers. *LOL* Hence, do have mosquito repellent handy.

Flower Dome
Flower Dome

This is the entrance to the Flower Dome. If you bought your ticket on Klook, just go straight to the entrance and they will scan your voucher. As simple as that.

Flower Dome

Be sure to take your time to explore the place. It took us about 1 hour there. I think you might need more time if you really want to take plenty of nice photos and scrutinize the plants there. Therefore, do give yourself ample time and don’t rush through it so that you don’t waste your money because the entrance isn’t cheap at all.

Flower Dome

Do take note that what you see in this post is different from what you will see there now. They do update the theme from time to time. This was back in October 2022.

Flower Dome

Unfortunately, most of my photos didn’t turn out well. Not really in the mood to take any photos too. Didn’t take many photos of the place and too many people getting in the way.

Flower Dome

We went there on a Friday evening leading to a long weekend. I guess it will not be this overwhelming on a weekday during working hours on normal days. Even though you will see many tourists there which is normal but I’m sure it will be less than what I’ve encountered.

Flower Dome
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Cloud Forest
Cloud Forest

For Cloud Forest, you’ll see many lightings in the evening while there’s not much in the day. There were so many people. Even with those lighting, it can be rather dark at night. So do be careful. Currently, they have Avatar theme here. That time when we were there, they were still setting up.

Cloud Forest

It’s actually quite dark. I heavily edited the photos. It’s quite nice if you get to catch the sunset there. However, it was overcast that day so there wasn’t a sunset to catch.

Cloud Forest

You will need to walk and climb a lot. There’s an elevator to send everyone up but you still need to walk once you reach the level up there. Then, you walked all the way down. It might be a problem if you are afraid of heights. Try not to look down.

I didn’t take many photos here. I tried to video it but it’s just too dark. This photo is extracted from the video and I had to edit it heavily.

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We spent less than an hour there. When we came out at around 7:45pm, the Garden Rhapsody light show was on. We just sat on the bench and watched from afar. The first show was at 7.45pm and the second show would begin at 8.45pm. Each show lasts 15 minutes.

Gardens by the Bay

Meanwhile, this is the view you will see when you come out from the Cloud Forest. That’s Marina Bay Sands.

Gardens by the Bay

After the light show, we walked to Garden Rhapsody then headed to Bayfront MRT station and called it a night.

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Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore

Hotel Boss Singapore – Easy Access, Convenient, Good Location

Posted on November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 By sweet surrender No Comments on Hotel Boss Singapore – Easy Access, Convenient, Good Location

I was supposed to post about Hotel Boss in the last post but I totally forgot about it. This is the hotel we stayed in on our previous trip to Singapore. So, here you go. I did a short review on my Instagram a few weeks back. I will write about it in more detail in this post.

There were 4 of us. After looking around many OTAs, the only one that could fit the 4 of us in one room is Hotel Boss (500 Jln Sultan, #01-01, Singapore 199020). The price wasn’t cheap at all. After conversion to Ringgit, it’s RM3K+ for 5 days and 4 nights! Gosh! I can stay comfortably in a 5-star hotel in Malaysia with the best service provided at that rate. Then again, the key problem is with our currency because it is just too weak.

Getting There

We took a taxi from Changi Airport to the hotel. It was around SGD30 (inclusive of the airport surcharge and 25% peak hour charge). The taxi ride was not cheap but with the night-time arrival, a 14.5kg bag, our individual hand luggage, and two elderly, getting a taxi is more sensible.

You can also get on the MRT and ride to Lavender station. The station is located about 200m from the hotel.

Upon Arrival
Hotel Boss

I was expecting the concierge to greet us and help us with the luggage but no. No help was rendered. Instead, he tried to look away and avoid eye contact with me. I know you saw me, dude! I’ve stayed in many 4-star and 5-star hotels for work and leisure over the years in many countries and even worked in one before. This is not how a 4-star hotel should be. Heck! Even a 3-star hotel gave better service than this.

Was greeted with a busy lobby. In fact, it was packed the whole day. It’s a busy hotel. We made our way to the reception counter to check in. I’m so glad that the front office staffs were attentive, friendly, and patient.

The Room

We stayed on the 19th floor. The highest floor. The room could fit 4 pax. It has two queen-sized beds. There wasn’t enough space for our check-in luggage and we had to put it in between the two beds otherwise there won’t be space to walk. Luckily we only had one. Imagine 4 people traveling and each with a piece of check-in luggage.

Hotel Boss

Not only that, the room does not have a cupboard too. There wasn’t an iron and ironing board. You will have to go to the 4th floor to use it. There’s a laundry area with coin-operated washing machines, dryers, iron, and an ironing board there. Oh! There wasn’t a laundry bag in the room. However, you can request it if you need it. It’s FOC.

Bottled water, coffee, tea, sugar, and creamers were provided. There’s a TV, kettle, fridge, and safe box. In-room WiFi is included in the room.

Hotel Boss

By the way, the floor wasn’t carpeted. It was cold and there were no bedroom slippers provided. I called the operator to ask for it. They came fast. That’s good. I had a good experience with the operator and the housekeeping staff during my stay. Do take note that they don’t provide face towels. Only bath towels.

Hotel Boss

Our room had a balcony. No view though. Just balconies of other units.

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Do note that the check-out time is 11 am. If you need a place to store your luggage after check-out, you can store your luggage near the entrance. The concierge will help you with it.

Breakfast

By the way, our room didn’t come with breakfast. If there’s breakfast included, it would be even more expensive. I would say that just go to the nearby food court called Kopitiam or any food establishments along the way to the MRT or go to Bugis and have local food at the market.

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Conclusions

It’s expensive for Malaysians due to our weak currency. However, it is still high without currency conversion based on my expectations. If it’s on par with other 4-star hotels that I’ve stayed in before, then I would say it is reasonable but it’s far from that. It felt more like a 3-star but I’ve stayed in a 3-star hotel that provided more than this before.

As for the staff performance, they were good except for the concierge that night when we arrived. Meanwhile, the room was small, and everything was basic but the sleep experience was OK. Cleanliness and maintenance were good enough too.

The best part would be the location because it is very strategic and convenient.

Book the Hotel

If you would like to book this hotel, feel free to BOOK HERE.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore, Review It!

A Visit to National Gallery Singapore, the Leading Visual Arts Institution

Posted on November 13, 2022November 13, 2022 By sweet surrender No Comments on A Visit to National Gallery Singapore, the Leading Visual Arts Institution

We went to National Gallery Singapore on our recent trip to Singapore. This is my first time visiting the National Gallery Singapore.

Opppsss… Just realized I forgot to post about the hotel. Ok… Ok… Next post *LOL*

Buy Tickets

I bought the entrance ticket from Klook. Got the General Admission (Foreign Nationals) tickets. 1 Adult (RM 37.29 each) and 2 Concessions (RM 27.49 each). Just show them the mobile voucher or printout, and they will scan the QR code and issue you the tickets. We spent almost 3 hours there.

National Gallery Singapore
Locating National Gallery Singapore

The place is not hard to locate. I did try to ask around for directions but I’ve met many who gave me different directions. Luckily I didn’t listen to them. I just used Moovit to find my way around. I asked them because I wanted to double-check that I’m in the right direction. Well… I had problems understanding the directions actually haha… Luckily, for this place, I got it right.

It’s not the app’s fault. It’s just me. I have no sense of directions even with the help of a navigational app *LOL* Left, right, North, South, East, or West, I’m clueless. However, I’m sure most people will not have a problem using it. After multiple trials and errors, I only used it to find which MRT to take rather than navigating to the place I want to go. My biggest mistake was using it to locate the MRT platform. No need! Don’t!

National Gallery Singapore
Award-winning Art Museum

2020: Ranked 20th place in The Art Newspaper’s annual global survey for attendance at art museums. It’s the only museum in Southeast Asia to receive such a ranking.

2018: The first museum in Asia to receive the Children in Museums Award by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums.

2017: “Best Theme Attraction” at TTG Travel Awards.

2016: “Best Attraction Experience”, “Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism”, and “Best Customer Service (Attractions)” at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards.

National Gallery Singapore
Largest in Singapore

The museum consists of two national monuments, the former Supreme Court building and City Hall with a combined floor area of 64,000 square metres. It is the largest visual arts venue and largest museum in Singapore. Therefore, don’t rush it. Give yourself about 2-3 hours to go through the gallery to savour everything it has to offer in there.

National Gallery Singapore

The National Gallery has two permanent galleries. Namely the Singapore Gallery and the Southeast Asia Gallery.

National Gallery Singapore

All sorts of emotions can be evoked when visiting this place. Happy, sad, disturbing, scary, thought-provoking, impressed, and more.

National Gallery Singapore

There are always different exhibits on display from time to time. You will have to check out the schedule from time to time to know what is going on.

National Gallery Singapore

There are plenty to see until I felt so overwhelmed LOL It’s quite confusing how to navigate the place. Therefore, you really have to take your time, and go through the place slowly so that you won’t be missing out on anything. Since you have paid for the entrance, then be sure to make sure you don’t waste your ticket.

National Gallery Singapore

The historical buildings are well taken care of. They did their very best to restore and maintain it. Quite impressive.

Photos dump 😀
National Gallery Singapore

I’m just gonna let the photos do the talking now. There are too many things to see. What I’m sharing here is just a fraction of it. Not even 1% of what they have there. Therefore, you really need to go and visit it for yourself.

National Gallery Singapore

Left: There’s a robot guide some more.
Right: Hello! Haha… The staircase that many would sit to rest here or take Instagram-worthy photos.

National Gallery Singapore

Learning about the history of Singapore’s formation. Of course, Sarawak is mentioned.

National Gallery Singapore

Surprised to see Sarawak’s related exhibits and stories being featured here. Alena Murang is mentioned too.

National Gallery Singapore

This section is quite thought-provoking.

National Gallery Singapore

Look at how they preserve the old buildings without demolishing them. Instead, the buildings are covered up so that it is protected from weather-related damage.

National Gallery Singapore

The highest floor is where you can see the famous Singapore skyline and landmarks.

National Gallery Singapore

That’s all about this gallery from me. It’s worth the visit for young and old. Great place to escape the heat and rain in Singapore.

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Fun fact, there are many water dispensers available there. So you don’t have to worry about not having anything to drink. Just bring your own water bottle will do.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore

Quick Getaway from Kuching to Singapore with Scoot

Posted on October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 By sweet surrender 3 Comments on Quick Getaway from Kuching to Singapore with Scoot

It’s the last day of October and I didn’t do any updates since 18th October. If you did follow my social media accounts, I was away in Singapore for a quick getaway with my family for 5D4N. I’m already back for a week but procrastination got to me haha… In this post, I’m going to share what I got before travel and during the time I was there.

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First Time Flying with Scoot
Scoot from Kuching to Singapore

It’s our first time flying Scoot. We bought the ticket back in July. Scoot has daily flight to Singapore from Kuching. However, only Tuesday has morning flight to Singapore from Kuching. It is nicer to fly in the morning instead of at night. Otherwise, you can always fly with Air Asia and come back with Scoot. We flew on Thursday night. So, one day is pretty much wasted. Also bought travel insurance that has COVID-19 coverage from AXA. Before you fly, make sure you fill in the SG Arrival Card with electronic Health Declaration.

Scoot from Kuching to Singapore

Just like any budget airline, you’ll be charged for check-in luggage, seat selection, food, and so on. Surprisingly, the luggage’s rate isn’t fixed. It goes up and down. Throughout my ticket-hunting days, I got three different rates each time I checked which is rather amusing. By the way, the hand luggage’s max weight is 10kg.

You can check in online when you are in Kuching but you still have to go to the counter to get your flight ticket printed. That is because there is no self-service kiosk at Kuching International Airport. However, if you are in Singapore, it’s all self-service. Worry not! There are people around to guide/help you with it.

Changi Airport arrival hall

Do print out your COVID-19 vaccination certificate or bring your vaccination card or digital one along as the check-in counter staff did ask for it.

Arrive Singapore

The flight from Kuching to Singapore was about an hour plus. It’s a very short flight. The arrival was at Terminal 1. At the immigration, the officer did ask us to show the proof of electronic arrival card. I did print it out to show them. You can show the softcopy too. It’s just my habit to print every document out when I travel as a backup. You’ll never know when your electronic device might fail you.

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Singapore SIM Card
Singapore SIM Card $12

I bought a SIM card from Klook the morning before I flew. I bought the 4G SIM Card (SG Airport & City Pick Up) for Singapore (RM35.05, 7 days validity). The SIM card collection is outside the baggage claim. Once you’re out of the glass door, go to your left and head to UOB counter. Show the staff your Klook booking and they will provide you with the SIM card after keying in your passport details.

Do make sure you insert the card into your phone on the spot and check the usability before you leave the airport. I have no issue with the SIM card. It works well and I have at least 3 devices connected to my hotspot daily.

Singapore Transportation Card (EzLink)
Singapore transport card Ezlink

You can purchase a transport card that can be used on MRT, bus, and monorail from the airport or any MRT station counter. The cheapest you can get from the airport is $10 (with $5 pre-loaded) from Changi Recommends. The counter is located before UOB counter where you claim the SIM card.

There is also 4G 2 in 1 Travel SIM (SG Airport & City Pick Up) for Singapore that you can get from Klook but can only be collected from Terminal 3 hence it is not so convenient if you are flying in from Kuching.

We got our transport cards from the MRT station the next day instead. The card costs $10 each with $5 pre-loaded.

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After collecting the SIM card and ensuring its usability, we took a taxi to the hotel. The cost of taking a taxi from Changi to Hotel Boss was $30+ (inclusive of airport surcharge and a 25% peak hour charge). Will blog about the hotel in the next post.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore, Review It!

Limited Edition CubicFun 3D Puzzle of Guangdong Arcade Building

Posted on October 5, 2022October 6, 2022 By sweet surrender No Comments on Limited Edition CubicFun 3D Puzzle of Guangdong Arcade Building

I didn’t buy this Limited Edition CubicFun 3D Puzzle of Guangdong Arcade Building. It was given to me by the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province, China. I went there in 2017 for an official trip. I am not sure how many of these were given out but I just can’t seem to find them anywhere online. I’m guessing that this is specifically designed for the tourism administration as one of their corporate souvenirs.

I am not into this kind of puzzle. Almost 5 years later, I opened this up and assembled it. Hahaha… For the sake of uploading a video on my YouTube channel because I ran out of content ;p It is quite an easy puzzle. I’m sure those in primary school or even kindergarten know how to do it. It took me almost an hour though. If it’s not because of filming it, I guess I could complete it in a shorter time frame.

After making this, I did find it quite fun to do. I don’t mind doing some other 3D puzzles if I got my hands on them. However, I won’t specifically buy it 😀 I do not mind getting it as a gift though. Anyway, do you like to play with this kind of puzzle?

I’ve been to China a few times for work purposes but I’ve never been there for leisure. I did blog about it before but not about the work. It’s more on the places I’ve been to while on duty and hotels that I stayed in when I was there. Funnily, I did not have any post on Guangzhou where I got this puzzle because the trip was too overwhelming. I had no time to take many photos of the trip except for work report purposes.

Check out the posts of my China trips here

Asia’s World City – Hong Kong
China’s City of Culture – Nanjing
City of Peonies – Luoyang
Pearl of the Orient – Shanghai
City of the Goat – Guangzhou

City of the Goat - Guangzhou, Going Places, Randomness, Vlog

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Blogging since 2002. Anything before 2006 is no longer available. It is no longer on this server. Back then, I built my own blog and updated it using HTML. No database or anything. Only started blogging fully with a CMS in 2006. However, whatever was on the Internet will stay on the Internet. So... It should be still somewhere on the Internet. Then again... Why do you want to dig that far?

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